Don’t let the weather get to you

With winter ending and summer taking over, experts suggest the best way to stay fit without affecting your regular fitness regime

The changing weather can take a toll on your exercise regime. Here is how you can make the most of indoor and outdoor exercises. Because of the changing weather, there are numerous physiological and psychological changes occuring in humans which can affect their health (physically as well mentally) and fitness.

There is a change in temperature (body) because of change in weather which affects eating habitat. Also, a person may feel lazy and lethargic in varying weathers. So, physiologically it affects the body temperature, body metabolism and diet too. Especially in winter, when a person starts overeating which leads to disturbing diet.

Dr Sukeshini Ramteke (BPT), Physiotherapist, AXIS Hospital, Andheri (W), says, “The person who is following a fitness routine or go to the gym or follow diet start feeling guilty for overeating which ultimately leads to psychological changes such as stress, guilt and anxiety. So, if we have done a mistake called overeating or if it is our cheat day in a diet then the good news is that we can compensate for it by exercising more so that stored fat will get utilised.”

A person can feel lazy to go out and exercise, instead one can do a group workout and motivate one another.

Just when you have your fitness plan going well, the weather suddenly changes and sends you into a tizzy. In India, the extremes are summer heat and monsoons which can delay or prevent us from achieving our daily physical activity. Other than the actual safety hazards associated with these weather conditions, there are numerous physiological effects that people need to be aware of. There are ways to adapt to these unavoidable conditions. Dr Ashish Jain, orthopaedic surgeon, PD Hinduja Hospital and MRC, Mahim, says, “Any exercise regime you follow must combine a good mix of indoor and outdoor physical activities. Most fitness centres offer us a plethora of indoor exercise options like weight

aining, yoga, pilates, group exercises and cardio options.”

Jain adds, “Any fitness plan is based on two strong pillars. They are consistency and discipline. When exercise is delayed or difficult to do, please focus more on clean, healthy and disciplined eating. Trust me you cannot out-train a bad diet, especially in adverse weather conditions. Consistency is the key.”

INDOOR AND OUTDOOR EXERCISES

Indoor exercise is the best idea in varying temperatures. This can help in maintaining a fit lifestyle. You can do activities such as brisk jogging at a place, skipping, stair climbing, stretching exercises, planks, crunches, push-ups, pull-ups, squatting, lunges at home and yoga. Dr Shreyas Katharani, head of physiotherapy department at Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre, Pedder Road, says, “In hot temperatures, you can take some steps to avoid problems such as dehydration, cramping, exhaustion and also, air quality gets worst on hot daysbreathing

trouble. The sensible thing is to go slow and work up progressively. A lot of people even go indoors and cross-train if it’s too hot outside.”

Indoor activities include yoga, pilates, going up and down the stairs, dancing and swimming. Indoor Exercises such as planks, squats, and cross trainer, gym to do various strength and endurance workouts.

Outdoor activities include

walking, jogging, running, cycling. Outdoor Exercises include warming up at least five minutes by power walk or light jogging. Exercises are Side leap, park/bench pushups, side step, step up, long jumps, push-ups, sumo squats, burpees, bicycle crunches.

Dr Harshavardhan Hegde, executive director, Orthopaedics and Bone and Joint Surgery, Fortis Escorts, Okhla, New Delhi, says, “To stay fit, one should observe general strengthening exercises, cardio exercises such as walking, jogging, cross-training, and cycling. Getting wet will quickly leave you chilled and miserable, so wear dry clothes, not just warm. The cold temperature will increase blood pressure by causing constriction of blood vessels and will decrease your sweat output and increase the salt load. Exercises release hormones such as noradrenaline that control blood pressure. Keep yourself warm to prevent cold temperature to elevate the blood pressure. Do proper flexibility exercises to increase blood flow to the whole to reduce stiffness from the joint.”