Building muscle
to look better
Being
thin is not really a problem but being weak is. The
mistake many of us make is that we go by our weight on
the weighing scale to judge how overweight or underweight
we are, contends Anup Deb Nath
IT is common to hear people
complaining about being overweight and trying to shed off
the excess weight. There are those who exist on the other
side of the line.
People who are underweight and desperately
trying to gain are not so uncommon. In desperation, they
try to do just the opposite of what the experts advise
the overweight to do in their quest to gain some weight.
Books on diet and exercise often neglect to look at such
people and their problems.
I am a 40-year-old man
with a thin and weak body. I am 5 feet 10½ inches and
weigh 60 kg. At the moment I go for a brisk walk everyday
to keep fit, though I would like to do aerobic exercises
and exercises with dumb-bells. I also have a pain in my
neck and stiffening of the shoulder to neck area, a
problem that gets aggravated by continuous bending.
Please could you suggest exercises that would help me get
fit keeping my neck problem in mind?
Being thin is not really a
problem but being weak is. The mistake many of us make is
that we go by our weight on the weighing scale to judge
how overweight or underweight we are. We forget that
different people have different bone structures and body
compositions and two people of exactly the same weight
and height may not look the same. One may look thin and
the other perfectly fine. It is far better to guage how
much we need to lose or gain by looking at ourselves, or
measuring ourselves in inches and also seeing how we
feel.
If you feel weak then you
do need to check with a qualified doctor first as to if
it is recommended that you weight train or undertake any
exercise programme other than walking. If he recommends
it then the following exercises and diet tips should help
you in gaining muscle. This will help to reduce the thin
look of your body .
Try to break up your
bending work into segments. Give your body a few minutes
break after every 10-15 minutes. While at work, you can
relax your neck and shoulders by sitting straight in your
chair and clasping your hands behind your back. Gently
stretch your arms as far back as they will go, pulling
your shoulders along as well. Hold them at their maximum
extent for 5-10 seconds and then gently release. Repeat
this four to five times in every break.
While sitting in your
chair, gently rotate your shoulders forwards. In this
movement your shoulders should move up to try to touch
yours ears as much as possible while rotating them. Do
six to eight of these rotations and then switch to
backwards rotation again for six to eight counts.
Remember to do these as slowly and gently as possible
keeping your movements as smooth and jerk-free as
possible. Sitting on your chair gently move your neck to
the left, hold it for a few seconds and then turn it to
the other side. Do eight to ten of these rotations of the
neck. It is very important to remember to keep your
movements smooth and gentle and not jar the body in any
way.
To maintain your body (no
matter what the age or lifestyle) it is important to eat
the correct food. The body works well if we provide it
with a balanced diet and regular exercise. Your aim
should be to gain muscle rather than just add fat. In
order to gain muscle, it is important to eat a balanced
diet. A daily diet consisting of 60 per cent
carbohydrate, 30 per cent protein, and 10 per cent fat is
the ideally recommended proportion.
Larger quantities of
complex carbohydrates and protein are required by the
body as the carbohydrate gives the body instant energy of
fuel to run on. Wheat, oat barley, green leafy
vegetables, potato, fruits are good sources. For protein
that helps the body form muscles, pulses or daals, soya
bean,fish, lean meat, chicken etc. are good sources. Try
to eat more frequent, smaller meals in the day.
Begin your weight training
with very light dumb-bells. Keep your movements very slow
and keep your body posture correct. Do three sets of
eight to ten repetitions every time. Remember to breathe
out when you are exerting pressure and breathe in when
you release. Target your major body muscles like biceps,
triceps, chest pectorals, shoulders and back for the
upper body and thighs, calves, buttocks,hamstrings in the
lower body. It is best to weight train in a gym under the
guidance of a trained instructor.
Walking by itself is an
aerobic activity. If you walk briskly and regularly
(keeping your target heart rate in mind), it will benefit
you more. Give all your goals time and patience before
expecting results.
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