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Following the fitness timetable

Get into ship shape with a regular workout regimen

FIGHTHING FIT Regular workouts offer a simple weight loss solution

Promising to do regular workouts? It's as good as promising not to eat an ice cream when it's offered to you. For all those with that extra pound of flesh the workout regimen looks a little too hard. But carrying a dream of a lean body is no good. One has to get down to some regular workouts.

Paediatrician Manu Raj, who is involved in research on obesity in children, believes that people really do not know of how to plan a proper workout regimen. "If you ask ten people what their favourite time of workout is, you'll get ten different answers!"

Early morning

Well, is there something called the best time for workouts? Yes, says Dr. Manu. "There really is! The best time for workouts is the morning hours when you are up and fresh from a good night's sleep, on an empty stomach, and fully hydrated. But, do remember that nobody gets up from bed fully hydrated. You have to take in at least 500 ml of water to be so."

At this time, the body will be fully relaxed, your mind will be fresh, your blood volume will be adequate and the carbohydrate stores will be minimum, says Dr. Manu.

This is one of the best setting for a work out that would burn more fat than carbohydrates since there would be few carbohydrate reserves left.

Remember to do endurance type of exercise lasting for more than 30 minutes so that all your carbohydrate reserves remaining will be gone by that time and body mainly consumes your stored fat, says the doctor.

Regular workouts would burn out fat from all parts of the body. In some places, like the thighs, the fats burn faster.

People with bigger hips usually have more muscle mass and people with bigger waists usually have more visceral fat. More muscle mass is always good. Keeping an eye on the waist-hip ratio would give an idea of losing fat. Usually, waist hip ratio less than 0.9 is good and less than 0.8 is ideal.

For those who work out for more than 30 minutes, it is important that they hydrate themselves towards the end of the exercise.

It is also important to warm up and cool down for every work out. "Rest for at least 15 minutes, especially when the workouts last for more than 45 minutes," says Dr. Manu. This allows the body to come back to the normal physiology, he adds.

No to snacks

An important factor that people need to keep in mind is to avoid snacks just before, during and immediately after workouts.

Avoid sugar rich drinks as well. Go for your normal meal at your regular time and never take extra helping to aid your workouts.

Initial weight loss is faster. Reducing 10 per cent of the current weight is easy. After which it becomes difficult. This is because by then the body readjusts its metabolism and tries to save energy and store it as fat.

So after sometime, you have to be on a more calorie deficit state than before. Either one has to increase the intensity or the duration of the exercise or take fewer calories than you were taking previously. For weight loss moderate exercises like walking for prolonged periods (more than 30 minutes) is ideal.

The best indicator of proper calorie burning is the loss of weight and waist circumference. The doctor advises to keep a note on the total hours of workouts in a week to compensate for any days lost. Hence planning your workouts will definitely bring a better outcome.

It is a strict no to exercise when you are ill, especially having while having fever. Ideal speed of losing weight (if you are overweight) is 10 per cent of your current weight in three to four months.

Once this target is achieved, target another five per cent of the new reached weight in another three months.

Get on the weighing scale

Some pointers to a proper, injury free workout

Regular workouts will burn fat from all parts of the body

Best time for workout is in the morning

Drink at least 500 ml of water before exercise

Avoid snacks just before, during and immediately after workouts.

Rest for at least 15 minutes in between especially when the workouts last for more than 45 minutes

Initial 10 per cent weight loss of the current weight is easy, after which it becomes difficult.

To counter that increase the intensity or the duration of the exercise or take fewer calories than you were taking previously

The best indicator of proper calorie burning is the loss of weight and waist circumference

Keeping an eye on the waist-hip ratio would give an idea of losing fat

The ideal waist hip ratio is less than 0.8

Ideal speed of losing weight is 10 per cent of your current weight in three to four months

Target another five per cent of the new reached weight in another three months

A strict no to workouts when you are ill

SHYAMA RAJAGOPAL

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