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METRO WORKOUT

Raising the happiness quotient

PHOTO: G. KRISHNASWAMY

TREADING THE CARDIO PATH Bharat G. on the treadmill.

They say happiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length. But if one is prepared to work out for it there is a way to raise one’s happiness quotient day in and day out. A cardio workout releases a body hormone called endomorphin, also known as the happy hormone.

In desperate need of a high, there is only one place one can think of to achieve that feeling. The Sky Gym at The Marriott. As the name suggests, it is situated on the eighth and topmost floor of the hotel. The easy elegance of the gym, the state-of-the-art equipment besides the knowledgeable gentlemen at hand to guide one through the right workout would win brownie points from any fitness enthusiast.

Bharat G., a former national swimmer who has done the Apollo Fitness Trainers Certification Course, is my guru and guide for the cardio session.

Bharat initiates me into a neck-to-toe warm-up for mobility of joints. He explains that cardio makes the heart stronger. The lungs give oxygenated blood to all body parts. Blood vessels are transporters of the nutrients. Blood gives nutrients to the muscles.

To be in the cardio zone, one needs to work out at 70-85 per cent of the maximum heart rate (MHR). The maximum heart rate is arrived at by the formula 220 minus one’s age. This is in accordance with the American College of Sports Medicine guidelines. The target heart rate (THR) for working out is 70-85 per cent of the maximum heart rate. For a fat burn workout, the THR can be calculated at 65 per cent of the MHR while for a high-intensity cardio workout it is 85 per cent of the MHR.

In a gym, for a cardio workout, one can work on the treadmill, the cross-trainer, the stepper and the bike. As your fancy demands, you can Wwork on all four or pick and choose to keep it refreshing. A 10-minute workout on all four (40 mins altogether), called a cardio circuit workout, is a sure recipe for fun fitness.

Bharat suggests setting a goal as a motivation factor. To begin with, it can be a distance goal (for instance, 3 km distance to be traversed). Next day, it can be a time goal (for example, 25 minutes’ workout). The third day, one can club distance and time to keep it at 40 min, 5 km.

We proceed towards a gigantic treadmill. Bharat sets me on the path for a 25-minute workout. As the incline gets steeper and my pace increases, my heart goes flippity-flop.

Breaking out into a sweat, I imagine trekking uphill as I gaze at the Husain Sagar Lake and Buddha’s statue or alternatively zone in on the passing humanity on Necklace Road.

Lost in solitary thought, yet focussed on the set target, it seems an eternity as I persevere determinedly. After peaking out begins the cool-down. The treadmill reads I have burnt 119 calories and traversed 1.54 km.

What next? Bharat guides me towards the upright bike. After gingerly settling on the bike, I start pedalling. As the pace becomes fast and furious, I relive the childhood bicycle rides I have outlived and outgrown.

With the biking session over, it’s time for cool-down exercises. And all too soon, it’s time to say thanks to the soft-spoken Bharat. With a spring in my step, I move out. Can’t wait to go home and sit with a hot cuppa.

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