While many of us may identify trouble areas in our bodies – arms, thighs, hips or such else we tend to ignore something very significant: working on the core. Having a strong core is a very vital factor in overall body fitness and health. A strong core ensures that you have a great posture, and a great metabolic rate, which then culminates in a state of good bodily health.

Here are all the benefits to having your core trained in perfect order:
– A strong core helps to combat chronic back pain, particularly low back pain. Having a weak core implies having a very weak posture. A weak posture makes your lower back bear the brunt of your weight, and can cause a state of chronic pain in the back. When your core is strong, the lower back not burdened by the body weight, and instead, is strengthened.

– A well developed core will help keep every day injuries away from you. Using your core strength makes you adept at everyday movements, and at your exercises – because your muscles are strengthened.

– Improve your posture: When you have a strong midsection, a hunched or a slouched down spine and poor posture is dispelled. With a strong and stable core, one can sit up, stand up and go about everyday movements very easily. The number on the scale is not everything! It is about being functional and capable of going about everyday life without any pain.
– A strengthened core will also help build a certain level of confidence, as well – it accomplishes a certain degree of strong posture, a good sense of discipline and a sense of inner strength.

– A strong core can help you be better at endurance. When you work on weight workouts or endurance and stability workouts, your core strength comes into play to help stabilise your postural and fitness activities.

References:
http://www.popsugar.com

http://www.huffingtonpost.com

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Picture Courtesy:

tonytonespt.co.uk

southcityphysio.com/

almadenpilates.com/

Swimming may seem like a niche activity that only a few may seem inclined towards, but taken as a wholesome activity that pivots towards fitness, it is an extremely useful tool to help keep your fitness and your health levels high.

Swimming laps, doing exercises in water and strengthening oneself is a great way to stay in shape and in a place of good health. Here some of the fun ways to charge up your experience in the pool:
1. Swim a bunch of laps by yourself, but change the strokes every three laps. This will help your body use its muscles and tone your body evenly. Swimming different laps will also help you vary your workout suitably.
2. Try your hand at water aerobics! A fun activity, you don’t even need to know how to swim to do water aerobics. All you need is yourself and the right clothing, and follow your instructor. Everything from dance to full-fledged aerobics and kick-boxing can be done in the pool.

3. Cross train in the pool! It may be conventional to think that the idea of cross-fit centres around the land, where you’re carrying weights and roughing it out across a range of terrains. But, cross-fit can also be imported into the pool – and specific muscles can be targeted to achieve a great tone and impact.

4. Ab exercises: In the pool, working your core can be a fantastic way to achieve tone and weight loss. Water is about 70% more dense than air is, and this tends to provide a constant and consistent resistance. With that resistance, your whole body gets involved, and then creates a surge of energy and momentum. The core holds everything together and gets toned in the process, without having to do a single crunch or sit up.
5. Water yoga: Doing a few flex and movement postures – except those that require you to lie supine or bend over – such as the warrior pose or the tree pose, can be a good way to build your flexibility. Stretching in water gives your muscles a sense of flexibility and a sense of energy. This will further assist your body in attaining a state of suppleness when you get out of the water.

References:
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/swim-workout
https://experiencelife.com/article/swim-for-your-life/
http://www.dnaindia.com/health/report-world-heart-day-cardio-exercises-you-should-do-for-a-healthy-heart-2129736

Former Miss Universe of 2000, Lara Dutta, is busy making heads turn with her every role and public appearance. For one who has been in the limelight since she was rather young, the demands of her profession have been less adversely impactful, and Lara remains a substantial role model in terms of health, work and intellect. Here is a look at Lara’s fitness mantra:
– A self-proclaimed foodie, Lara enjoys following her mind rather than her heart. She enjoys fitness as much as she enjoys food. She watches her food intake in her everyday diet plans, and is vegan. She sticks to nature’s offerings such as fresh fruits, vegetables.
– Lara looks at breakfast as one of the main meals of the day lunch being the second and the dinner getting the least priority.
– In terms of her exercise regimen, Lara follows a regimen of yoga and follows a five-days-a-week regime is mainly conducted on cardio and strength training. She also accumulated her personal experiences into releasing a fitness CD called H.E.A.L with Lara.
– Lara Dutta is all about organic and eco-friendly products, and is quite often seen popping in a DIY mask every now and then. While she uses ice cube to reduce puffiness in her eyes, she also delights in sandalwood and aloe vera gel for healthy skin.
– Because if her career needs, she frequently needs to get her hair changed and dyed and this is why she makes sure she gets protein treatments every now and then. She fears alopecia and makes it a point to go in for a head massage or hot-oil scalp massage often.

References:
Lara Dutta – Fitness and diet tips!
http://stylesatlife.com/articles/lara-dutta-beauty-tips/
http://pluslifestyles.com/articles/lara-dutta-beauty-secrets/’

Picture Courtesy: workoutinfoguru and images.desimartini.com/

If the jogging bug hasn’t bitten you yet, then this article is for you. Of the many kinds that there are, cardiovascular exercises are one of the best kinds of exercise that your body needs, both, to keep fit, and to stay in top shape and good health. While for most people, this is achieved through a session at the gym or in the pool, there is a cheaper option that is just as good, if not better – and arguably, has the potential to rank among the best forms of exercise around. Jogging is simple – you need a good pair of shoes, some comfortable clothes and some space on the street or a park.

 

Jogging everyday will keep you healthy and fit – but it really is your best investment for your health for the following reasons:
1. Jogging is highly efficient as an exercise simply because it burns calories. Adding intensity to your run through slopes and inclines, rough and tough terrains and increased durations can help you stay healthy and lose all those unnecessary and empty calories that your intake may be piling on you.
2. Jogging helps influence weight loss, especially with the right kind of intensity and time duration, and the manner in which your body responds to jogging. It is a good tool to help keep your muscles supple, and when the metabolic rate rises, helps it burn all that excess fat.
3. Jogging helps keep your heart healthy and supple. When you do intense cardiovascular exercises, the heart rate rises. When the heart rate rises, there is an automatic increase in the amount of blood pumped, and this spike in the pumping of blood helps increase the supply of blood to the body’s organs, and helps reduce bad cholesterol, thus keeping the heart healthy.
4. Jogging can also boost your mental health significantly, since it helps keep you buoyed, happier and in good spirits, while also helping you reduce your stress levels and improve poor memory. Studies link regular cardio exercises like jogging to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia related illnesses.
5. It is cheap, convenient and easy to do at whim, for all you need in order to run is yourself, a good pair of shoes, some comfortable clothing and some open spaces.
6. Jogging also helps you get rid of toxins in the body, because it breaks your body out into a sweat, that helps release all the toxins from your system.
7. Jogging is good for the skin – all that sweat and toxin in the pores are sent packing, and your skin is free of acne and blemishes.

References:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/fitness/How-jogging-helps-you-stay-sharp/articleshow/49968940.cms
http://greatist.com/fitness/30-convincing-reasons-start-jogging-now
http://www.indiatimes.com/health/tips-tricks/6-reasons-why-jogging-is-the-best-workout-for-you-241614.html

Because of the never ending supply of articles about six packs in fitness, body building and magazines as well as the washboard stomachs displayed by actors in films and advertising it would seem that everybody and anybody has a six pack these days which can leave you wondering why you don’t and what you have done wrong to suffer such injustice.

You might then read countless magazines on fitness and embark on a frenzied journey to attain this evasive gold standard of fitness. What you need to be aware of, however, is that even your favourite stars and bodybuilders do not sport the 6 pack 52 weeks of the year. Body builders spend a large part of the year consuming more calories than their bodies need so that they can build muscle tissue.

They then begin dieting as early as 3 months before a competition to ensure that their bodies are ripped to sheds on the big day. D-day muscle-show itself is usually a combination of near-starvation combined with dehydration. But (you say), what about athletes? And that skinny friend of your that seems to ALWAYS have a six pack despite what he eats? Is he lying when he/she says he works for it? No. Some people are genetically blessed with an extremely low propensity to gain fat.

They make great athletes for a reason and any muscle they build will show right up because they don’t have a lot of fat covering it anyway. So, Yes, they do work for it. But the odds are, you can work twice as much and not see the same result. Does all this mean you should just give up on the idea of six-pack abs? Not really, you should still train hard and eat right.

You should look at cutting down on visceral fat as much as you safely can and you should still work your core and look to strengthening it. What you should also do is keep your expectations realistic. If your diet is leaving you cranky and irritable and your training is exhausting you instead of energising you. You might need to dial it back a little, and accept that the best you can do without losing your sanity, is a nice no-fat/very-minimally-clothed-in fat-midsection.

The Author, Jyotsna John, is a fitness enthusiast who turned her passion for fitness into a full time career. She has travelled to UK and the US and studied a lot about fitness while she was there. She has a list of certifications, and is currently a trainer at The Unit, in Chennai.

Fitness trackers are here to stay. Worn or clipped on, these trackers are perfectly inspiring tools to keep your health on track. Here are some of the benefits of fitness trackers, enough to teach you reason to invest in one:

                                                        PC:connectedly.com
– It lends credence and personal accountability, because your tracking app will help you make sure that you stick to your commitment.
– You can work out towards individually-tailored goals, so that you don’t take on too much just out of an uninformed decision on your part.
– It’s really all about you! Imagine, all the chronicling and information dovetailing on your every fitness need – nothing gets more committed to YOUR health than this!
– It is a great source of motivation – if not for anything else, at least for the fact that you spent money on it!
– Most Up-to-date weight loss tool that it is, you will also be able to track every last detail on your fitness regimen without an issue.
– Personal motivation is on an all time high – and when you post on social media, there is also a sense of communal motivation.
– It gives you an incentive to stay active all day.
– It is a fantastic health aid, telling you when to drink water, to sleep and other every day monitoring needs, so that you don’t wind up compromising on your health on any account.

Feature Image Courtesy: wired.com/

References:
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/fitness-tracker-buying-guide,review-2549.html
http://www.onlinefitnesslog.com/Benefits.aspx
http://www.trackmy.fit/fitness/4-benefits-fitness-tracking/
http://www.healthfitnessrevolution.com/top-10-benefits-of-fitness-trackers/

It’s that time of year again, when it’s impossible to get an empty dreadmill treadmill at the gym. And even as gym attendance increases, you may still find it hard to find that motivation to make good on your New Year’s resolution. Don’t worry, you are not alone.

Getting used to a fitness regimen make take some time, but before you know it, you will stop dreading your workouts and actually look forward to them. Making small lifestyle changes can make a huge difference. So make 2016 your fit year with tips from this guide.

Make A Clear Goal

Many people easily break their resolutions to lose weight or become more fit because these are general goals. Because everyone still has the happiness high from New Years, you may be excited to join a new gym or lace up new running shoes. But if you have a “New Year, new me” mentality without any defined steps along your fitness journey, you could be setting yourself up for heading right back to the couch and old habits.

If your overall goal is to lose unwanted weight, than focus on making smaller goals for the month or even week. Mini goals could include drinking more water, eating more vegetables, walking 30 minutes for three times a week or going to the gym four days a week. If your overall goal is to become more fit, sign up for a 5k race, enter in a obstacle race, or sign up for a new fitness class to keep your muscles working without reaching a plateau.

Accountability

Tell people about your fitness goals so that you hold yourself accountable. No one can force you out of bed for an early workout before work but yourself, but having some fit friends can make the struggle easier. Join a local running club or set up a weekly walk with your neighbors. Those who may need an extra push should consider hiring a personal trainer through their local gym. While you might not want to shell out extra money, think of it as an investment in your health. A trainer can show you how to get the right form when working out to reduce injury and will hold you accountable for getting in your workouts. No one wants to let down their trainer!

Track Your Progress

Create a food journal to log what kinds of foods you are eating. And don’t worry, there’s plenty of apps to make it easier. Reward yourself for your hard work so you avoid feeling like you are depriving yourself from what you crave, but over time you will start to crave healthier foods the more you incorporate them in your diet rather than junk that will make you feel sluggish and sleepy. Even if you plan on working out all the time, you won’t be able to out train a poor diet. Your success rests on what you put on your plate.

There are countless fitness apps out there that count your calories, workouts, steps, distance and speed. While a new study found that health tracking apps don’t produce weight loss results by themselves, they still are a great way to track how far you have come on your fitness journey. Just remember to keep up your healthy habits so that you continue to progress.

Best Ways to Get in Shape

You have planned out your fitness goals over the year, stocked up on healthy foods and downloaded popular fitness apps. Now it’s time to get moving. Think of the last time you tried to get into shape and what worked and what wasn’t working for you.

Here are the top ways to get the best shape:

1. Exercise daily: Start slow with just 30 minutes a day. This could be a brisk walk or pop in a workout DVD you have lying around. You can also turn to YouTube for yoga or dance workouts. Alternate your activity, such as weight lifting one day, cardio the next.

2. Try something new: Like a kickboxing class, spinning or even aerial yoga. The key is to find a workout that you enjoy. The more you like an activity, whether it be swimming or rock climbing, the chances are you will want to do it.

3. Clean up your diet: We have all heard the phrase “abs are made in the kitchen.” And it’s true. Eat more veggies, limit processed and prepackaged foods and cut out sweets. Remember it’s all about portion control. Don’t forget to stay hydrated!

4. Be prepared: Getting up early to workout can be hard to do, especially when your bed is warm in the winter. Sleep in your workout clothes or lay them out the night before so you have no excuse. If you need music to run, set a playlist ahead of time. Buying new workout clothes can also motivate you to wear them during your next sweat session.

5. Get enough sleep: With that said, you still need rest to be able to function properly throughout the day. If you don’t have sleep, you won’t have the motivation to workout. Set a bedtime and don’t bring your phone or tablet under the covers with you so you can fall asleep without the distraction of Facebook.

6. Don’t make fitness a fad: There are plenty diets and fitness products that turn out to just be a fad. View your fitness journey as a lifestyle not just something you are plan on doing short-term.

7. Make it social: Last year we saw the continuing rise of fun runs, 5k races that include runners in cool costumes, neon lights and epic dance parties. Make a team and have your friends join with you. Setting a race date also helps you keep on training so you feel prepared on the big day. These races are so fun that you won’t feel like it is a workout.

8. Go on a follow spree: On days when you need an extra push, look to Instagram accounts that capture healthy lifestyles. Seeing pictures of an awesome yoga pose or a curvy frame in a squat could help you refocus and get off the couch. There are also great Facebook groups for running and other fitness lovers worth joining.

9. Lift weights: Cardio and diet can help you lose weight, but lifting weights is the best way to really see defined muscles. You don’t have to lift like body builder. Start with what you can handle and each week aim to improve.

10. Set alarms: Schedule and plan your workouts on your phone or calendar so that you are mentally prepared for your weekly fitness plan. This can help busy fitness enthusiast find and make the time to get their workouts completed.

Remember that the road to getting in shape is a process, so don’t expect to see results over night. Give your routine a month and if you see results, keep working at it. If you don’t, change it up.

References:
http://www.techtimes.com/articles/24693/20150106/your-ultimate-fitness-guide-smart-ways-to-get-in-shape-this-year.htm

I enjoy moving my body, most of the time. It comes from years and years of practice. I no longer worry about form or weight. My mind is free to enjoy the workout and think about how efficiently I can complete a workout. My body needs no instruction, and I love the freedom and mental clarity a tough workout brings me.

That is of course, how I feel in a gym/ at the Unit. Last week, however, I decided to start working on a new martial art. I’ve started Kalari Payattu. For those of you who haven’t heard of it.. this is what a seasoned practitioner makes it look like:

I, however, have only just started, and I’m fairly bad at it. And no, I’m not being modest. For the first time in a long time, I truly understand (in the present tense) why people dread workouts in the beginning. Its hard to feel good about a workout when EVERYTHING you do needs correction or modification and you cannot seem to do anything right. Its hard to go back to class, when you know that what awaits you, is a whole lot of disapproval and patient-but-constant correction.

And yet, through it all, I feel slightly happy.

If there’s one thing I’ve learnt through years and years and years of trying every new workout/exercise that’s been around, it is this:

You are not going to be bad at anything you consistently practice, forever.

Thats not the way your body is designed. Your body simply doesn’t get the limitations your mind puts on it. It will adapt to survive. If you consistently tell it that it needs to jump, kick and fly around to survive, then one day, it will help you do just that.

And yes, exercise feels awesome once you get technique and you can take your mind off it. But it takes time and patience to get there.

So I’m going back, and I will keep going till I finally get it. It might take months or maybe even years. But I am getting older anyway. I might as well learn something new while I’m at it.

And when I finally get it (because I will), how cool is it going to be, to own a body that can do this:

The Author, Jyotsna John, is a fitness enthusiast who turned her passion for fitness into a full time career. She has travelled to UK and the US and studied a lot about fitness while she was there. She has a list of certifications, and is currently a trainer at The Unit, in Chennai.

Featured Image Courtesy : keralatourism.org

This season brings with it the drawing down of this current year, and rings in the arrival of the New Year. With all the memories you’re going to be making, photographs are going to be clicked by the dozen – and you definitely want to look your best! Here are a bunch of things you can do to get into and stay in shape this season:

1. Set a reasonable goal and target it with dedication. Don’t look towards losing 20 kilos in a month – that’s crazy! Make sure to focus on losing inches and on fewer kilos rather than to look to knocking off by the larger numbers.

2. Cook and freeze, defrost and eat.  This will help you avoid eating a lot of fast food and processed food – especially on days on which you know you are going to be busy.

3. Exercise, exercise, exercise! Always make sure that you keep those calories burning and keep your body in good shape. Don’t allow the winter to take you over and forget to exercise.

4. Keep yourself hydrated. Just because it is winter, it doesn’t mean that you can slacken and forget to keep your water content in order.

5. Cut back on salt – the more salt you ingest, the greater the chances of water retention and bloating.

6. Workout indoors if you can, especially with such things as strength training, yoga and Pilates, so that your bones and joints move, and you remain limber and strong as ever.

7. Keep your skin healthy and supported with cold cream, winter moisturizers and other nutritive skin cleansers to avoid clogged pores, zits and allergies.

8. Never neglect to keep your body free of fungus. With winter, dampness in your clothing, particularly after laundry, can be harmful to your skin. Always air out your clothes well – using a drier, and then wear them.

Referencs: 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/fitness/How-to-get-your-body-in-shape-for-Christmas/articleshow/49857030.cms

https://www.thebestof.co.uk/local/brighton-and-hove/community-hub/blog/view/get-you-body-in-shape-before-christmas-with-bikram-yoga

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/fitness/How-jogging-helps-you-stay-sharp/articleshow/49968940.cms