Stop obsessing over Weight, just stay Active

Are you frustrated with the usual gymming routines and rigorous exercises that are always suggested when you look for a weight loss program? Do you start off with great vigor but then somewhere down the lane it takes a toll on you and you give up? There are so many things that need to be kept in mind while gymming or aerobics, like the time you need to devote, clothes, keeping sufficient time gap between meals, etc. There is always a reason to avoid the exercise regime.

But why get fixated on losing weight? Did you know that what is more important than losing weight is to have a good stamina and to keep the body active? Did you know that those who run to the gym everyday or those who are thin may still have low stamina levels?

Often we sit at our office desks for ten hours a day and then travel, or should I say struggle, while commuting by trains and buses, amidst crowds. By the time we reach home we are so tired from the mental and physical struggle, that we eat and crash straight to bed. We often assume that since we are so tired we have probably been really active and might in the process lose weight.

But the actual exertion or body activity is close to nil. We are tired predominantly due to mental exhaustion followed by physical strain while travelling. That is why our weighing scales show no change. In fact this kind of fatigue clubbed with irregular meals and bad eating habits can result in weight gain instead of loss!!

So what do we do? Instead of fixating on the weighing machine, let us concentrate on our physical activities. Aim at ridding yourself of lethargy. You can increase your body metabolism by being constantly active. So pay closer attention to how much movement you actually have every day.

Jump start in the morning

Morning activity is the most important. It not only keeps you energetic throughout the day, but also helps other things like digestion, blood circulation not to mention it keeps you in a good mood

By simply scheduling your alarm ten minutes earlier or substituting other languid morning habits with a little activity, you can make a great difference. Here are some things you can do:

• Surya Namsakar - This is the most fulfilling yoga exercise. With one round taking up about a minute you can easily devote 10 minutes every morning to yourself through suryanamaskar. It relaxes all body muscles, regulates blood circulation and gets you sweating in minutes when done at a reasonable pace.! It acts as an amazing metabolism booster in the beginning of your day.

• Jumping jacks - Done by spreading legs and raising hands up to the shoulder and jumping, jumping jacks act as superb sleep and lethargy busters. Doing about 200 jumping jacks in 3-4 sets will again take up no more than ten minutes.

• Skipping - Everyone has heard of the skipping rope. Most of us have one lying around somewhere at home. Find it and devote a few minutes every morning to skipping. Preferably not on a full stomach.

• Other exercises - Any other exercise, be it yoga or aerobics or any other form that you enjoy, can be practiced.

But ten minutes every morning should be habituated to by you. It helps boost body metabolism and increases energy levels

So substitute your newspaper reading time or TV time with something more productive. Read your paper later, maybe while you travel. You can do most of these exercises while watching TV or with music in the background to make it more enjoyable. Once you get used to the regime you won't be able to do without it!

During the day

During the day we all get lost in our work, may it be at office or at home or in an institute.

Here's how we can keep ourselves active:

Take breaks -

• At work -To prevent our brains from getting over tired due to pressure from work, take frequent small breaks. But do not use them to sit in the same place and do something otherthan work. Use it to walk around your floor, or go up and down the stairs to other floors. If you get a call on your mobile phone you could use this opportunity to take a walk, or just simply take about five minuutes off for a small stroll outdoors.

• At home - At home, between odd jobs or simply when bored, leave the house and take a walk around the building or on your terrace. Climb the stairs as a practice, it acts as a good excersice... Take your I pod or a book and go and sit in a garden or park near you. The activity to get there and the fresh air will help. Anything to get you out of your current premises and to give you some movement. Simply sitting at home in front of the TV or PC is unhealthy.

This physical movement will help with blood circulation and prevent you from getting lazy.

While travelling -

• Walk - Coveringshort distances certainly, even long distances that you can cover without exhaustion, should be substituted by walking instead of by rickshaws, taxis or buses. Many of us with two wheelers often resort to riding it even when covering small distances like going to the market. Instead walk up to the market. The pace isn't important but the fact that you have some excercise counts.

• Stairs - The lift is an unfortunate technology that prevents us from taking the stairs. For people who have their offices on a high floor like the tenth, climbing the stairs is probably all the activity that you need! Try your best to substitute using a lift with the stairs. Don't attempt two steps at a time it does not help. Instead take one at a time but faster if you can.

• Bags - Our bags are probably the biggest setback when we travel. If you are carrying things like a laptop then there isn't much you can do about the weight. But for bags that are heavy for other reasons, keep checking and rid the bag of unwanted things or try and keep some things at your desk so that you don't have to carry themaround every day. Carrying heavy bags can simply tire you when you travel and leave you without energy for anything else. To know more about Stop obsessing over Weight, just stay Active