No GYM needed

Get functionally fit at home by building a workout regime around your daily activities

Pumping dumbbells at the localgym might be a breeze, but ifyou're breathless while runningup the stairs or give upwithin two laps of swimming,your body is only being partially exercised.All that bicep bulk isn't helpingyou perform any better.

Maybe rolling back to the basicsand exercising the body as a unit willhelp. It's called functional fitness, andit involves exercising a variety of musclesall at once while also focussingon your core. The exercises all ofwhich are activities that help yourbody deal well with real-life situations can also be done using regularhousehold objects. And the benefitsare visible, people say.

But don't take this to mean thatfunctional fitness exercises are anyeasier. There's a scientific way of goingabout them, and the pressure needsto build periodically. "Take a conventionalform of exercise such as runningand squatting, and personaliseit to your body's needs. Or build anentire workout around a daily activity,"says fitness instructor MadhuriRuia. "These are effective ways to stayfunctionally fit at home."

Start by taking the stairs daily. Trynot to use remote controls for everything.Even when returning homefrom the market, carry your ownshopping bags, and while you're atit, keep your posture straight, walkbriskly and divide the weight equallybetween the two hands.

Alternately, sitting and casuallybouncing on a Swiss ballwhile watching TV or readinga book helps the back musclesimmensely. Elastic bands withvarying levels of resistance,too, are just as helpful.Sarah Fernandes(29), a chartereda c c o u n t a n t ,makes use of thechairs in her house to do sit-ups. Shealso frequently rolls up her aerobicmat, holds it vertical and uses it tosupport herself while doing squatsand other leg exercises which helpher core. "Just make sure that yourcore is engaged with whatever you do,even if it's sweeping and swabbing.You will sense the tension when you'reout of breath. But if your instinct sayssomething's doesn't feel right, stopimmediately," adds Ruia.

Don't sit still, improvise
Experts say that as you experiment,you'll discover new ways to exercisedifferent muscle groups simultaneously."There are three commonlyknown kinds of crunches forward,backward and reverse besides whatyou might design for yourself. Andthen you can play with the way youclimb the stairs, too take two stepsat a time, climb backwards, sprint,jog, step up and down," says DrMustafa Topiwala (27), a sports trainerand physiotherapist with SaifeeHospital. This is also true for theresistance bands that work out differentmuscle sets in your body.

Homemaker Sheetal Kher (25),mother of a six-month old, has takento gardening with gusto. "Weedingthe small garden in my compound andwatering the saplings is so much moreexhausting than I thought. I have tobend a lot, and it's helping my posture,"she says.

However, get some advice from aphysiotherapist before embarking onyour functional fitness regime. Get toknow what kinds of functional fitnessexercises will suit you best, and onceyou've got the hang of it, you canimprovise. Set aside a fixed time slotand gradually increase the intensity.

You'll know for sure that you're fitwhen you sense an inner strength inyour core, and your muscles all holdup well under pressure. Eat healthyfood take in a lot of proteins, healthyfats and vegetables.

And just to gauge the improvement,take up a challenging outdoor sport.How good you are at it will be an indicatorof how functionally fit your bodyhas become.

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