Exercising, apart from
reducing weight, tones up muscles and helps build up the
bodys immune system, says Anup Deb Nath
Myths about
exercise
AWARENESS about the body is the
"in" thing all over the country. More and more
people are devoting time and attention at trying to keep
their bodies in peak condition. Some aim at looking good,
others at feeling good and still others at a combination
of both.
While exercising and
fitness have become common with gyms and health centres
sprouting up all over towns and cities, many people are
still in the dark about basics. We are discussing some
problems as an attempt to dispel some common myths and
exercising mistakes.
Exercising is only
needed for overweight people: A commonly heard
refrain is "Youre so thin why are you
exercising"? Exercising, apart from reducing weight,
tones up muscles, strengthens the cardiovascular system
and helps build up the bodys immune system, to
fight infection and disease. It is excellent as a stress
reliever. It is needed just as much by a slim person as
by an overweight one.
Hoping for immediate
results: Many people take up exercising expecting
dramatic results overnight. It is wrong to expect
miraculous results from any form of exercise. You should
give yourself a minimum of three months to see if there
is any beneficial effect. If you have let your body
slacken and have gained weight for the last five to six
years, at least try to give it the same amount of time in
months before you hope to see any results.
The faster you
exercise, the better the results: This is incorrect.
With a fast paced exercise all you might land up with are
injuries. It is better to let your body slowly build up
its stamina and energy till it is able to take a faster
pace. While doing callisthenics many people tend to feel
that faster movement will have more effect. This is
incorrect.
In many forms of exercise
such as weight training and callisthenics the slower and
more controlled the movement, the better the results. Try
to go slow, focus and concentrate on the muscles you are
working on while breathing correctly. The movement should
be slow particularly on the negative movement that
is while going back.
While lifting a dumb-bell
or doing abdomen crunches, the downward movement should
be slow and controlled as it has more effect on the
muscles.
You cant overdo
exercise: Wrong. In an attempt to get results faster
many people tend to overdo the exercising. An hour of
aerobics, an hour at the gym, and a jog daily does not
mean youll get fit faster, or become fitter than
the rest. What it can mean is that youll burn out
faster or get injuries which will then put any exercise
out of question.
Exercise is for the
young. This is not true because age is no bar. Many
people tend to feel that they are too old to exercise.
Older people often need more exercise than younger ones
to keep stiff joints and poor circulation at bay. While
an over strenuous work-out is certainly not what they
need, any exercise that keeps the heart and lungs working
at peak capacity should be perfect for any healthy person
no matter how old.
Exercising makes you lose
weight: True, though when they start any exercise
programme, many people tend to weigh themselves every
week or even every day. If they see any weight loss in
the first few weeks they expect to see the same every
subsequent week. They lose heart and stop exercising if
they dont. Please remember that your body will not
lose weight at the same pace right through. If you have
lost weight in the initial few weeks and dont do so
in the next week, your body might have hit a plateau. The
rate at which your body will lose fat will not always be
constant. Also, often the loss may be in terms of inches
rather than in kgs. So, apart from weighing yourself, you
should measure yourself as well.
You can stop exercising
once you have achieved your target: Many people tend
to stop exercising the moment they achieve the target
they have set for themselves. Exercise should be constant
and a part of our daily routine and not something we take
up in fits and starts. If you stop exercising, your body
can go back to where it was before you started in terms
of weight, fitness as well as stamina.
"I want good
biceps": Often while weight training the entire
emphasis is on the upper body, basically the chest and
biceps. This tends to make the body look out of
proportion. It is better to do a total body work-out so
that you have a proportionate body.
Watch out for those
jerks: Jerky movements in any form of exercise can
harm the body. Particularly during stretches, people tend
to jerk their body which can put unnecessary strain on
it. A slower movement, where you reach the ultimate point
your body is able to, hold the movement and slowly come
back is better.
Warm up before you
start a routine: To warm-up and cool-down is often
regarded as unnecessary by many who feel that the real
benefit is in the faster aerobic movements. Avoiding
warming-up and cooling-down is not helping your body as
you can land up straining a muscle.
The warm-up prepares your
body for the work-out that is to follow while building up
your heart rate gradually. The cool-down slowly brings
your heart rate back to its original resting stage.
Pulled muscles and cramps are often the result of not
following warm-up or cool-down routine.
Water, the health
drink: Water is essential for the body. You must
drink water both before and after your exercise. Of
course dont over fill your stomach with water as
you wont be able to work-out.
Dont
overexercise, undereat: For those who are exercising
to lose weight, food is often the target. Many people
tend to overexercise and severely undereat in an attempt
to lose weight.
This is an absolutely
wrong way to follow. Diet control should be maintained
but well below the point of starvation. Eat a balanced
and nutritive diet, low in fat and higher in protein and
carbohydrate. It should be balanced out with a workout.
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