Fitness Secrets - Diet and Health

FITNESS MYTHS DEBUNKED by Fitness enthusiast Yash Birla There’s a quick fix out there somewhere: When you find it, please let me know. This is just pure wishful thinking. But before you decide to hit the gym and pump iron with full gusto, you need to be aware of some truths and disregard common myths doing the rounds. Weight training makes you big; aerobic exercise cuts you up Weight training enables one to stress existing muscles. This forces the muscle fibres to adapt by getting bigger and stronger in time. Aerobic exercise is generally meant to improve cardiovascular efficiency and improves the body’s ability to uptake oxygen but does not help in building muscles in the way strength training does and hence does not raise basal metabolic rate or get rid or the ‘after burn effect’. In the long run, weight training is more efficient than aerobics for burning up calories. High repetitions make your muscles harder and more cut-up If you can perform more than 15 repetitions in gener...

BOLD AND BOOTY-FULL Chitrangda Singh is not a size zero but has one of the most desirable bodies. She owes it to doing things in equal measure Of the many enviable beauties in Bollywood, very few match up to the sultry allure of Chitrangda Singh. This 35-year-old mother of one has a slender, well-toned frame. Her mantra for a fit mind and body isn’t out of the ordinary. She sticks to a typical diet and exercise routine, and steers clear of new-age crash diets. She isn’t a fitness junkie and won’t be found sweating it out in a gym three hours a day. She exercises four times a week, with gaps for weeks while she’s travelling or shooting. Chitrangada explains, “I’m not an exercise junkie but definitely an enthusiast. I like to try out different combinations of aerobics and cardio exercises for a wellrounded workout. I’m not fanatical about a regimen or schedule. I try to be regular and dedicated and when I have a project, I like to get into shape for it, but it happens over a course of...

WHILE he's had a six-pack since as long as we can remember, actor- entrepreneur Dino Morea has never been one for complicated fitness regimes or diets. And his definition of keeping it simple is roughing it out on the soccer field. The actor, who was a judge on a fitness show organised by a gym recently, shares his love for fitness: Workout fundas I play basketball and football twice a week for a couple of hours. So, sports comprises a major part of my workout. The rest of the days I visit the gym, where I do a lot of strength training. I also do balancing exercises on a regular basis. In fact, I have tied a rope to a tree in my garden. Everyday, I try to climb the rope, which is also a form of workout. When I was a kid, my father used to make me participate in all kinds of sports. I played tennis professionally till the age of 13, and then switched to basketball. I was also into athletics, football and hockey. So, fitness has been a part of my life since childhood. Being a sport ...

Despite being a fitness freak Bipasha did not want to leave any stone unturned to look her best in a bikini in Players. She improved her diet and workouts 3 months in advance as she wanted to look really toned in her bikini scene. Bipasha has already worn a Bikini in Dhoom 2 and now wears a two-piece for a film five years after. “I did not follow a different diet or workout regime to look perfect in the bikini, as I stay fit all year round. I only went on a strict, high-protein diet for some time and increased the intensity of my cardio workouts.” Bipasha is said to have plans to launch another workout routine on how to get a good beach body. Find details of Bipasha's first fitness dvd 'Love Yourself' here Bipasha’s bikini diet Egg whites in all forms Mushrooms and broccoli Steamed fish with less salt Snacking on nuts, apples and drinking several cups of green tea And last but not the least, six weeks of rigorous discipline Bipasha Basu wears a two-piece for Players five ...