Aerobics, Aerobics and more Aerobics

I know what I am gonna write about, I surely do. But how am I gonna word it this time, there is a lot of information so should I just give all the facts around Aerobic exercises and be done with it or should I make it personal like my earlier posts. No reason but just wondering cos there are so many misconceptions/myths when it comes to workouts so if I were the reader, just facts wouldn't cut it for me. I would want a story to go around it, something that people can relate to, something that makes real sense. 

Cool then, this is what I am gonna do, I am gonna make it like a quick interview, me talking to myself, that sounds fun, I do that all the time anyways. I like to be interviewed and I also like to ask questions so this is my best chance.

Question 1: What are Aerobic Exercises?

Workouts that are performed over a longer duration of time to build your endurance are basically Aerobic Exercise.E.g., Running, Skipping, Climbing Stairs, Swimming etc., "Walking is just for lazy people". When you do an aerobic activity, as the name suggests, you tend to inhale more air which obviously means more oxygen. This oxygen in turn goes to the heart and then to the muscles thereafter. Oxygen in muscles help burn fats and carbohydrates in them, making the muscles leaner. 

More oxygen to muscles = More fat burnt = More fitter you get

Question 2: Lets say I am running, do you want me to run at good speed for 10 minutes or run slightly slower for 45 minutes.

I would prefer a longer run over a quick burst for 10-15 or even 20 minutes. Longer the better. Aerobic exercises are all about breathing more n more oxygen and the longer you are able to do it, the better it is for you as the oxygen that gets into your system helps you burn more fat. At the same time if you are stopping in between or slowing down drastically or walking a couple of miles in the middle of a run, you might as well stop. Aerobic exercises are all about endurance so try to sustain a decent pace through out your workout. Again, just because you only have 15 minutes don't stop, run 15 minutes that is way better than sitting on the couch. 

Question 3: Do you prefer a particular workout over the others?

No I do not, I am into a running and I love running outdoors, cos I love the fact that the climatic conditions are different, you get to run a new course and nothing is ever the same so I think it is easier to have a long workout without my mind playing tricks with me. But that does not mean Running is better than any of the others, it is just a preference. I would advice people to mix it up cos it keeps things interesting until you get hooked on to a particular workout.

Question 4. Its cold outside or may be its raining, and I don't feel like getting dressed up or driving to the fitness center, is there any way I can get some Aerobic workouts at home. BTW I do not have a treadmill or stepper or a swimming pool in my house. 

You could skip ropes, you could do jumping jacks, you could do just do some kicks and punches, you could do have your hands raised and just jump up and down or could just stand stretch up as if you were trying to touch the ceiling and come back touch the ground with your hands without bending your knees. Any of these, for say 30 minutes, is all you need to do. All these are as good as Running, Swimming or Climbing Stairs, trust me. These were all that I did before I got obsessed with running.

Question 5. The muscles in my hands are loose, Will all these aerobic workouts help me grow leaner stronger muscles. Or is there something else I could do to get leaner stronger muscles in my body.

All the aerobic workouts that I've mentioned, help you grow leaner stronger muscles but I believe every workout can be an aerobic workout too, even lifting weights. Lets say you wanna workout your biceps or triceps I would lift very light weights may be 3 pounds or so and do 300 reps (or more) if I wanted to grow leaner muscles. In simple terms, lifting heavy weights would be anaerobic and would help you build bulkier muscles. So in addition to your running or jumping jacks etc, you could lift light weights and work out specific muscles aerobically.

Question 6: I am running out of my questions, should I be asking something else. 

Yes "Is there anything more to Aerobic exercises than helping me build a leaner, stronger physique?" The answer of course is a "BIGGG YESSS". The benefits of Aerobic exercises do not end with just helping us build a leaner stronger physique. Technically, aerobic exercises can be termed as Cardio, which obviously mean strengthening  the heart. Heart is a muscular organ too and gets bigger and performs better with prolonged aerobic exercises. They pump in more blood per beat hence improving the blood circulation. If you have a good blood circulation, all your organs are supplied with more nutrients and hence they become stronger too. So do Aerobic Exercises 2 to 3 times a week "minimum". By the way, Playing a sport is the easiest and the most enjoyable way to achieve this. And all these workouts are simple ways to relieve all your stress.

Question 7: Is there anything else you think I should know.

Its Bruce Lee's Birthday today, I would like to quote what he said about working out, "I don't stop when I am tired, I stop when I am done" so Stop asking questions and get the $#$# up and start working out. 

What Next ???

There is this thought that lingers in my mind every now and then. I sure have had my struggles but have managed to pull myself through, all this while. I have to agree that this has been the most difficult of battles I've had to fight  and I am sure I am gonna have to wage this battle many more times in the years to come, just that the arena might be a different one each time. 

When everything seems to be going just fine, life springs in a beautiful surprise in the form of a "What Next ???" question. Life would be boring and monotonous with out these little challenges. Now that this question has come up again with my blogging (what should I write next) I thought it would be perfect to write about one of earlier "What Next" fights.

"What Next ? - The question that deserves some thought"

I started my workout and diet regime early 2007. Progress was slightly slow cos I was learning things the hard way, no proper direction but I was getting my workouts done and so was able to see that I was losing weight and was getting into some shape. Slowly but Surely. 

In a years time I had lost almost 40 pounds (18 kgs) . The fact that the weighing scale was reading 40 pounds less than what it used to, gave me a lot of motivation to keep going. I started to check my weight once a week then a little more often just to realize that there wasn't any change from last time. That was the moment when I was like "What Next", where am I headed next what do I do to keep this going. For some reason I was not convinced or happy with what I was doing, I needed a target a goal to work towards. 

I pondered over this for a bit, fought with myself cos a part of me was like " do what you are doing you are getting fitter everyday, why do you need a target etc" but I really really wanted something to work towards and Eureka there was the answer. I never thought I would even be contemplating about this but I was happy I did. So on a hot Summer afternoon in Alpharetta GA, I started my "Quest six pack abs". I always tell people not to set any targets and the whole intention is not to loose sight of the fact that all the fun is in the process of getting there. And it does not stop even after you get there as a matter of fact you never stop.

Quest Six Pack Abs

I was all rejuvenated again, started changing my workout routine towards this. Read a little more, altered my diet, lowered my Sodium intake considerably, little rice became no rice, lots of fruits, salads, lean meats became the name of the game. I started enjoying a little bit of cardio followed by strenuous workout for the abs everyday. 

Learnt that the abs are fast growing muscles unlike the biceps, shoulders etc. So I was happy that I could workout my abs how much ever I wanted without having to give them rest to recuperate. Also cos the abs are basically a combination of the muscles the upper abs, lower abs and the obliques my crunches and my leg lifts were the focused on working out all of them everyday. I started doing a lot of cycling crunches, stand up crunches, got myself a chin up bar and was doing my leg lifts suspending myself on the chin up bar. The lower abs are the toughest so suspending the body completely on the chin up bar while doing leg lifts helped me work them out better.

Started feeling great about myself got addicted to the "fire in my belly". Six months may be little less I started seeing a nice distinction of my abs for the first time, felt awesome. Then on there was no stopping, kept working on the abs increased my cardio a great deal and all this has only given me very distinct ab definition that anyone would love to flaunt. With a stronger core, the fitness levels have gone up like crazy. 

The answer to this simple question, "What Next?" gave me a great looking body, amazing fitness, great mental stability, a never say die attitude and a happier me. Now I feel it was worth every minute of time spent pondering over for an answer. 

Make the best of every opportunity to challenge yourself and trust me you will be happy you did. 

Nothing Sweet about Sugar

Its that time of the day again, had my thinking cap on for a bit, contemplating what I should be writing about and here I am all set to write about what I think is one of the most important aspects of a proper diet. 

Everyone is addicted to Sugar in some form or the other, and me in every form possible, there have been days when just plain sugar would be my snack. Obsessed is an understatement. To stop eating sweets, to me, was almost like saying "Dear Sugar, Since my life is taking a serious path I feel your company is just gonna slow things down for me, so it is high time we break up for good. It was great fun while it lasted, No Hard Feelings, please" ;)

But once I started my diet regime, I learnt and soon realized that Sugar can be very tricky. Sugary stuff (sweets, chocolates or any of that) do not really fill us up because they are empty calories (just a lot of calories with no nutrients). They leave us craving for more. So we end up eating more along with the regular food that we might eat over the day. Result, Excess calories, the saturated fats and all that not so good stuff just keep adding up and all we are left with is a bunch of fat molecules in the system.

I am gonna take a little detour right now. When I was having a chat about this topic, this lovely person insisted I write about triglycerides.  We spoke for a while and I got the relevance.

Hence the little detour... 

what are Triglycerides, what is its connection here ???

Triglycerides are also a type of fat similar to Cholesterol. Triglycerides like Cholesterol do not get dissolved in blood and get transported inside the body through the proteins we consume. "Soooo !!! fine, fine I am getting to what matters to us", in simple lay man terms all unused calories turn into Triglycerides. If we eat more than we burn we are just increasing the Triglyceride level in the body. 

What is the problem then, what if my Triglyceride level goes up why should I care, triglycerides are fat molecules that are not easy to burn and reduce. They need to be at a certain level and that's it anything more is just harmful and hard to reduce. More importantly, Triglycerides are part of the reason for high blood pressure and heart diseases.

So what are the things increase the Triglyceride level in the body

Excessive fats in the diet.

Eating sugary stuff, those low calorie sweeteners,  diet drinks can increase the triglyceride levels. I have read that even fruits, if had after a big meal, can increase the level of triglycerides in the system. 

Solution - Just a simple NO to sweets and when you eat more food make sure your workouts are more intense. Always have fruits at least an hour after your meal if not before. 

Drink a lot of water and sleep well. Lack of sleep the previous night supposedly increases your craving for sweets. 

Monitor what you eat, On the stuff you buy, read the nutrition facts for sugar levels and also check the ingredient list for sucrose, glucose, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, molasses etc and try to avoid foods that have them. 

I tried, but unfortunately there is no sweet way of saying that there is a "Nothing Sweet about Sugar".