YOU OUGHT TO SQUEEZE THAT WORK OUT SESSION INTO YOUR DAY! BECAUSE…
No, it’s not just to own those massive biceps/triceps & abs and all that, but rather to encompass so many other subconscious factors into your lifestyle — the benefits of which you may only realize and savor once reaped! Well, spoiler alert though, this read may just spill some of those beans. So do delve into it and keep yourself hanging in there till the end to know why it really is in the best interest for you to squeeze-in that break-a-sweat session into your busy day…
Honestly, what could be a better time for me to draft this blog and for you to be reading it than this pandemic struck situation the world is suffering where everyone is limited to the 4 walls of their homes.
Why do I say so? Because — A) you’re at home majority of the time, B) studies show that the rates of self-esteem issues & anxiety attacks have relatively sky-rocketed over this period, and C) you really don’t need to be anywhere else but at home to perform the deed.
Let’s get into the details of each of those reasons and gain deeper insight of what exactly the changes are that we reap with this.
Given the fact that the pandemic has constrained our lives within our homes, we have so much time saved off travel, waiting in long queues, and so on, that we are clearly aware of. And somehow all of us are obviously using the same time saved to spend with family, learn some household chores and life skills — basically “investing in ourselves.”
But did you know that among those best ‘investments’ in yourself is this chore called ‘exercising?’ One of the most practiced habits amongst the most successful people is found to be exercising. It happens to be a “keystone habit” i.e. it is one of those habits which, if disciplined, enhances nearly every aspect of our lives — in layman’s terms, provides the highest return on investment.
Here’s a simple statistic — a daily 15–20 min cardio session per se is sufficient to make you look better, get fit, lose weight, make your skin glow and look lean. But more than what’s just visible to the naked eye is the fact that this also has a psychological catch to it…
Let’s get to that in this way:
While you could otherwise be spending that extra hour of your day chillin’ and binging to Prime or Netflix and relaxing your brain, the very same, rather an enhanced effect could be experienced with a simple 20–30 min work-out session each day.
Yes, studies have shown that there are similar effects felt in the brain when you binge-watch your favorite TV show and once you’re done with that sweaty, exhaustive exercise session at home. Exercising releases the ‘happy chemicals’ in your brain, better known as Serotonin and Endorphins, which give you a feeling of fulfilment & harmony.
People who exercise are found to be happier, focused, more determined and less depressed & anxious. Working out has hence been prescribed as one of the healing chores for those afflicted with Depression, Memory Loss, Insomnia & Parkinson’s Disease as well.
Among nearly all the supremely successful people in the world — the one most common habit they all have claimed to practice is regular exercising!
For those facing self-esteem issues again, exercising (especially for the first time or after a long break) ramps up the person’s blood flow across the body and also to the brain — which stimulates the secretion of the “Motivator Hormone” called Dopamine. Hence, it is suggested that when you just feel so ‘mehhh’ and are not in the mood to get stuff done, just drop into a workout and by the end of it — you’ll automatically feel a different vibe in yourself. Like mentioned earlier, exercise works like a magical pill.
And to top this off, the best part about it is you do not NEED to hit the gym nor do you need any equipment to win over those gains of working out. There are umpteen resources, apps, and videos online to help you out. The thing you need to do on your end is to be conscious of the exercises you do, the calories you intake and the calories you burn, and whether you are doing it on the right scale or not — please quantify all of it! It’d be criminal of one to be doing all of this very indefinitely. And well, this does come with some persistence & discipline of course — the essence of exercise is discipline!
Alright, so enough with all that theory. Pretty sure you’d wanna know what you actually gain from this in a well-quantified manner. So here goes…
Assuming you’re the average Indian man reading this blog (weighted at 65 kg and 5’5” tall) and you execute this generalized workout on a given day:
1. Jogging (4km in ½ hr) — 200 Calories
2. Jump Rope (10 min) — 150 Calories
3. Abdominal Crunches (12 reps x 2 sets) — 50 Calories
4. Mountain Climbers (45 secs x 2 sets) — 30 Calories
5. Push-ups (10 reps x 3 sets) — 30 Calories
6. Wide arm push-ups (10 reps x 2 sets) — 30 Calories
7. Backward Lunges (14 reps x 2 sets) — 30 Calories
8. Calf Raises (15 reps x 2 sets) — 20 Calories
9. Tricep Dips (15 reps x 2 sets) — 30 Calories
10. Stretches (Miscellaneous, 10 min) — 30 Calories
Then this list of 10 items burns approx. 600 Calories off you per day which if complemented by a healthy diet would yield all the magic explained above BUT the catch is — IF practiced over a period of at least 20 weeks with a couple of rest days every week. This is where the entire “disciplining” aspect kicks in — as mentioned, discipline is the essence of exercising!
Still reading?? Well, get up and get fit — you know what’s in store now!
