How many people do you know who wake up every day in the morning, hit the gym and then complain that it’s not doing them any good? And it has nothing to do with bad gymnasiums or fitness techniques. While you might feel delighted about getting back in the groove as far as shedding those calories are concerned, your weighing scale might not bring a smile to those puckers. How does it happen? Most people end up eating the wrong kind of food while on a fitness regime and don’t train hard enough.
Body transformation expert Wanitha Ashok says, “Even if one is working out, once they step out with friends, they just let go. They will munch on wafers, fries and even popcorn; drink packaged juice, thinking it’s healthy. And through all that chatter and gossip, they don’t realise how many calories they’re actually consuming.”
It’s not only about what you eat, it’s also about the way you are working out. Ask yourself if you’re training seriously enough. “The fact that you are exercising is great but not if you are working out one week and then taking off the next. A routine with several hours dedicated to your work-outs during the week is must. Taking a break once in a while is fine but going off it for long periods is bad news,” says Sameer Shetty, head trainer at Zela, adding, “A lot of people have signed up for trainers and come to the gym regularly, or so they think. Keep track of your attendance, and it’ll be like your wake up call of how irregular you actually might be.” It helps if you set deadlines too; it’s easy to set goals but reaching them is another story. It also helps if you have professional help at hand.
Monmi Mahanta, personal trainer at Fitness First, says, “I have seen a lot of people who don’t seek the help of trainers and dieticians and end up without desired results. They start cribbing after a certain point without realising that their work-out regime should be designed according to their fitness levels.”
Following the same regime and diet over a long period of time might also slow down effects. “Variation is important. I always make sure that I don’t follow the same routine with my students,” says Wanitha. Elaborating on it, Sameer says, “Our bodies need challenge to keep progressing. When you do the same thing day after day, you get good at it. In exercise this is called the principle of adaptation. It basically means that we become efficient by doing the same exercise over and over. This is great for sports performance, but not that great for weight loss, strength increment or fitness progression. If you do the same work-out for the same amount of time, you will eventually hit a plateau. One way of overcoming this is to modify your work-outs every few weeks or months.”
You can see results with fun work-outs targeted towards weight loss. A trainer can show you the most effective exercises to get rid of the fat from your body and give you the motivation to be a regular at the gym. So leave your excuses behind and push yourself a little extra, “Tears will get you sympathy, but sweat will get you results,” says Sameer.
