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It’s not just about looking good
By Tharangani Perera
“The advantages of aerobics and physical exercise aren’t limited to maintaining a good physique!” says former Miss Sri Lanka Roshani Aluvihare, adding that many physical health and fitness benefits can be obtained through aerobics and cardiac exercise.

Professionally trained by the Betriebswirtschaft Sport/Fitness Aerobic/Gymnastik (BSA) Academy in Munich, Germany, a well-known academy for professional sports, Roshani is qualified in cardio training, sports rehabilitation, health and fitness and nutrition. She has also completed the Teaching Trainers Examination, which is the final examination to be completed by a fitness trainer.

“When I first came here, I wanted to train fitness trainers to be professionals,” said Roshani, adding that she got the idea when she saw the dearth of professional trainers and people’s enthusiasm to maintain fitness. At present, Roshani conducts private aerobics lessons both at Global Fitness and her home at Mount Lavinia. She is also a dietician for some of her clients, who are keen on maintaining a healthy weight.

According to medical experts, the risk of critical diseases such as high blood pressure, which is a major cause of heart attacks, can be significantly reduced by cardiac exercise. “Basically, when you are involved in a physical workout, the hormonal levels of adrenalin and noradrenalin are brought down. This in turn has a direct effect on decreasing the blood pressure. And when cardiac exercise is done regularly, this anti-hypertensive effect becomes permanent,” says Roshani.

“Aerobic exercises increase fat metabolism, which is low in many patients who suffer from diseases such as heart ailments. The clogging of arteries, known as arteriosclerosis is due to the deposition of cholesterol, which can lead to many critical diseases. When a person does about 30 to 60 minutes of regular aerobic exercise, the deposition of cholesterol in arteries lessens, thereby decreasing the risk of many critical health issues caused by arteriosclerosis,” she said. “This is the preventive effect of aerobics and cardiac exercise. It is therefore possible, with the instructions of a physician and assistance of a professional physical trainer, to use cardiac exercise instead of medicine to cure a patient of their illness,” she added.

Physical exercise and therapy is also used in rehabilitation of muscles. “A lot of pressure is exerted on the joints of an overweight person. In addition, due to lack of movement and exercise, his cartilages lack nourishment. This leads to joint and back pain, which many people over the age of fifty suffer from in this country. Through exercise, weight loss and cartilage nourishment can be obtained; thereby the pressure exerted on joints in a person’s body will lessen. Additionally, muscles surrounding the back and joints will be strengthened and will prevent further suffering and relapse,” Roshani explained.

Another important benefit is that exercise acts as a cure for stress through endorphins, which are chemicals released by the brain in response to various stimuli,” Roshani said, adding that medical research shows physical exercise to be a stimulus for endorphins to be released into the blood stream. Endorphins are formed within the body to naturally relieve pain and bear a similar chemical structure to morphine. In addition to their analgesic effect, endorphins suppress levels of epinephrine, the stress hormone in the human body.

“With high endorphin levels, we feel less pain and fewer negative effects of stress, Roshani said, adding that endorphins have been suggested as modulators of the so-called "runner's high" that athletes achieve with prolonged exercise. “The body is known to produce endorphins in response to prolonged and continuous exercise,” she added.

“Different individuals have different requirements and capacities where physical training is involved,” Roshani said, expressing her concern about the lack of professionally trained fitness trainers in Sri Lanka. “How often, how long and how hard a person should exercise, and what kinds of exercises a person does should be determined by what that person is trying to accomplish.

“A physical trainer should know how to supervise a person to employ a correct technique, so as to prevent damage to their spine, joints and muscles,” Roshani said. The former Miss Sri Lanka now married with two sons enjoys her work. "I want to give something back to my people using the talent that God has given me," she says, adding that everyone should be given the opportunity to enjoy the freedom of a healthy body and mind.

Good balance needed
A good physical workout includes a good balance between cardiac training, muscular training and weight training. Each workout should begin with a 5-10 minute warm-up and end with a 5-10 minute cool-down. As a rule, workouts should be spread throughout the week and consecutive days of gruelling exercises should be avoided.

Patience is essential for the implementation of a fitness programme. The road to improved fitness is long with many obstacles and temptations to quit. What’s lost in years of sedentary living can only be regained with perseverance and not in a few days or weeks.

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