Ever Wondered how Sunny Leone stays fit and fabulous always? Well, here are her secrets –

How do you maintain your sexy figure in spite of such a busy schedule?

The only way to keep fit is to eat right and exercise. But, exercising every day isn’t possible given my hectic schedule. Sometimes working out is the last thing on my mind. But I make it a point to burn calories through various activities. The days when I am not shooting, I workout for two hours at a stretch in the gym, but on a busy day I might just spend 30 minutes on the stationary bike. In fact, I prefer cardio and free weight exercises over strength training. With the type of body I have, I need to focus more on cardio exercises to burn calories than lifting heavy weights.

But, is avoiding weight training a good idea?

Fitness is very subjective; every woman should know what the requirements of her body are. In my case, my focus is more on burning calories. I aim to burn 500 to 600 calories in every session and so I depend on cardio and free weight exercises. I also do a lot of boxing to help my arms and upper body become stronger. As for my lower body, I concentrate more on cycling as it strengthens my lower back, thighs and hamstrings. The advantage of exercising on a stationary bike is that it helps keep the abs in shape. Moreover, most women (including me) have a tendency to put on a lot of weight on their lower body and cycling helps to deal with those problem areas. Also, exercising on the stationary bike is a stress buster for me.

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Eating ‘healthy’ is such a challenge, how do you manage that?

My diet pattern is very boring, but I don’t complain. I start my day with a cup of Dunkin’ Donut coffee and my breakfast comprises of egg whites and toasts. My lunch is a healthy chicken salad with vegetables and the same goes for dinner. I don’t snack in-between meals but if I feel hungry, I might eat an apple or have seasonal fruits. It is a bland pattern of eating, but it is clean and healthy. I take care that my food is low on salt, as too much of sodium can again lead to water retention in the body and make you bloat. I am a conscious eater and I count my calories.

Any binge confessions?

Oh, yes! I cannot say no to chocolates. I am crazy about them and eat them as and when I feel like. I am also aware that I just can’t stay away from every type of food, no matter how fattening it might be. So my rule for cheat-eat is to have whatever my mind desires but in moderation. But I do count the number of extra calories that I consume and burn them out.

From the top of your head, share 5 fitness tips?

• Cut down on your soda intake by 70 percent, if not completely.
• Limit intake of fried foods.
• If you drink too much tea or coffee try to cut down on the numbers by half.
• Avoid binge eating; instead indulge in cheat meals but with portion control.
• Stack your fridge with healthy foods so you don’t fall for junk when hungry.

What are your beauty secrets for looking so ravishing all the time?

My skincare regime starts with my healthy eating habits. I do not depend much on cosmetics. I believe that the way you treat your body reflects on your skin. I deliberately stay away from sweets, fried foods, processed and junk food for the sake of my skin. Also, I am very selective about what I put on my skin. After a lot of trial and error, I have settled for a Japanese cream for moisturising my skin. As for makeup, I swear by the Make Up For Ever range of cosmetics. These are water-based cosmetics that suit my skin. Also, I make sure that all my brushes and sponges are cleaned before I use them. I have trained my make-up artist for the same too.

And what do you do for your hair?

My hair is subjected to a lot of abuse with all those styling products, chemicals and excessive blow drying. They need special care to keep them from breaking. I have an Argan oil massage twice a week to help my hair regain its vitality. Also, coconut oil massage can do wonders for your hair. I alternate between the two to keep my hair healthy.

Are you a part of the Yoga bandwagon?

I did learn and practise Bikram Hot yoga but I must admit, yoga doesn’t excite me much. Moreover, with my aim of burning more calories to stay fit, other exercises like cardio fit the bill. So I prefer those exercises over yoga during my workout sessions.

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Gym regulars face a “crowd issue” in January. A new year and a new resolution often lead to a new crowd at the gym, and new equipment greets a lot of the new sign-ups too. But less than 10 per cent convert to regular customers, according to a study.
 
CMS India, a not-for-profit headed by surgeon Ramen Goel, commissioned a three-year-long study to evaluate the dropout rate; and why losing weight is such a challenge for so many people.
 
The organisation spoke to over 1,400 gym dropouts in Mumbai and Delhi.
 
At an aggregate level, only 10 per cent of new year sign-ups stay on as regular customers over a year. Of the remaining, about 16 per cent say that they thought they would have time, but realised they didn’t, while 22.4 per cent of them drop out because they cannot get up early in the morning.
 
About 10 per cent of the people admit that they hate some exercises that their instructors make them do as part of their routine.
 
A small number — about six per cent — feel that they want to try swimming or yoga or something else instead of the gym. However, the biggest group, a massive 35.6 per cent, say that they are not seeing any difference in their weight and, hence, are losing motivation.

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So is lack of willpower not the only reason for the drop-outs after February?

 
“It’s not just the lack of willpower,” Goel said.
 
“Internationally, experts agree that 60 per cent of obesity is due to genetic causes. Those who are attending the gym with the sole objective of losing weight, soon realise that they may need other interventions too, that will take their genetic obesity into account.”
 
Goel added: “Sometimes, obese people also feel that they are being watched constantly in the gym. We need to raise awareness that obesity is a complex condition and not just caused by simply eating too much and moving too little.
 
“It is a metabolic, chronic and progressive disease with a significant genetic predisposition. Obesity is a disease that needs treatment, just like diabetes, and exercise is a good habit.”

 
There are other reasons too for quitting the gym.

 
Kevin Samuel, Head Fitness Trainer at Fitso:

“The body gets adapted to the same workouts being done at the same intensity, so the growth of muscles gets slower.”
 
A goal also plays a role.

“The goal you are working towards is achieved… Say, getting fit for marriage or event or preparing for a marathon. If no new goal is set up, there is nothing to look forward to and thus, no motivation is left to train hard.”

 
So, what can be done to retain them?

 
“Gamifying the training is the best way to retain interest in gymming. Create group workouts and build friendly competition among group members,” said Samuel.
 
He also said that variety is the spice that needs to be added to the “curry of gymming”.
 
“Create some interesting routines and workouts to break the monotony and to work on different sets of muscles for the trainee,” he added.
 
Surender Yadav, owner-trainer, SHAPE Perfect fitness Gym, emphasised that body building is not an overnight show.
 
“One needs to stay focused and regular in order to get the desired results. Now the only way to get them … with the machines is to get them the right amount of motivation through a gymholic partner.
 
“Right partners not only push you but they also guide you well. At the same time, it’s very important to make short-term targets for them as nothing can motivate you more than the joy of achieving a target.”

Singer Selena Gomez enjoys yoga and exercises which help her keep her bottom toned.

The “Hands to myself” hitmaker likes any exercise which helps to keep her bottom toned which includes arm dancing and Pilates, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

“Selena loves yoga, arm dancing, and Pilates. We like to do lots of butt toning too… If you keep your same old routine, you will most likely get bored and wind up skipping the gym. Working out should be a part of your lifestyle, not an obligation or burden,” Gomez’s trainer Amy Rosoff Davis told Byrdie magazine.

“Make your workouts fun by keeping it fresh and doing something different each day. Selena and I do everything from Pilates to hiking to dance cardio to circuit training to yoga and spinning – the list goes on,” Davis added.

The 23-year-old likes to switch her workout routines on her Revival tour as instructed by Davis.

“The workouts on the Revival tour change daily on purpose. But I always incorporate some yoga and stretching into my day. I try and aim for 30 minutes of cardio at least four to six times a week. I do toning and stretching about six days a week,” Davis said.

IANS

Watch the intense workout of Indian Cricket Team captain MS Dhoni during the Zimbabwe tour.

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By Kaamna Jain

In our adult life, we face a number of challenges; keeping our body fit is a major one. Nothing can give pleasure in life if we do not have a healthy body to enjoy it.

Have you ever seen kids playing in the parks or colonies in the evening, they spend hours – talking, laughing, running. It all seems so meaningless or maybe there is meaning. While it is okay to spend time like this in our childhood and well into our teens, we adults think it’s a luxury we can’t afford. Especially in this age of whatsapp, facebook and twitter any free time has to be spent judiciously and thus missing the point of chilling out stress free, like those kids in the park. The stress free time the kids spend helps them keep healthy mentally as well as physically.  

Why is it so difficult to keep fit as we grow older? Simple enough question though but it’s been troubling me for years. Here’s a couple of answers I guess makes sense to me now.

·         The metabolic rate slows down as we grow older which means that body burns fat at a lower rate than it did earlier

·         Lifestyle: desk jobs and sedentary routines

What works for me and will probably work for anyone is – Allocate some time for yourself every single day. Choose an activity that you can do daily, is practical and is something that you enjoy. If you target going for swimming to a pool that is 5 kilometres away from house every day or a gym in a far-off location chance of your sticking to the routine are limited.

Choose your fitness regimen, there are a number of options to choose from:

Walking – which is the simplest and most effective fitness regimen…it does not require much investment except buying a pair of good quality shoes and can be done anywhere.

Yoga –  I’ll recommend joining a Yoga class or getting home visits from a registered Yoga practitioner so that consistency in practice is maintained as well as you don’t end up hurting yourself during asana practice.

Gym –  This one is a no-brainer.

Dance – You get to move your body and have fun galore.

Running – Even if you don’t run the marathon, you will be surprised how running increases your stamina and strength if done regularly. You wouldn’t mind the weight loss as well.

Sports – Pick up a game – any game like Badminton/basketball. The only thing is that you will need like-minded people to play with you.

The key is habit or regularity. Practice till it becomes your second nature and your day isn’t complete if you missed your daily dose of physical action.

Taking care of our bodies is one of our prime responsibilities…After all our body is the only place we have to live in.