For years, we have believed that the only way to keep yourself fit and healthy is to stick to an exercise regimen. The popular, general notion seems to be that you either have to be a gym rat or a yoga or zumba practitioner if you want to avoid those pretty painful visits to the hospital or doctor’s clinic, once old age sets in. But apparently, there is an alternate story on how to stay fit and healthy that we may have overlooked. Experts have suggested that doing your household chores and staying generally active throughout the day, even if you don’t visit the gym diligently, could be a good enough workout. Those who stay on their toes throughout the day by walking instead of hopping into their car or auto rickshaws, ditching the elevator for the stairs, and cleaning and mopping the house on their own don’t fare too badly as far as fitness levels are concerned.
But how true is this on the ground? We test this theory by seeking the advice and professional help of a personal trainer and nutritionist to gauge the fitness levels of two case studies -30-year-old Mayur Parmar, who is a full-time musician and guitar tutor and 32-year-old image consultant and holiday expert, Anita Sahoo.
CASE STUDY 1
Parmar is a full-time musician and guitar tutor who is mostly holed up in his room composing music, when not learning music production at Mumbai Music Institute in Juhu. But he hits the gym for an hour, four days a week.”Gymming is the only physical activity I get. Once I sit to create music, I am chained to the chair for five to six hours at a stretch, so I make sure that I don’t miss a single day at the gym,” says the Dahisar resident.
HIS DAILY ROUTINE
7 AM: Wake up 8 AM: Breakfast one banana, one glass of milk, two rotis and sabzi or two slices of bread toast with butter 8:30 AM-2:30 PM: Music course at Mumbai Music Institute on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and producing music at home or guitar tutoring on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays 3 PM: Lunch rice, dal and sabzi 3:30 PM to 5 PM: Music production or guitar sessions 5 PM-9PM: Evening snack tea and four rusks or one fruit 9 PM to 10 PM: Hit the gym weight train three days and do cardiovascular exercises one day 11 PM: Dinner three rotis and sabzi 12 AM: Bedtime
EXERCISE: Fitness-wise, both are on track and active in their own way. Someone who walks in stead of taking a vehicle to commute or does household chores has the same kind of oxygen and blood flow in the body as someone who pumps iron. Practically, both scenari os are just as effective -walking for a kilometre is the same thing as walking on the treadmill for about 15 minutes.While sweeping and mopping, you are basically doing squats, half-squats or frog jumps. While Mayur will have a more toned body, it’s Anita who will have better stamina and strength because her schedule of physical activities is more spread out and sustained each day.
DIET: Anita has a more balanced diet than Mayur, with more fruits and foods. But they both lack protein in their diet. Since Mayur does weight training, he especially needs more protein.
CASE STUDY 2
Anita Sahoo manages to `workout’ by doing household chores and walking as much as she can.”I’ve never had a lasting fitness regimen. I used to swim and brisk walk earlier but didn’t stick to either.” But she is her own “kaamwali” who sweeps, mops, dusts, and cleans her 1,000 sq ft apart ment in Thane every single day, other than ironing, cooking, and washing utensils. “I make it a point to walk to the bus stand, which is about one kilometre away, when I have to go for my training sessions or to the grocery store at least four times a week. I climb stairs instead of taking the elevator. I also squat while sweeping and mopping,”Anita says.
HER DAILY ROUTINE
6 AM: Wake up 6:30 AM: Cook 7:30 AM: Sweep, mop, clean, dust and iron 8:30 AM: Breakfast pohaupma egg bhurji dosaidli sandwich 10 AM: Training sessions or work from home as a holiday expert 11 AM: Mid morning snack – one fruit 1:30 PM: Lunch rice, sabzi, dal or curry. Non-vegetarian chicken cur ry or fish twice a week 2-4 PM: Work 4 PM: Evening sack – a bowl of murmura, fruits or biscuits. Then, watch TV or read 5:30 PM: Work 7:30 PM: Cook 9 PM: Dinner rice-dal, roti and sabzi 9:30 PM: Clean and do the dishes 11:30 PM: Bedtime
EXERCISE: Isolated exercises focussing on each body part, like Mayur does, is excellent for overall body strength and health. In the long run, he will benefit as it will prevent weight gain, always boost his mood with the release of good endorphins, prevent diseases and give him stronger bones. But he could include some more cardio or do circuit training to build up cardiovascular health since he sits at his desk all day. Anita needs to add exercise to her regimen. Just being active is not enough. Exercise is used to build fitness levels and she must not make the mistake of confusing physical activity with exercise. To enjoy optimal health we must do both.
DIET: Anita seems to be better off, as there are lesser white carbs and she is focussing on the right food groups. There is also a healthy balance of carbs, proteins and vegetables. She could benefit by omitting biscuits and murmura and substituting it with something homemade. Mayur could increase protein to build sufficient muscle mass, since he does so much weight training. There is no legume (whole beans or dals), in his diet. Also he could decrease the consumption of bread, and add Amaranth flour to make his rotis. He could also add a protein powder (soy isolate) or vegan to help him with his weight training.
