Fitness 101 talk given on a few different occasions in Mumbai recently

1. Fitness: Demystifying Diet and Exercise
-Ashwin Rao

2. Why are we discussing this ?
• Almost all of us want to be healthy and fit
• But diet and exercise are painful things
• Is there a “magic diet” or a “workout gizmo” we’ll learn about
• Goal 1: Get empowered with facts, eliminate myths, take control
• Goal 2: Prioritize within the list of diet/exercise pointers
• You’ll make good progress just by focusing on the top of the list
• Treat the bottom of the list as “good to know luxury items”
• Fitness leads to greater self-confidence and sense of achievement

3. Some Warnings
• Good health and fitness requires hard work, discipline and sacrifices
• For most people, fitness is a “luxury” not a “necessity”
• It gets harder and harder with age
• It doesn’t work if you don’t genuinely enjoy it
• Access to good food/exercise is not so easy in Mumbai
• There is no quick solution – involves a permanent lifestyle change
• Need to be willing to spend good amount of time as well as money

4. But there will be some pleasant surprises
• You don’t have to starve yourself
• You don’t have to eat bland, boring food
• You don’t have to run 10 miles a day
• Some of you could do the exercises at home
• You will learn that minor, but targeted changes can make a big impact
• You will learn a lot about your body and its responses
• After some seasoning, many people find the healthy lifestyle addictive

5. Overview of Diet
• Liquidity
• Size and Frequency of Meals
• Food Pyramid
• Carbs and Protein
• State Space: ω fats
• Raw Foods
• Supplements
• Effect on Metabolism and Hormones
• Most dangerous foods & Worst practices
• Meal/Snack Tips

6. Liquidity
• Harsh Truth: Alcohol and Caffeine are more damaging than you think
• Problems: Dehydration, indigestion, screws up appetite and sleep
• “A good night of drinking eliminates a week of hard workout” –Ashwin ☺
• Law of conservation of “height” – a massive low follows every “high”
• Soda/”Juices”/Packaged beverages – mixture of sugar/salt/caffeine
• All you need is WATER, WATER and WATER
• And consider veggie juices as well – Greens, with a bit of carrots/beets
• “Health drinks” are a scam, with a few exceptions
• Remember: your liquid intake is more important than the solids you eat
• Sense of balance: Indulge yourself occasionally, or you’ll go crazy

7. Size and Frequency of Meals
• Ideally, six small to medium-sized meals a day
• Breakfast is a very important meal
• Before and after workouts
• Get balanced food in every meal
• How much protein ? Depends on your exercise levels
• Don’t focus too much on calories
• The key is to develop your metabolism

8. Food Pyramid

9. Carbs and Proteins
• Good carbs and bad carbs
• Anything refined is bad – go with dark color when in doubt
• Veggie carbs more important than grain carbs
• Avoid white rice, naan, white bread, pasta, biscuits etc.
• Replace dessert with fruits (small portions with every meal)
• Protein: Veg or non-veg ?
• Non-veg: Focus on fish and organic meats/eggs
• Veg: Daals, beans, nuts, spinach, paneer, sprouts
• At least 1g of protein per kg of body weight
• Weight-training will require more protein to repair muscles

10. State Space : ω fats
• Fats don’t make you Fat !
• The body produces ω-9s – they are non-essential fatty acids
•We mostly get ω-6s in our food
• ω-3s: hard to get in our regular diet
• Fish/Cod/Krill Oil, Flaxseeds/Flax oil, Butternuts,Walnuts
• Quality of ω-3 oils is very important
• Saturated Fats are bad but unrefined coconut oil is good for you
• Trans fats are VERY bad – mostly in processed/packaged foods

11. Raw foods
• Heat destroys nutrients
• Raw veggies and fruits are VERY powerful
• Try juicing veggies if you can’t eat them raw
• Go with veggies/fruits that are not too sweet
• Get your daily dose of nuts and sprouts
• Sashimi: Yummy or Yuck ?
• Raw milk and raw eggs: VERY dangerous in India
• Raw food diet has been shown to reverse serious illnesses

12. Supplements
• Should we take multi-vitamin pills, protein powders etc. ?
• Generally not required. Besides, there are quality issues.
• Useful in certain situations: travel, workouts, dietary restrictions
• ω-3s, Probiotics, some packaged veggie juices/protein powder
• Avoid things like “fat killers”, Creatine/Glutamine etc.
• Unless you are into serious bodybuilding

13. Effect on Metabolism and Hormones
• Important to understand that diet controls your metabolism
• Eating healthy food several times a day will boost metabolism
• Eating sparsely, no breakfast, caffeine/sugar etc slow your body
• Similarly, good foods will improve your hormonal balance
• White carbs and sugary foods/drinks screw up hormones
• Weight gain is mostly due to poor metabolism and hormones
• Diet, sleep, stress, metabolism, hormones – all closely linked
• We’ll talk about effect of exercise on metabolism/hormones

14. Most dangerous foods
• Alcohol and Coffee
• Soft drinks, coke, diet coke, even packaged juices
• French fries and their equivalent Indian fried foods
• Donuts and their equivalent Indian sugary foods
• All sorts of white carbs – bread, pasta, even morning cereal
• Low-fat/reduced-fat packaged foods
• Hot dog, bacon, cured meats etc.
• “namkeen”-type evening snacks
• Having said that, occasional indulgence will keep you sane

15. Worst practices
• Skipping breakfast or other meals
• Low appetite
• Frequent snacking on “namkeen”-type food
• Lot of coffee, tea or soft drinks through the day
• Irregular meal hours
• Binging on alcohol and dessert
• Inconsistent sleep timings
• Getting very little protein – vegetarians need to watch out

16. Meal/snack tips
• Dark grains – whole wheat, jowar, ragi, bajra rotis
• Ragi dosa, Pesarattu, Adai (basically no rice)
• Brown rice, or even better, try Quinoa
• Use unrefined coconut oil on Lentil Dosas/Quinoa (Delicious !)
• Keep a box of walnuts, almonds, brazil nuts (raw, no salt)
• Snack on fruits – try to eat less sugary fruits
• Also, dry fruits (in moderation)
• Sprouts are one of the major joys of being in India
• Freshly squeezed Cucumber + Spinach + Carrot juice is divine

17. Exercise
• Our body needs Strength, Endurance and Flexibility
• Weights→Strength, Cardio→Endurance, Yoga→Flexibility
• Bang for the buck: Weights, then Flexibility, then Endurance
• We will focus on basic strength training
• The goal is to lose fast and gain lean muscle
• We are not here to figure out how to look like John Abraham
• Basic strength training goes a surprisingly long way
• Add some yoga and a sport or two to complement

18. Strength Training Excuses
• “I don’t want to build big muscles”
• “It’s not going to help me lose weight, so I do running”
• “I’m not the weight-lifting type”
• “I’m afraid of hurting my back”
• “Lifting weights is so boring”
• “Lifting weights is so unnatural”

19. How does strength training work ?
• Lifting weights makes your muscles work hard
• This results in “tiny tears” in your muscles (next day soreness)
• Protein + Rest between workouts repair and grow muscles
• Over a period of time, you can lift heavier weights
• Better muscle tone leads to faster metabolism
• This means faster fat burning even when sedentary
• Positive effects of testosterone production
• This accelerates the process of fat loss and muscle gain

20. Strength Training Basics
• Lift a weight quantity which lets you do 6 reps, but not more
• Do 3-4 sets of these 6 reps for each exercise
• On a given day, focus on only lower body or only upper body
• Give that body part a break for at least 3-4 days
• Lifting technique and maintenance of form is VERY important
• Proper breathing: Exhale when lifting, inhale when lowering
• Lifting action: power and speed, focusing on the exact muscle
• Lowering action: very gradual (over 2-4 seconds)

21. Workout Tips
• Workout in the morning when your testosterone levels are high
• Have enough carbs and protein before and after the workout
• Drink plenty of water during the workout
• Use a trainer/spotter to watch your form and to rack weights
• Legs and back are the most important muscles
• Lots of squats and pullups (and variants) – can be done at home
•Warm up with a 5 min jog before the workout
• Stretch for 10 minutes after the workout

22. Workout Tips (continued)
• Workout duration: 20-50 mins (not incl warmup and stretching)
• Don’t socialize, keep a tight schedule, focus your mind
• Keep records of your reps, sets and poundage
• Do the most demanding exercises first
• Don’t workout if you are sick or have slept too little
• Avoid supplements, unless you want to do serious bodybuilding
• Most importantly, feel good and enjoy your workout

23. Sample Schedule
• Thrice a week
• Mondays: Chest, Shoulders and back
• Mondays: Bench Press, Incline Press, Pull ups, Chin ups
• Wednesdays: Biceps, Triceps and Abs
• Wednesdays: Biceps flex, Narrow bench press, Ab crunches
• Fridays: Legs
• Fridays: Squats, Deadlifts, Calf raise
• Do yoga on other days or some light sports or just rest

24. Yoga
• Deep breathing – focus your mind on breath flow
• Try to touch your toes without bending your legs (sitting)
• Dog position, plus upward and downward facing
• Learn to stretch your biceps, triceps, chest and shoulders too
• Hold stretches for at least 30 seconds
• Yoga also builds strength and makes you sweat
• Disclaimer: I am not a yoga expert, so can offer limited help

25. Final Words
• Diet and Exercise go together – can’t get away with just one
• Get your hydration and sleep habits in structure first
• Incorporate diet and exercise in your life incrementally
• Important to understand what foods are good and what are bad
• Don’t force yourself to follow a strict diet. Indulge...sometimes
• Train yourself to enjoy your strength training
• See improvements in a month even with basic strength training
• Adequate rest between workouts is extremely important
• Treat this as a lifetime commitment, not as a “Get Fit Quick”