High on Health
GET SET FOR A FIT FEBRUARY. HERE ARE NINE DIFFERENT WORKOUTS YOU CAN TRY THIS YEAR, STARTING TODAY
Nine different workouts you can try this year, starting today.
THE YEAR 2017’s first month has already gone by. How good have you been about keeping your fitness resolution? If you’ve found yourself struggling, maybe it’s time for some inspiration.
BREATHE EASY
WHAT Altitude Training
GOOD FOR Increase in energy, less wear and tear on system
WHERE The Pilates and Altitude Training Studio, Santacruz or Alchemy, Marine Drive
It isn’t a coincidence that people who live at high altitudes live longer and healthier lives, Neville Wadia tells me when I meet him at his Marine Drive fitness studio Alchemy. Wadia is explaining the use of altitude therapy, which at Alchemy involves being strapped onto a machine that creates the low oxygen levels you would find at high altitudes. In such conditions, the body adapts by increasing the number of red blood cells or altering muscle metabolism. This improves the efficiency of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. The Pilates and Altitude Training Studio in Santacruz has an entire room dedicated to altitude training. Their hypoxic machine filters oxygen out of the air which is then delivered to you within an altitude (hypoxic) room with no change in pressure. “A 30-minute altitude training workout equals about an hour of high intensity gym cardio workout,” reveals Samir Purohit, founder, Pilates and Altitude Training Studio.
EASY DOES IT
WHAT Flexibar
GOOD FOR Strengthening a weak core and back muscles
WHERE V’s Fitness, Khar
Venancio D’Souza is a name to reckon with in Mumbai’s fitness scene. The first to introduce Flexibar to the city, D’Souza has been using the German products and teaching the technique for close to a decade, but it is only now that he notes a growing interest among people. “Based on physiotherapy, Flexibar is the safest way to get back to training, especially for mothers who’ve recently given birth. It would be ridiculous for her to dive into a full training session and Flexibar is a good option,” notes D’Souza. At the ‘Pit’ at his Khar studio, D’Souza will help you target your intrinsic muscles with the help of Flexibar.
A WINNING COMBO
WHAT Piloxing
GOOD FOR Better posture, balance, flexibility, increased stamina and toning
WHERE Contact 9916927290 (Antara Guha Choudhary)
Piloxing is a high energy, fast paced cardio programme that combines boxing with standing pilates and dance choreography. Creator Viveca Jensen has been promoting the workout as a women’s empowerment programme to help them attain a sleek, sexy and powerful self image. “You can also incorporate Barefoot training in your workout over wearing conventional footwear as it is important to strengthen your feet as a necessary foundation and support for the skeletal structure, muscle function and quality of movement,” reveals Antara Guha Choudhary, Piloxing Master Trainer for India. One wears specially designed gloves weighing 0.5lb or 250 grams while Piloxing. These are used during the main body workout to increase intensity and the toning component.
NOT WITHOUT YOUR POOCH
WHAT Doga
GOOD FOR Stress relief
WHERE Look up delotus.in for further information
Doga is quite literally doing yoga with your dog. The idea isn’t to get your dog in shape, but to enable your own peace of mind. “How can we cultivate within ourselves a positive feeling and bring a change in our mental disposition? Dogs will help,” says Yoga Master Acharya Neeraj, who believes the uplifting company of pets can help during any form of exercise. Although based in Lucknow, Neeraj conducts sessions regularly in Mumbai. Apart from the Adho Mukha Svanasana or the downward facing dog pose, Neeraj believes the Chaturanga asana is ideal when doing yoga with your dog. “When you do asanas in a normal environment, the difference is that you might not be completely unified with yourself. The dog will help create the right atmosphere,” he says.
PRIMAL INSTINCT
WHAT Bear crawling
GOOD FOR Training endurance, strength, losing weight and improving flexibility
WHERE Anytime, anywhere
Crawling is a huge fitness trend —from imitating a baby to a gorilla, the workouts began in China and are a great option for strength training. Bear crawling, moving on your hands and legs in imitation of the furry mammal, is often a part of military boot camp exercises. This is a great warm-up exercise; the best part is you need no equipment and can even do this in the comfort of your home. While you begin with your hands and knees touching the ground, the next step is to get your knees off the floor. Your balance must be on your toes and your hips low. Move forward by lifting one hand and the opposite knee and repeat.
TO THE BEAT
WHAT Masala Bhangra
GOOD FOR Overall toning, body conditioning and can build endurance, stamina and balance
WHERE House of Wow, Bandra
Masala Bhangra, created by Sarina Jain in her garage in the US, is a workout consisting of traditional Punjabi and Bollywood dance moves set to energetic music with drum beats. The high intensity full body cardio workout is said to get rid of up to 500 calories per workout. Especially for this season, certified Masala Bhangra instructor Riddhi Gupta has customised Masala Bhangra for couples in Mumbai. The innovative moves include ‘Bhangra love’, inspired by Amitabh Bachchan, the King of Bollywood romance, which involves placing your right foot forward with your left arm forward and alternating the movement between the legs and
hands. Masala Bhangra has a total of 350 different moves. It is designed for anybody irrespective of age and fitness level. “It allows you to channel your masculine side with Bhangra and your feminine grace with Bollywood,” says Gupta.
NATURAL INSPIRATION
WHAT Animal Flow
GOOD FOR Specifically targeting and increasing muscle tone, mobility, flexibility, stability, power and endurance and building a strong core
WHERE Tangerine Arts Studio, Bandra and The Space, Juhu
We are no strangers to seeking inspiration from nature and in the movements of animals when it comes to exercise. But Animal Flow is renowned trainer Mike Fitch’s new take on the age-old practice. “Martial artists, gymnasts, yogis, b-boys will all see similarities in Animal Flow and their individual disciplines. It draws on multiple bodyweight training disciplines, utilising the movements of various animals (crab, scorpion, crocodile, etc) to target different areas of the body,” says coach Nam-Wook Kang, who was teaching in Paris before he began taking classes in Mumbai. Animal Flow is fun yet challenging. “It is an intense workout that will get you in a sweat. It’s effective for extreme athletes as well as beginners because you can mix and match components to control intensity,” he adds.
TRAIN FAST, TRAIN HARD
WHAT High intensity workouts
GOOD FOR Building muscle, losing fat
WHERE Anytime, anywhere (freeletics.com)
High intensity interval training, CrossFit and Tabata have been popular for years, and now it seems that Freeletics’ high intensity workouts are likely to become a popular training style. Freeletics, a Germany-based company, offers detailed workout plans based on the training data of thousands of athletes. Their Coach app is extremely motivating; but be warned, the workout is extremely rigorous.
UP IN THE AIR
WHAT Aerial Hoop
GOOD FOR Overall body conditioning and strengthening
WHERE Studio 23, Nariman Point
Aerial silk or anti-gravity yoga has been quite a thing for a while now, but this year you might want to try another exercise that has you suspended in the air. Aashna Mansharamani, a former cheerleader and a member of the Brown Aerial Arts Society, performs splits, twists and balletic moves with a hoop suspended from the ceiling at about six feet off the floor. But at her Aerial Hoop workshops, she has beginners exercising with the hoop only three or four feet off the ground. The hoop is no plastic hula hoop, but a heavy metal ring that helps you target your arms, back and core. “Considering it requires overall body strength, it works out all muscles, but the upper body in particular,” says Mansharamani. “This art requires a skilful balance of strength, stamina and flexibility, something which you will progressively work on during the class,” reveals Mansharamani.