You Say, I Say……

Here starts my take on people-speak; looking at the same thing from what the fitness enthusiast has to say and what I, as the professional am trying to say!
As a fitness instructor and motivator I’m always on the side of my clients, understanding their needs, limitations and habits; so as to ensure they meet their goals, stay motivated, work hard and enjoy the entire experience. Now let me qualify that statement, I think I’m always on their side, speaking on the same wavelength until…..



Post-New Year, client walks in, “Anjali, I’ve put on two kilos in the last couple of months, all the exercise I’m doing is not working!”



- Sure enough the scales are showing an increase in weight in the last couple of months. Strange? Not really. A closer look at the individual’s number of workouts in the same period show a very low record (totaling about three weeks in two months). Now that does not qualify as a lot of exercising.
Onto another key question, “how have the eating habits been?” The emphasis in the last few months for most of us has been on festivals, parties and indulgences. Plus the fact that, it being winter-time, eating habits anyway tend to go somewhat off track.
I get a yes to all of the above. So I ask, “How can you expect to not have put on any weight? Given that the last couple of months you have lowered your exercise levels drastically, and to top that your eating habits have not been as healthy as they usually are.”
The above is not a one-off conversation that I go through. Losing or maintaining weight is actually just based on a simple logic; that we consume a certain number of calories daily and burn a certain number through exercise and varied activities through the day. So, if there is a deviation from your regular routine for either of the two factors naturally there will be consequences. In the above situation, once the individual goes back to their regular routine of exercise and healthy eating the weight will again start to drop. But it will not happen overnight. Remember, it’s so easy to put it on, but takes much more time and effort to lose it.
Be realistic. Be aware. Of what your actions really are.



“My eating habits are all very good. I don’t eat any of the unhealthy stuff; my portions are also very controlled. And I’m exercising, so why am I not losing weight?”



- This sentence will be delivered to me in the most sincere, earnest manner. It’s actually quite interesting how differently individuals define ‘reasonable eating habits’. For example-
“I only eat three meals a day and nothing else in-between.”
“I skip breakfast” or “I don’t even have dinner.”
“I have cut down on my chocolates – I only have one piece every day.”
“I exercise so it’s okay for me to indulge in pizzas, burgers and ice creams.”
“I eat really small portions; typically my lunch and dinner consist of only rice, a curry, a vegetable, 2 chappatis, curd, salad and just a little dessert.”
“I eat healthily all week, its just the weekends that I like to go out and then I find it difficult to control myself”
Do you know that just one weekend of eating out and binging can undo your entire week’s workouts and have the scale going up by 1 to 2 kilos? And no, just because you are exercising does not mean you can consume any amount of fried, processed and sugary food-stuffs. Yeah, I know life’s tough! And the other statements that I listed above, well there is so much that’s wrong in them that I shall leave discussing healthy eating habits for another time.
Clearly define a reasonable standard. With the help of a professional.