10 commandments for getting fit

Forget fashion conscious, be health conscious.

ISLAMABAD:

In a body-conscious world fixated on size zero women and broad shouldered men, it is no surprise that metropolitan Pakistan feels the influence of the multibillion-dollar industry in celebrity diets, gargantuan protein shakes and expensive exercise machines.

Whether motivated by vanity — maybe dreaming of abs of steel — or health warnings such as lowering one’s cholesterol, the fitness lifestyle industry consists of jogging tracks, health club memberships, country club gyms, workout classes, personal trainers in private gyms and personalised diet plans. Getting fit has never been so competitive.

Men’s trends:

Actors may gain up to 14 kilogrammes (kg) of muscle to fulfil on-screen requirements for leaner physiques than the typical steroid-enhanced look. The training routines used by leading men to get their physique have attracted substantial attention over the years. From Robert de Niro in 1980’s Raging Bull to Aamir Khan in 2008’s Ghajini. This year’s superheroes include Chris (Captain America) Evans, Chris (Thor) Helmsworth and Shahrukh (Ra-One) Khan.

Women’s trends:

While there will always be extreme dieters vying to get thin like Victoria Beckham, strength training is definitely trendy this season. Jason Walsh, trainer for actress Jessica Biel, star of The A Team, said in an interview with Starlounge, “Before Jessica came to me, she very much did ‘old school’ training with machines. It tended to lead to disproportioning in her shape.”

Moez Aryan, of Islamabad’s Omnifarious Gym, suggests that the best way to lose weight is to ‘forget about gimmicks’ like fad diets and elliptical machines. Engaging in fast-paced, high intensity circuit training with medium-to-heavy weights ought to provide optimum results.

Aryan, who hails from an Iranian family of professional boxers, trained as a swimmer before specialising in fitness training. He is an advocate for challenging the ‘biased opinions of the food and fitness industry’ and offers the following guidelines for people seeking to lose body fat:

1.Thou shalt not engage in traditional aerobics - “Ditch the treadmill and lift some weights for an effective cardio workout.  All aerobic activity is cardio but all cardio isn’t aerobic.”

2. Thou shalt not focus on spot reduction - “Spot reduction is so 1980’s,” says Aryan. Performing 25,000 crunches will burn a paltry one kg of fat, give you a bad back “and a thick midsection like Britney’s” (Miss Spears did 1,000 daily crunches for several years).  “It’s all about proportions; do some squats instead. Where you lose fat first or last depends on your diet, lifestyle and your hormonal levels.”

3. Thou shalt not indulge in breakfast cereal - Cereals with skim milk or an English breakfast of toast, jam and orange juice are to be avoided.  Instead, he recommends a diet rich in veggies and lean proteins.

4. Thou shalt limit thy intake of sugars and grains - Your calories should come from good fats (“nuts and fish oil”), fibre (vegetables) and protein (“fish, beef, mutton, prawns and eggs”).

5. Thou shalt not neglect thy rear - Despite being a major muscle group, the glutes tend to be overlooked because we tend to sit for long periods of time. Aryan advises clients with long office hours to “try using computers on a raised counter while standing,” or “sit on a stability ball instead of a chair”.

6. Fasting is good for thy body - Fasting intermittently once or twice a week, with non-caloric beverages for 15 hours is recommended. “The six-meals-per-day hype by the food and supplement industry has no scientific basis because your metabolism won’t slow down if you miss a meal,” he explains. “Frequent meal intake raises insulin levels, stores energy and leads to obesity and metabolic syndrome”. This is a medical disorder which increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

7. Thou shalt avoid the evil temptation of processed food-“Avoid processed foods altogether and detoxify that poor liver. If you can’t pronounce a name on a food label, don’t eat it.”

8. Thou shalt get a good night’s sleep - “Seven to nine hours of quality sleep is ideal, sleep by 10pm and in complete darkness. Adrenal fatigue is known as ‘the 21st century disease’; try de-stressing for 20 minutes daily.”

9. Thou shalt not commit gluttony - “Reduce your portion sizes,” Aryan advises. It’s better to treat yourself occasionally than go on a food binge. “Fat-loss is a function of caloric balance.”

10. Sloth is a sin - Putting things off until the next day never works when you can start today. “There is no perfect time to start an exercise programme.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 31^st, 2011.