Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Mangalore
Staying fit!
|
Exercising at home is the best option in these busy days. However, sticking to a regimen is vital
|
THE JOGGING shoes are ready. So are sweat-absorbent T-shirts. Now comes the most difficult part - getting up in the morning. Initial enthusiasm in place, you somehow manage to drag yourselves out of the bed and go jogging or walking. Come Day 3, and you are back to your old ways and your face sports a remorse-filled look for some days.
Others simply can't find time to exercise (At least, that's what they say!).
For all these busy and lazy folks, working out from home is the best alternative. And, they seem to have realised it too. Little wonder that sales of fitness equipment has gone up.
The exercise cycle is the clear favourite among fitness freaks. Priced in the range of Rs. 2,500 to Rs.14,000, these cycles are fitted with meters that show the calories burnt, distance covered and speed. "We sell around 20 cycles a week," says A.R. Arul, manager of the Fitness Shoppe in R.S. Puram. The treadmill, which also burns calories fast, is another fast moving item.
A basic model costs around Rs. 8,000. "Treadmills are usually bought by doctors," says T. Rayan, product manager, The Sports Shop, Avinashi Road.
If you are willing to pay more, you can get one with a sensor to read your pulse rate! Clubs and hospitals opt for motorised treadmills, costing anywhere between Rs. 25,000 and Rs. 1,10,000. Those interested in body building can go in for the comprehensive `Home Gym' - which stretches all parts of the body through 10 exercises.
There are other equipment to suit individual needs - the twister for hip exercises, sit-up bench for tummy reduction and stepper for hip shaping. Ankle wrist weights are also available for those with weak bones. "Twisters and sit-up benches are mostly bought by women. They also go in for dumbbells weighing two or three kgs," Rayan says.
The benefit of all these equipment is that you can work out at your pace. What's better than burning a few calories while watching your favourite TV show? However, care must be taken to warm up before hopping on to the cycle or treadmill. And, working out on a full stomach is a strict no-no. If the right posture is not maintained, you will end up with back pain in no time.
"I normally don't advise use of fitness equipment," says S. Muralidharan, chief cardio-thoracic surgeon of the GKNM Hospital. "But lack of time has made people take to shortcuts, I myself use the treadmill four times a week," he says.
Patients with cardiac problems have to be doubly careful while using such equipment. "We are set to open a full-fledged gym for rehabilitating patients with cardiac history under the supervision of cardiologists," he says. Doctors' guidance is imperative as "patients should not overdo things".
Do those tiny devices (advertised dime a dozen on TV) really help in toning the muscles or reducing the tummy? "Those ads look good with slim and fair girls, but I doubt the efficacy of these gadgets," Dr. Muralidharan adds.
But, before rushing to buy an exercise cycle or treadmill to burn the fat around your expanding waistline, listen to what G. Prithiviraj, trainer at the Keep Fit Health Centre on Trichy Road, has to say: "Many religiously cycle for a month or two. Then, you can find the equipment gathering dust in some corner of the house."
SANDHYA V.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Mangalore
|
