Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

Shaping up the healthy way
By Natasha Fernandopulle
One of the best ways of burning excess fat on your body and keeping fit is by following a good aerobic workout routine. An aerobic workout is packed with cardio vascular exercises, which help burn fat fast. It is also a fun way of working out. And this is what Piyali Dissanayake has on offer.

The best way to burn fat is by doing a thorough cardio vascular workout. The cardio segment of Piyali’s aerobics class consists of one full hour. This session of the class has, “a combination of basic aerobics, dancing and kick boxing moves,” said Piyali, a professional aerobic instructress adding that they are “choreographed into little routines.”

It is a very “important segment in the class, as this segment caters to improve cardio vascular fitness, and also helps to improve body composition, by utilising your body fat stores as your source of energy,” she said.

In your normal day to day activity, your body relies on your carbohydrate or glycogen stores for energy. When you start cardio exercises, you gradually increase your heart rate to a level where your metabolism picks up. At that elevated level of metabolism your body starts to rely on the body fat stores as your source of energy, thus improving your body composition. Cardio fitness is improved by increasing the ‘stroke volume’, which is the blood volume pumped in one heart beat, making the heart energised.

What this means is that the heart can pump up more blood and pump more oxygen into the working muscles without much effort. This will help you do more work even in your daily activities with less stress on your heart. In addition, your lung capacity improves.

Cardio fitness is improved by elevating your heart rate gradually through a warm up, and then maintaining that elevated heart rate throughout a period of time, where your fat burns using oxygen. From time to time, you can also peak your heart rate to push your maximum exercise range higher. This is how this session contributes to improving cardio vascular fitness.

In the initial 10 to 15 minutes of exercise, your body builds up the heart rate. Till then the body uses the immediate energy, which is glycogen. Glycogen is what is used in the lower levels of a workout and in our day to day activities.

When the heart rate goes up it is elevated to an exercise range and if the work out is short the fat burning zone, which comes thereafter is limited. “In my class we do one hour of cardio, which is for fat burning,” she said.

When you work out a longer period you burn more fat, she said. So when you are working out on your own, jog or do a brisk walk for 45 minutes at least. In the next half hour Piyali works on toning and stretching. The focus is on the main muscle groups in this session. To get the best results, “you have to work at each muscle separately, to work out all the areas of the abdominal structure,” she said.

Piyali also said that most people tell her they do so many sit ups but see no results. The reason for this, Piyali says, is because “you are doing an exercise, where only one or two muscles of your abdominal wall is used.”

Muscle balance should be considered when toning, as well. When working out by yourself you may not realise that you have not been balancing everything out and you may not realise the need to balance the focus on each muscle. What Piyali says is that, “you can’t have a weak back and expect to hold your tummy in, even though your tummy muscles are strong. The lower back muscles in this case have to be equally strong to do this.”

“Toning should be done with the proper technique and form,” said Piyali, and at the class, “every single muscle group is covered.”“Toning will help to tighten, and strengthen the muscle, giving a more athletic appearance to your physique, as the muscles tighten,”said Piyali. Toning will not help to spot reduce fat, it is the cardio work out, which burns fat.

Stretching is done last in the class and it helps you to relax, relieve stress on the muscles and improves overall flexibility and suppleness and also help you relax by bringing your heart rate down.

For best results do a cardio workout four to five times a week. “Exercise should be part of your lifestyle,” she said. Adding that you should workout as regularly as possible and make it consistent, “make it an everyday function” was her suggestion.

Apart from following a class it is always recommended that one does additional workouts. “Dieting only will not make you firm, unless you burn and tone,” she said. In addition, “healthy eating and lifestyle habits will help you achieve your goals faster and keep you fit and trim, and maintain yourself right through. Instead of yo yo diet patterns etc.”

Working out at the gym, she said is an option but it has to be done with proper supervision only then will you get the proper benefits, said Piyali.

The benefits of following a group class, is that, “it is fun, and interesting.” Piyali adds variety in terms of music, and choreography to make the workout more fun, effective and at the same time safe.

“Variations are made everyday,” she said, otherwise the body gets used to the same routine. When this happens the workout will not be that effective. It is also good to have a lot of variety so that every aspect is covered, she said.

During the cardio session in an aerobic class, when you vary your movements, different muscles come into focus with each movement following another. So the stress on a particular joint or muscle, is taken off.

When you are jogging or maybe doing some exercise, for example, where repetitive rhythmic movements are used, you end up stressing the same joints and muscle groups continuously.

So try adding jogging, kick boxing, cycling or swimming to your exercise programme to get a cross training effect, and to add variety.

“You must be regular and consistent in your exercise habits,” she said. “I exercise as regularly as possible.” Piyali suggested making exercise a part of your day to day habit. Even when your not exercising be active. For example take the stairs instead of the lift or escalator whenever possible. “Get up and MOVE…. It will help!”

Piyali is certified by the American Council on Exercise and has been conducting aerobic classes for the past five years. She also has experience teaching at the Hilton Gym. She conducts her private class on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6.00 to 7.30 p.m. She can be contacted on the following telephone numbers: 2513553/ 4510394/ 0777 359990.

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