PharmEasy Blog

”IT’S EXTREMELY EASY TO STAY SUPER FIT”- Celebrity Trainer Satyajit Chaurasia

We all want to look good, stay fit and be happy in life. The key to achieving a healthy lifestyle lies in making small changes. You can buy happiness in life with just 5 minutes. It not only makes you confident in your skin but also keeps diseases away.

When it comes to health and fitness, it’s imperative to be consistent with exercising and patient with results. Never aim for hurried results.

5 Minutes Can Turn Your Life around – Treasure Them

The notion that you need to join a gym in order to be healthy is passé. To live a healthy lifestyle, you need to make smaller changes that go a long way. It is always recommended to work out on an empty stomach for 5-6 minutes after you wake up. It makes you fresh and boosts your metabolism. The whole idea behind following this routine is sweating first thing in the morning by pumping blood to the muscles.

When metabolism is boasted in the morning, it burns calories throughout the day and also leaves you feeling fresh and high on energy. Attempting any sort of physical activity prior to taking a bath is a good practice for your health.

This process builds a lifestyle cycle without going to the gym. People who really want to feel good and stay healthy should start out with the 5- minute routine.

Good quality sleep is most important in fitness regimen. Lack of sleep or experimental sleep restriction has been found to impair cognitive performance, mood, glucose metabolism, appetite regulation, and immune function.

Dr. M.G. Kartheeka, MBBS, MD

Following this simple 5-minute routine is the easiest ”short-cut” to long term fitness:

”No excuses can be manifested to spare 5 minutes of your daily routine. It’s called a treasure.”

Balanced Diet for a Balanced Living

Eating a healthy balanced diet is a must for staying fit. It should be a combination of Carbs, Proteins and good Fat. Minimum oil is recommended along with following the daily 5 – minute routine. You can allow yourself a Cheat Day once a week.

When it comes to eating healthy, you need to cut out the most vicious culprit – Sugar.

Muscle mass is really important in a healthy body irrespective of your gender. A healthy amount of muscle mass also helps in cutting down calories and burning fat faster.

Here are some of the diet tips to inculcate into your routine:

Depriving yourself of a good time is not the solution to being fit. It is completely okay to enjoy the occasional drink or two. Ideally, drinking once a week is all right. However, it is advisable to not go overboard.

Research on depression, anxiety and exercise shows that the psychological and physical benefits of exercise can also help improve mood and reduce anxiety.

Dr. Ashish Bajaj, M.B.B.S., M.D

Although, if you wish to make cautious efforts to refine the drinking habits, you should:

Remarks on Steroids: Running after something which will eventually leave your body is of no point”

Caution should be exercised when it comes to the excessive use of health supplements and protein powders, as they can pose potential health risks and may not deliver the promised benefits as advertised. By promoting public awareness of these potential risks, we can empower individuals to make informed decisions and opt for healthier choices, safeguarding their overall well-being.

Dr. Arpit Verma, MBBS, MD (Pharmacology)

Learn before you Lean

These days, abundant fitness information is available on the Internet, however, it is always recommended to consult someone, like a trainer or a teacher, prior to starting. Even better, go for a few classes and learn the exercises first instead of landing yourself with broken bones.

Some people get desperate to get immediate results and end up doing the wrong exercises. Aiming for hurried or immediate results will not serve in the long haul. Moreover, starving yourself while performing excessive cardio will eventually lower your muscle mass and make you feel weak. Such desperate fitness attempts also loosen your skin which in most cases, does not tighten again.

If you lose muscles, you end up draining your entire life’s bank account.

Physical activity has a huge potential to enhance our well-being. Even a short burst of 10 minutes of brisk walking increases our mental alertness, energy, and overall fitness.

Dr. Ashish Bajaj, M.B.B.S., M.D

Consistency and Patience is Key

When you are strong, the chances of getting success in life are high. A healthy body always contributes to a healthy life and in turn your success story. In order to take challenges in life, you need to be fit, physically and mentally. Consistently working on the body is the key to being happier in life.

Whether it’s Salman Khan, Aamir Khan or Arnold Schwarzenegger, all of them have one thing in common. Irrespective of their busy schedules and timings, they always make sure to follow their daily physical and health routines without fail.

You can rule the world if you are consistent and disciplined, irrespective of your profession or gender.

Short term goals are not helpful. Just like studying one night before an exam will only help pass or you might even end up failing. On the other hand, continuously taking unit tests may help you nail the final exams. Exercising is just like that.    

One must ideally work out for 3 months diligently for results to start showing. And once you start seeing results, it is guaranteed you will never stop. Since anything that makes you happy and feel better will only make your body graph go forward.

Being kind to oneself

Setting big goals right from day one is not an efficient way of achieving fitness. It only leads to feelings of guilt and hopelessness since it is practically impossible to achieve anything without consistency and regularity. Taking small steps in the beginning is the key to success both for fitness and for other aspects of life. Even if you miss your target for one day or just do not have the energy to workout, be forgiving to yourself and move on. Think about how you can give your best the next day instead of brooding on what you could not do today. Afterall, fitness consists of both a healthy body and a healthy mind. Therefore, it is imperative to take care of both to lead a healthy and happy life.

Change your regime if necessary

As the popular saying goes – do not work hard, work smart – it is important to work both hard and smart in order to achieve your desired fitness goals. Although all fitness regimes seem difficult initially, your body should get used to it in a few weeks. If you still face difficulty after this, maybe it is time to consult your trainer and bring alterations to your fitness regime.

Also Read: What is The Best Time to Exercise?

Conclusion

Every individual has a different fitness curve. Setting up short term goals and expecting immediate results is like deliberately setting yourself up for failure. It is also interesting and quite an exciting practice to maintain a logbook for your exercise routines. It is not recommended to do the same for your diet routines.

Tick Marking 5- minutes every day in your diary can serve as your life’s report card.

And finally, it is extremely important to go for a deep tissue massage every once a week. Muscle massages mobilize fat and water retention in the body and help relieve stress or joint pains.   In all areas of life, whether health or profession, consistency is the most important trait.

Also Read: How to Stay Fit and Healthy?

Disclaimer: The information provided here is for educational/awareness purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional and should not be relied upon to diagnose or treat any medical condition. The reader should consult a registered medical practitioner to determine the appropriateness of the information and before consuming any medication. PharmEasy does not provide any guarantee or warranty (express or implied) regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of the information; and disclaims any liability arising thereof.

Links and product recommendations in the information provided here are advertisements of third-party products available on the website. PharmEasy does not make any representation on the accuracy or suitability of such products/services. Advertisements do not influence the editorial decisions or content. The information in this blog is subject to change without notice. The authors and administrators reserve the right to modify, add, or remove content without notification. It is your responsibility to review this disclaimer regularly for any changes.

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Benefits Of Doing The Plank Exercise Every Day

The deadly COVID has put a stop to the way we go about our daily routine, may it be going to the office, school or going out for a jog. Well, this is the right time we all need to move out of our comfort zones and try a different approach to stay healthy.

Remember, a healthy exercise schedule can prevent you from risks of developing heart diseases, diabetes and many more. It can also help you manage these conditions better. For instance, exercises for diabetes can help lower blood sugar levels and avoid further complications. One of the best exercises to include in your exercise routine would be a plank. What is a plank exercise? How will this be beneficial during the pandemic and how to perform one are questions that this article will answer.

Did You Know ?

  • Plank exercises increase muscle strength, endurance, flexibility, and cardiopulmonary fitness. source:NCBI
  • Plank exercises decrease body fat mass and body fat percentage. source: NCBI
  • Plank exercises can help improve overall body balance and stability. source: acefitness.org
  • Plank exercises can help reduce the risk of falls and improve balance in older adults. source: nia.nih.gov

What is Plank Exercise?

A plank exercise is the best exercise to strengthen your core and abdomen. These exercises strengthen your hips, lower back and abdomen and improve your body balance. It is used in yoga, by professional boxers and sports like hockey, cricket and football.

Benefits of Plank Exercise

The number of calories you would burn depends on how many minutes you perform a plank exercise daily. For instance, a person weighing 65 kgs would burn 3 calories every minute doing a plank. Here is what your body could benefit from plank exercising.

1. Improves body balance and posture:

Apart from muscle growth and endurance, a plank can also help achieve better body balance, posture, as well as coordination. The reason the plank is considered a fundamental part of an exercise routine is because of this. With great balance, you are less susceptible to incurring injuries to single muscle groups during your workout.

2. Strengthens your core:

The core of your body consists of the spine, shoulder bones, pelvis and joints. With a strong core, you will be able to better perform certain exercises. The 4 most important muscle groups (transversus abdominis, rectus abdominis, oblique muscles, and glutes) that constitute your core are strengthened with the help of the plank exercise.

3. Improves body flexibility:

Practicing the plank pose daily can help to stretch your core muscle groups mentioned earlier. This has a lot of benefits especially for those who engage in yoga.

Reduces belly fat:

Since the plank pose mainly works your core abdominal muscles, it is a great exercise to get rid of stubborn belly fat. Holding a plank for a few minutes each day can alone help to trump down belly fat and provide an appealing shape to your body.

4. Reduces backache:

The plank posture helps to perfectly align the vertebrae (small bones) in the backbone. This can help alleviate back pain and even delay the onset of or prevent back pain in old age. Moreover, since this pose strengthens your abdominal muscles, it will help support the weight of your body when walking upright. This will further help to prevent back pain.

5. Improves metabolism:

This pose helps to build abdominal muscles and in many cases even boosts the development of muscles in other parts of the body (due to added core strength). With more muscle mass, you will burn more calories and this will regulate a healthy appetite. Therefore, the plank pose if practised daily can help to improve metabolism as well.

The plank exercise is a type of isometric exercise. Isometric exercises are mainly performed to improve strength. These exercises don’t need movement and can be done in one place. As there is no movement involved, it will provide strength in a certain position only. Therefore, isometric exercises like plank can be done during injuries. Athletes who want to build strength are advised to practice planks.

Dr. Siddharth Gupta, MD

Variations of the Plank Exercise

There are many variations of this all-around exercise and each of them provides a unique set of benefits for your body.

1. Front, side, and reverse planks: 2

The front plank is a rather simple form of this exercise and promotes strengthening of the upper as well as lower body. The side plank, on the other hand, helps to strengthen the oblique abdominal muscles. This can be beneficial in reducing fat on your waist. However, a reverse plank is a slightly uncommon variation of this popular exercise pose. It is, as the name suggests, a reverse of the original position and helps to strengthen your hip muscles (glutes) and inner thigh muscles (hamstrings).

2. The 2-minute plank test:

This is the traditional posture of the plank but the difference is that you will need to hold this posture for 2 whole minutes. For people who regularly workout, this may not seem very significant, but for beginners, these 2 minutes could seem quite challenging. This type of plan exercise is great for testing muscle endurance.

3. Arm or leg lift planks:

These are considered the next level in plank exercises as it puts immense pressure on your core muscles, making them even stronger. You will need to lie down in the original plank position and raise either one hand or one leg. You can alternate between the two for an intense workout. You can also combine this with a side plank and achieve a combination of benefits.

4. Side plank crunch:

This is one of the most challenging and fruitful variations of the planks that are usually recommended for seasoned gym-goers. However, with careful and steady practice you can achieve this at home as well. All you need to do is lie down in a side plank position and push your leg into your body as you do in crunches. This exercise not only works the core abdominal muscles but also helps strengthen the hip joints.

5. Resistance plank:

The plank can also be performed using resistance bands as well. This is an advanced level of plank exercises that you can do if you think you have mastered the basic variations. You can tie a resistance band around your wrists and ankles and slowly push out against it while in the original plank position. This added strain to your muscles and joints will help them become stronger.

Plank exercise focuses on building stamina, endurance, and core strength. This exercise mainly focuses on muscle groups which include the erector spinae (ES), the external oblique (EO) and the rectus abdominis (RA).

Dr. Rajeev Singh, BAMS

How To Do Plank Exercise?

Level: Beginner

Type: Front Plank/ High Plank

There are many ways to do a plank exercise, and one simple way is doing the high plank or front plank. This type is similar to push-ups, but the only difference is that instead of resting your body weight on your palms, you should rest it on your elbows.

Step 1Lye down flat on the ground.
Step 2Place your elbow and legs flat (like Push-ups).
Step 3Push your body upward and keep your chin tight to your neck.
Step 4Hold your position for 10 seconds.
Step 5Bring your body downwards and continue this 3 times and then take a break.

NOTE: Make sure your back is completely straight when doing this exercise. A plank exercise can be modified into a plank with a leg lift and arm lift. However, if you are a beginner it is recommended you do the front plank workout and it will do you good.

Precautions

Do not do planks in the following cases:

NOTE: Consult a doctor if for more insight regarding conducting this exercise if you feel any of the above-listed pain.

Tips to Gain Maximum Benefits from Plank Exercise

  1. If you are doing it for the first time, try the plank exercise under the supervision of the trainer.
  2. Try performing the plank for a minimum of one minute at a time.
  3. Start by doing 1 plank a day to slowly 3 to 10 a day to reap the maximum benefits.
  4. Then, slowly also try side planks which can help improve your flexibility.
  5. If you are doing plank exercise at home, make sure you try in front of the mirror or with someone who can guide you.

Ultimately, enjoy the whole process. As and when you give time to this process, you will get tougher and sturdier. And then”¦keep adding few seconds to your stunning plank pose.

Also Read: Benefits of Watermelon Sexually: Exploring Research-Based Effects

Can Planks Reduce Belly Fat?

YES, plank exercise is a good calorie burner that reduces belly fat. Make sure you also stick to a healthy diet while performing this exercise. Add fresh fruits, whole grains, fish, banana, yoghurt, green tea and avocados to your everyday diet. Also, make sure that you perform this exercise regularly and in the right manner. Between pushing upward and downwards hold the position for 10 seconds and then release your body. Your overall workout must be for 60 seconds.

Common Posture Mistakes During Planks:

Planks target the entire body, like the core, arms and shoulders. This full-body exercise can even help in improving your posture and lessening your back pain. So it is important to get your plank exercise position correct. A sloppy plank can cause a variety of ailments that can cause any plank exercise injury, like wrist, shoulder, neck and lower-back injuries. Some of the common posture mistakes are as follows:

1. Sagging Hips:

In both high planks (full arm extended) and low plank (only forearms) exercises, you might make the mistake of dropping your hips. By doing this, you are releasing the core muscles where you hoped to target, not to mention the additional strain this puts on the lower back and shoulders. To correct your posture, always keep your hips in line with your shoulders.

2. Wandering Arms:

While doing side planks, keeping your support arm too far away from your body may cause strain on your shoulder, wrist and neck as well. Your shoulder should be aligned over the top of your wrist during side planks to avoid any plank exercise injury. For a perfect plank position, align your support hand directly over your shoulder and hold your other hand high above and legs stretched out, forming a ‘T’.

3. Knock-knuckled:

A lot of people have the mistake of having their palms angled towards the centre of their body while doing their planks. This can make them find difficulty in stabilizing their shoulders and cause a chest collapse. A correct palm position would be to place hands parallel to each other without breaking at the elbows and fingers slightly turned out. This will prevent any injuries.

In Conclusion

With so many benefits of this apparently simple exercise pose, it is no wonder that the plank posture is quickly becoming popular among fitness enthusiasts. There are many fitness trainers who have developed their own innovative variations of the plank. Even if you are not able to do the same, you can always go for the different variations and tips given here for similar results. Since the plank is indeed a total body workout as well as an addition to other workout positions, you should definitely consider adding to your workout routine.

Also Read: Exercises for Hip Pain: A Research-Based Guide to Relief

FAQs

A plank exercise is the best way that you can burn belly fat and improve your body strength. If you’re looking to get into fitness, consider adding this exercise to your everyday schedule. Here are some frequently asked questions that will give you an insight into some of its other facets.

Can you do a 3-minute plank workout?

YES, you can do a 3-minute plank workout provided you are in an advanced workout schedule. A 1-minute plank workout is more than required for a beginner, while a 3-minute workout plan could mean that you are at an advanced workout level. However, if you cannot hold a plank for 120 seconds in advanced workout schedules, it could mean you are fat or weak or you may be doing it in the wrong manner.

What happens if I do planks every day?

Here’s what you can benefit from it:
Improves body flexibility
Passes body energy to your arms, legs and spine
Improves running speed and efficiency

How many minutes should I plank every day?

It is advised that you plank for not more than 2 minutes. A minimum would be for 1 minute (beginner).

Why do I shake while doing planks?

Planks make you tremble in the beginning because this exercise applies your entire body weight to your muscles which means a lot of force.

Can I get in shape by just doing planks?

No, plank exercises strengthen your spine and shoulder, reduce body fat and prevent backaches. It is a simple exercise to stay fit and improve body balance and flexibility. It is advised that you go out for a jog, run cycling or swim to ensure that you look trim.

Planking is a simple exercise that everyone should add to their workout schedule as it strengthens the body core which is the main muscle that carries your entire body weight. However, follow the above-listed steps to perform it in the right manner and you will have whiteness results.

Live Healthy, Stay Safe!

Also read: 5 simple ways to stay fit and healthy

Disclaimer: The information provided here is for educational/awareness purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional and should not be relied upon to diagnose or treat any medical condition. The reader should consult a registered medical practitioner to determine the appropriateness of the information and before consuming any medication. PharmEasy does not provide any guarantee or warranty (express or implied) regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of the information; and disclaims any liability arising thereof.

Links and product recommendations in the information provided here are advertisements of third-party products available on the website. PharmEasy does not make any representation on the accuracy or suitability of such products/services. Advertisements do not influence the editorial decisions or content. The information in this blog is subject to change without notice. The authors and administrators reserve the right to modify, add, or remove content without notification. It is your responsibility to review this disclaimer regularly for any changes.

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