Fitness Basics You Could Stand To Learn Now
I’m not a fitness guru but I’ve learned a few things over the past 2 decades of dancing, working out and trying to generally stay on the healthy side of things.
Here’s one thing I’m sure about: Food fads are depressing. If you believe everything you read, you’re going to die of cancer or obesity or both tomorrow. But there are some health facts that have endured over time, resisted being obliterated by shock marketing, and have gotten nods of approval from most experts. And I’m always surprised by how many educated. exposed, intelligent people are not aware of them.
So here’s my stab at summing up everything I’ve learned about food and exercise from my non-guru, not-food-fad-obsessed, mere-mortal-with-a-life-and-kids, almost-forty-year-old perspective. Hold the BS, along with the mayo.
First of all, let’s address the elephant in the room: Watchamamagaveya.
At some point, you need to accept that every canvas is different and if you’re packing a DD on top or are a little extra bootylicious, then that’s what you get to work with. You can refine it and make it its crazysexy best, but you cannot change it. That’s nature baby, so save yourself the grief and learn to love it already. For me, it’s the fact that I don’t have an ass. No matter how many squats I do, I’m condemned to man bums for life. Onward and upward, or flatword, as it were.
The other factor that genetics can influence is your metabolic rate (how fast your body burns calories) but there are things you can do to boost your metabolism. Age, sleep and diet are all players here so it’s worthwhile taking a look to make sure yours is optimized.
Social conditioning matters more than you think. If exercise and physical activity were not a big part of your life growing up, they’re going to be harder to incorporate as an adult. Not impossible, just harder. Was fitness a thing in your family? Did healthy eating matter? Do your friends work out? If it’s nay to these and similar questions, you can stop wondering why you lack motivation. But it’s time perhaps to form new habits. Find a workout buddy. Even if she’s crazy PTA mom with the super tight ponytail. Or a trainer, someone you pay to push you around. Unadulterated masochism will save the day.
I mean it.
Exercise needs to become an indispensable part of the daily routine now or it will not stand a chance as you get older.
Now, when it comes to exercise and food, there are some basic facts that you should know. Some with extra zing because they’ve become a pet peeve for me over the years.
- What you eat matters — It’s a drag and a cliche but it’s true. You can gorge on processed sugars and fried foods all day and even if you’re skinny, I guarantee it will be your downfall eventually.
Nutritionist Srinika Narayan provides a quick overview of which foods can be toxic and cause inflammation. Some of them may surprise you. They definitely surprised me.
- As much as I hate to say this when you’re looking at calorie intake, don’t ignore liquids: sugar with your coffee? Wine? There’s a reason so many people drink a tasteless cocktail called a Skinny Bitch (vodka soda).
If you really want to screw up your week use this alcohol intake calorie converter.
And if you choose to live instead, reference the chart below occasionally. But never at a party.
- Exercise is crucial — For weight loss, for toning, for building immunity, for staying sane. When people ask me how I stay fit, I ask them if they exercise and they say no and then I stare at them blankly and then it’s awkward and then we talk about the weather. You need to DO SOMETHING, people. That ass ain’t going to squat itself.
Which brings me to this. WALKING IS NOT EXERCISE. Until you’re hiking up an incline at a pace that gets your heart rate pumping. For those of you that don’t sweat, a pounding heart is your metric. Not heart-attack inducing, but it needs to feel like work. If you get off the stationery bike and are not even a little bit flushed, that’s a music video, not a cardio workout.
- Your body needs at least 2 types of exercise — cardio and resistance. The former is achieved by elevating your heart rate as we discussed, the latter can take the form of weight training, TRX, pilates, yoga, baby-lifting, whatever the new trends are. The combination is critical for results, regardless of whether your goals are losing weight or maintenance.
- You also need to change it up — I’ve been doing 300 crunches at a time since I can remember. I was out-crunching the boys at the yard. At some point, they stopped working. That’s because the muscles stagnate and need a change. You don’t have to be stuck with a monotonous workout — just check out Youtube or Insta for something that works. Find some fitness ideas your inner freak can enjoy. I guarantee it’s out there. Like these Jane Fonda inspired poodles.
- It’s a misconception that women shouldn’t weight train. There’s a fear that you’re going to end up looking like the Rock (umm.. even men aspire to, and fail). Most women don’t have the capacity to build that kind of muscle mass. But we need the strength — as we get older our muscles start to atrophy and we need them more to protect our bones and joints. Swell. Get pumping, under guidance if you’ve never done it before.
- When measuring goals, I would caution against using weight in pounds or kilos as your only guide unless you have a lot of weight to lose. Muscle weighs more than fat so as you add on more muscle, you may be toning and getting fitter but the scale will show otherwise. As with anything, data is a guide. Use how you’re feeling and how your clothes are fitting as an index.
- Rest. Your body needs it. Your muscles need it. Your chiropractor needs it. Even the damn poodles need it.
Kaamna Bhojwani-Dhawan is the host of KaamnaLive, a #BSFREE talk show for people in their 30’s, 40’s and above. Self-confessed shit-stirrer, Kaamna can be found on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and at www.kaamnalive.com. Check out the KaamnaLive Reading List here.
