Punchtantra
Just out of a dance reality show, boxer Akhil Kumar now has his sights set on the Olympics and other upcoming events
Vaibhav Sharma

Every time people talk about the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the superb show put up by the Indian boxers, the first image that comes to mind is that of a crouching player, waiting with anticipation and grit writ large on his face. That man was Akhil Kumar. The man who made India realise how exciting and pulsating a sport boxing could be.

With the London Olympics slated next year, and the World Championship, which will be a qualifying event for the Games this year, he has his hands full and eyes set firmly on his target.

You have been in the news lately for a different reason. The appearance on a dance reality programme showed a very different side of you to the people.

It was fun but, mind you, extremely challenging as well. I am no trained dancer, and the people I was competing against are all from the entertainment industry. But, I guess, I wouldn’t have given in, or let go without giving it my hundred per cent. I am just happy that I could do that. It helped me, as being visible is important. I have been lucky that people have anyways always appreciated my boxing a lot. It means a lot to me that the fans, especially people who follow boxing, like how I go about things.

The past couple of years have been a little disappointing, as you have not won many medals. Any specific reasons for it?

I wouldn’t call them disappointments. Yes, they were tough moments, at times too tough, but I guess as a sportsman, especially a boxer, you can’t expect life to be a bed of roses.

It is always about bouncing back, about being able to take more than your opponent and hit the hardest when your hands go numb, and it hurts to even lift them. Sometimes, I could do it, sometimes I couldn’t. But it is really about staying focussed and to just keep trying.

The countdown to the London Olympics has already started, and this might be the biggest test for Indian boxing to assert its supremacy. How are you looking at it?

The Olympics are the big thing, the one that matters a lot as you compete with the very best and, of course, there is the added pride of representing your nation at the global event.

I am really looking forward to the Olympics and have been training hard for all chances we get for qualifying. The World Championship in September will be the key and I will give it my best to make sure that not only do I qualify for the Olympics, but I also do well at the championship.

For Indian boxing, of course, the London Olympics will carry a lot of expectations. There will be all sorts of hype and people would expect some medals. Hopefully, our boxing contingent will not let anyone down and we can add to the already growing craze of the sport.

Do you plan to do anything differently this time around, or will the crowd get to see you dropping your guard once again?

I know the crowd really enjoys the open guard as it makes the game a lot more exciting and free flowing. It has also helped me a lot of times, but you can’t get too predictable about these things, else you run the danger of being caught out.

I would love to put up a show for the crowd, but it is also important to read your opponent’s game and keep shifting gears and tactics, as and when required.

Any other activities that you have planned out?

Well, the only thing I plan is my fitness and training regime. Other activities, like this dance show, I take up whenever I get a little time out of my routine.

As a sportsman, it is extremely important to remember that it is with dedication, focus and lots of perseverance that one reaches a level of performance.

Boxing has brought me this far, people know me, and we are lucky that so many people pray for us. I just hope I can keep living up to their expectations and justifying their love for me. Rest, all of it will fall into place, as and when it has to.

Fitness mantra
Going on GM diet
B. N. Behera

Dieting is a crucial factor in weight loss and selecting the right diet plan is important. Almost everyone who wants to lose weight has heard of the General Motor’s Diet, commonly known as the GM Diet. The GM Diet is a seven-day programme especially designed for weight reduction and for detoxifying the gastrointestinal tract.

Obesity is a state of positive energy balance created by the consumption of calories in an amount in excess of the total energy expenditure (TEE) by the body. The weight status is maintained when the total energy derived from the food intake equals the total energy expended by the body. You tend to lose weight when there is a lower intake of energy than is expended.

How it works

In this seven-day programme, each and every day you will have to eat a specific food. During this period, you must abstain from alcohol and drink 10 glasses of water each day to expedite the flushing of toxins present in the gastrointestinal tract.

DAY ONE: Eat as many fruits as you want except the banana, as it contains excess calories. It is suggested that you consume lots of melons, especially watermelons. The only source of nutrition are fresh fruits, which are low in calories and full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. They provide everything to sustain life except total balance and variety.

DAY TWO: Eat all vegetables in unlimited amounts, cooked or in salad form. For complex carbohydrates, you can start your day with baked potato, skin topped with a teaspoon of butter. Cook vegetables with minimum fat and avoid fatty dressings in salad except vinegar, lemon, garlic and herbs. Your Day 2 starts with a fix of complex carbohydrates coupled with a little oil. This is taken in the morning for energy and the rest of the day consists of vegetables, which are virtually calorie-free and provide essential nutrients and fibre.

DAY THREE: Eat a mixture of fruits and vegetables except the banana and potato because you get your carbohydrates from the fruits. Day 3 prepares the system to start burning excess pounds. You will still have a craving, which starts to diminish by Day 4.

DAY FOUR: On this day, eat up to eight bananas and drink three glasses of milk. You may not eat all the bananas allowed but they are there for the potassium you have lost and the sodium you have missed in the past three days. Certainly, three glasses of milk provide you the proteins, calcium and phosphorus.

DAY FIVE: Eat small two portions (250g each) of chicken/fish combined with six whole tomatoes as salad. Vegetarians could derive the proteins from rajma/chhole/paneer/soy nuggets. On Day 5, you must increase your water intake up to 12 glasses. This will wash off the excess uric acid from your system. The chicken/fish will provide iron and protein, the tomatoes give antioxidants and fibre.

DAY SIX: On this day, you can eat an unlimited amount of lean meat/chicken/fish or cottage cheese (for vegetarian) and vegetables. This diet will provide iron and proteins; from vegetables you will get vitamins and fibre. Now, your system is in a total weight loss inclination.

DAY SEVEN: Your food intake will consist of brown rice, fruit juices and all vegetables. This will provide you carbohydrates, Vitamin B, minerals and fibre.

For all seven days, you can have a special GM diet soup in an unlimited amount. This soup can be made by boiling different vegetables like cabbage, onion, tomatoes, celery, and peppers in water. For taste, you can add spices like garlic, chilli and salt.

On the very next day, you will be 3-5 kg lighter than one week ago. If you desire further weight loss, repeat the programme after one month. The GM diet has many unique factors that you should consider before attempting to follow it.

The writer is a dietician with the Department of Dietetics, PGI

ADVANTAGES

Many people prefer this diet plan as it significantly reduces calories and you lose several pounds in only a few days. This plan eliminates refined carbohydrates, fatty foods, bakery products and alcohol. It contains a lot of fibre to provide satiety and bulk.

It is designed to flush your system of impurities and give you a feeling of well-being.

Most of the foods recommended in the diet are unprocessed and natural.

DISADVANTAGES

This diet plan may severely restrict your nutrition and may not give you all the nutrients your body needs to function.

This diet plan is built around calorie restriction, and food choices are extremely limited.

Obese individuals who are suffering from diabetes, hypertension or other heart problems and ailing persons, pregnant mothers and growing children should not go in for the GM diet.

It does not include exercise, which may be counterproductive to long-term weight loss and does not focus on fat burning. This GM diet may cause headache, dry skin and hair loss.

You may lose weight due to an excess loss of water, not real fat. It is because glycogen stores (sugar stored in liver) are mobilised, which is accompanied by a corresponding loss of water. You will probably get it all back quickly once you go back to eating your regular food.

So, it is advisable to follow a balanced diet programme along with regular exercise rather than going in for such extreme diets.