PHYSICAL STRENGTH & FITNESS

HAVING DEALT WITH THE FIRST ASPECT ON HOW TO ACHIEVE OPTIMUM PHYSICAL HEALTH THROUGH NUTRITION, LETS NOW MOVE ON TO THE NEXT VITAL ASPECT: EXERCISE, TO MAINTAIN AND BUILD ON PHYSICAL STRENGTH AND FITNESS.

THE BASICS

MOST PEOPLE TODAY ARE GETTING FITNESS CONSCIOUS, BUT DUE TO TIME RESTRAINS, EXERCISE IN ANY FORM IS OFTEN NEGLECTED. IF YOU HAVE JOINED A GYM AND ARE REGULAR WITH YOUR WORKOUTS, THIS IS THE GREAT WAY OF PACKING IN THE EXERCISE THAT YOU NEED. EXPERTS WORLDWIDE BELIEVE THAT WORKING OUT 4 TO 5 TIMES A WEEK IN YOUR GYM IS ALL YOU NEED TO KEEP YOUR BODY FITNESS LEVELS HIGH.

HOWEVER, IF YOU ARE NOT THE 'GYM-TYPE', THERE ARE A NO OF OTHER FORMS OF EXERCISE WHICH YOU CAN PRACTICE QUITE EASILY, EVEN WORKING THEM INTO YOU DAILY WORK SCHEDULE. EVENTUALLY, YOU NEED TO HAVE ROUTINE IN ORDER TO HAVE A BALANCED LIFE AND A FIT BODY AND IT IS UP TO YOU HOW TO WORK THIS OUT FOR YOURSELF. HOLISTIC HEALTH GURU, MICKEY MEHTA GIVES YOU SOME WAYS IN WHICH YOU YOU CAN CREATE A WORK-OUT REGIME FOR YOURSELF AT HOME.

HE SAYS, "WALKING FOR 25 MINUTES BRISKLY AND MUSCLE TONING EXERCISES FOR 30 MINUTES IS ENOUGH FOR A HEALTHY BODY. I KNOW MOST PEOPLE COMPLAIN THAT THEY CANNOT TAKE OUT 25 MINUTES FOR A WALL EVERYDAY.

WELL, IN THAT CASE YOU CAN SPOT-JOG WHILE WATCHING YOU FAVOURITE TELEVISION SHOW OR SPOT-WALK. YOU NEED NOT RESTRICT TO 25 MINUTES. YOU COULD ALSO MAKE SURE OF ONE THING - ALWAYS USE THE STAIRCASE. THIS HELPS BURN THE MOST AMOUNT OF CALORIES." BESIDES THIS HE GIVES US A HOME WORK OUT PLAN THAT CAN ONE PUT TO USE. ALL YOU NEED IS A YOGA MAT.

BEGIN WITH A WARM UP!

TO START WITH, ONE NEEDS TO WARM UP. STAND STRAIGHT AND TAKE DEEP BREATHS FILLING YOUR LUNGS TO CAPACITY AND EXHALE SLOWLY. WHILST DOING THIS ALWAYS CONCENTRATE OR POSTURE. DO 25 LEAST 10-12 REPETITIONS.

SPOT JOG/MARCH SLOWLY FOR A MINUTE OR SO AFTER WHICH YOU SHOULD ROTATE YOUR ARMS FOR 20 COUNTS EACH WAY - FORWARD AND REVERSE.

FOR THE LOWER BACK

* PLACE YOUR YOGA MAT ON THE GROUND. LIE ON YOUR STOMACH. PLACE YOUR HANDS NEAR NEXT TO YOUR FACE AND LIFT YOUR UPPER BODY FROM THE GROUND.

FEEL THE STRETCH ON YOUR BACK. COUNT SLOWLY TILL 20 AND RELEASE.

REPEAT THIS 5 TIMES.

FOR THE THIGHS

* THERE IS NOTHING BETTER THAN SQUATS AND LUNGES FOR THE THIGHS. YOU CAN BED VARIETY TO THE BASIC SQUATS AND LUNGES. SQUATS CAN BE DONE WITH PLACING YOUR LEGS WIDE OR KEEPING THEM TOGETHER. LUNGES CAN BE DONE EITHER IN ONE PLACE OR ONE CAN WALL AROUND THE HOUSE LUNGING AS ONE GOES. DO ATLEAST 20 COUNTS OF EACH.

FOR THE ENTIRE BODY

* STAND STRAIGHT, FEET SLIGHTLY APART WITH ELBOWS BENT AND HANDS AT CHEST LEVEL, ELBOWS TUCKED IN. NOW RAISE YOUR ARMS STRAIGHT ABOVE YOUR HEAD. BEND FORWARD AND DOWN SO THAT YOUR HANDS TOUCH THE FLOOR KEEPING LEGS AND BACK STRAIGHT. THEN BOUNCE BOTH YOUR HANDS ON THE FLOOR THREE TIMES. NOW 'BOUNCE' BOTH HANDS OUTSIDE YOUR RIGHT ANKLE THREE TIMES AND OUTSIDE LEFT ANKLE THREE TIMES. RAISE YOUR BODY SLOWLY, BRINGING YOUR HANDS BACK TO STARTING POSITION. THEN RAISE YOUR HANDS SLOWLY ABOVE YOUR HEAD. BREATHE DEEPLY FOR A FEW MOMENTS. BREATHE IN BEFORE YOU START THE MOVEMENT AND OUT AS YOU BOUNCE ON THE FLOOR. REPEAT THE EXERCISE 5 TIMES.

FOR STOMACH AND LOWER BACK MUSCLES

* SIT ON THE FLOOR, BACK STRAIGHT AND LEGS TOGETHER. NOW, SLOWLY LEAN FORWARD TO TOUCH YOUR TOES KEEPING YOUR BACK AS STRAIGHT AS POSSIBLE.

LEAN BACK SLOWLY UNTIL YOU ARE LYING ON YOUR BACK THEN RAISE YOUR LEGS SLOWLY, STRAIGHT AND TOGETHER. BRING THEM OVER YOUR HEAD AS MUCH AS YOU CAN TO TOUCH THE FLOOR BEHIND YOU. HOLD FOR A COUNT OF TWO, THEN LOWER YOUR LEGS SLOWLY, BUT KEEP THEM STRAIGHT. SLOWLY SIT UP. THE WHOLE MOVEMENT SHOULD BE SLOW AND VERY CONTROLLED. BREATHE OUT AS YOU TOUCH YOUR TOES. REPEAT 5 TIMES.

* KNEEL ON ALL FOURS, HANDS ON THE FLOOR SLIGHTLY APART, KNEES TOGETHER AND HEAD IN A STRAIGHT LINE WITH YOUR PRIME. NOW KICK YOUR RIGHT LEG SHARPLY BACKWARDS AND UPWARDS. RETURN AND THEN KICK OUT TO ONE SIDE. THEN, KEEPING YOUR HANDS IN SAME POSITION, MAKE RUNNING ON-THE-SPOT MOVEMENTS, BRINGING YOUR KNEES UP ALMOST TO TOUCH YOUR NOSE. BREATHE REGULARLY THOUGHT THE EXERCISE. REPEAT KICKING MOVEMENTS 5 TIMES EACH FOR BOTH LEGS AND RUNNING MOVEMENT FOR 30 SECONDS EACH TWICE.

* KNEEL ON THE FLOOR WITH LEGS TOGETHER, ARMS EXTENDED STRAIGHT OUT IN FRONT AT EXTENDED LEVEL. KEEPING YOUR BODY IN A STRAIGHT LINE, LEAN BACKWARDS SLOWLY. HOLD FOR A COUNT OF TWO AND THEN RETURN TO STARTING POSITION. NOW REPEAT BUT TWIST YOUR WHOLE TRUNK TO THE RIGHT AS YOU JEAN BACK AND OPEN YOUR ARMS SLIGHTLY TO HELP BRING YOUR BODY ROUND.

HOLD FOR A COUNT TWO AND THEN RETURN TO STARTING POSITION. REPEAT THIS MOVEMENT TO THE LEFT. BREATHE IN AS YOU LEAN BACKWARDS AND OUT AS YOU GO BACK TO STARTING POSITION. REPEAT THE MOVEMENT 5 TIMES FOR EACH SIDE.

FOR THE HIPS

* LIE ON YOUR BACK,RAISE YOUR LEGS HIGH AND SWING YOUR BODY TO TAKE THE WEIGHT ON YOUR SHOULDERS. SUPPORT YOUR BOTTOM WITH YOUR MY CYCLE FAST FOR 30 SECONDS. THEN, STILL IN THE SAME POSITION, MAKE SCISSOR MOVEMENTS OPENING YOUR LEGS AS FAR AS POSSIBLE FOR ANOTHER 38 SECONDS.

THEN RETURN SLOWLY TO THE LYING DOWN POSITION, MAKING SURE THAT YOU KEEP YOUR LEGS STRAIGHT AND TOGETHER. BREATHE NORMALLY THROUGHOUT. DO 2 TO 3 REPETITIONS OF BOTH MOVEMENTS.

AFTER THIS ROUTINE, MAKE SURE YOU COOL DOWN WITH A FEW STRETCHES LIKE TRYING TO TOUCH YOUR TOES, BENDING BACKWARDS, STRETCHING YOUR ARMS, ETC., BEFORE YOU MOVE ON TO DOING SOMETHING ELSE.