SOME DOS AND DON'TS FOR EXERCISE

                          To accrue the actual benefits of exercising, one must follow certain rules and stay away from certain other habits, which may negate the positive effects of a workout.

There are certain rules that you should adhere to while exercising. Otherwise, you could be asking for trouble.

checklist of what you should do and what you should avoid while working out.

DO'S:

Ensure that your gym instructor gives you tests on the percentage of fat in your body, your lean body weight (weight of muscles and bones in the body), flexibility, torso strength and abdomen strength. A cardio-pulmonary fitness test is also important. Do a check on your blood pressure as well.

Drink a lot of water before, during and after your workout. Your body comprises 85 per cent water. Thirst indicates dehydration. When you are exercising, you tend to lose a lot of water by way of perspiration or urination. To replenish the loss of moisture, keep sipping water rather than drink volumes. There's no need to consume oxygenated water as it doesn't necessarily super saturate your bloodstream with oxygen or enhance your performance ability.

If you've just had a heavy meal, wait for a minimum of two hours before you start on the treadmill.

One hour of regular exercise, including 40 minutes of cardio-vascular, a 10- minute warm- up and a 10-minute cool down, is essential to ensure benefits.

For more energy while exercising, have a B Complex before going to the gym. Take vitamins C, E and A after your workout. Post-exercise, the body is low on energy, thus susceptible to easy attacks from free radicals (molecules that contain at least one unpaired electron) that are deadly for our constitution. As your immunity is also at a low for the next three hours, these vitamins act as potent anti-oxidants and protect the body from exercise-related wounds and injuries. They also ensure that you don't suffer from soreness, which is a common post-exercise syndrome for many people.

Your muscle glycogen (the energy molecules which are used maximum during exercise) needs to be replenished after a workout. Simple carbohydrates (one or two bananas or one or two medium-sized boiled potatoes) after a workout and easily digestible protein shakes or soya isolate shakes within 40 minutes of your workout are advisable.

Your workout is incomplete without those cool-down stretches as otherwise you are at a risk for blood rush in your feet and palms, which make you dizzy.

DONT'S:

Never ever exercise on an empty stomach. Always eat a fruit 15-20 minutes before you start your workout as it gives you energy, without which, a muscle breakdown may occur. Eat a fruit that has more water content like an apple, orange, sweet lime, strawberries, marsh melon or water melon as these are low on the Glycemic Index (GI) – the rate at which the blood sugar increases or decreases, depending upon the body's response to food. So if you have a low GI rate, it denotes the slow and steady release of sugar (energy) to your bloodstream, which is what you need during your workout.

If you are a beginner, never go for heavy exercises from day one. Give your body a month to acquaint itself with the exercise regime.

Remember, the first set of your exercise is NOT a warm-up. Always do a general warm up on a treadmill or a cycle, then stretch and do a specific warm-up for your particular exercise. Warming up increases your core temperature. Otherwise, there are chances of injury as your body is not ready for a workout.

SOME TIPS

The best time to exercise is any time that suits you. Just ensure that you exercise when you are physically and mentally fit. And remember to exercise regularly.

You know you are overdoing it if your body is sore for more than a day. If you are running in spite of a knee, ankle or backache, slow down and take a day off from the gym. Most common overuse injuries are lower back aches, ankle sprains, knee aches, shin splints and tennis elbow.

A drop in body fat denotes a healthy body, not a drop in body weight. As a response to exercise, our body increases muscle weight and bone density. A healthy woman should have a fat content between 20-25 percent. A healthy man should have a fat content between 15-20 per cent.