Build your resistance

Darwin’s ‘survival of the fittest’ is the default option, or rather compulsion, dictated by life’s evolutionary nature. Simply put, fitness is mainly about man’s adaptation to his environment. Unlike the rest of the animal kingdom or species that dwell on earth, man alone has the ability to think.

This intelligence has governed his degree of adaptation to the world around him. Unfortunately, the same intelligence has literally been man’s worst enemy. For, especially after the Industrial Revolution, human behaviour has resulted in a severe depletion of planet earth’s natural resources. Toxic pollution, over-population, modern warfare, etc, are the wages of modern man’s sins against the world’s natural order. Hence, his adaptation itself is a mixed blessing. The sedentary life that characterises today’s human existence has a built-in inherited weakness. If man once believed that physical activity caused the wear and tear of body tissues and hastened the aging process, we have today realised that the opposite is the truth. That constant usage through activity, especially exercise, delays aging because body structures and functions adjust to the load placed on them.

Inactivity creates illnesses. The muscles waste away and their inherent strength is undermined. Take the heart, for example. It becomes weaker and less efficient. Blood vessels vanish, energy storage slides to a halt. Consequently, the body becomes less able to meet physical demands. Mild heart attacks, strokes and metabolic disorders like diabetes are the price we humans pay for physical inactivity.

The paradox of our physique is that almost all our critical organs lie north of the navel — the upper body — heart, lungs, brain. And the best way to provide them with cardiovascular respiratory stimulation is at the other end by exercising our leg muscles — walking, cycling, etc. Cardio exercises go a long way in building stamina and immunity from illness. The body also requires strength, which literally and figuratively speaking, has a hands-on approach.

Resistance training

Broadly speaking, there are two methods of toning and strengthening our muscles. One involves muscle contraction. And the other, stretching of muscles. Free weights (barbells and dumbbells) and workstations contract the addressed muscle. We recommend five-pound and 10-pound dumbbells for females and males respectively. We had written about the hows and whys of weight training in an earlier issue of Rotary News (July 24). Let’s now discuss stretching muscles to achieve the same results. This brings us to TheraBands.

Different colours distinguish their resistance capacity. Unfortunately, there is a confusion of colour grading in defining the resistance offered by each band. We suggest visiting your local sports shop, or the Internet, and recommend bands marketed by Vissco —
an established Indian manufacturer of medical and sporting goods. Their prices (currently ranging from ₹300 to over ₹600 a piece) are another way of selecting brand band resistance. The higher the price, the greater the resistance. We suggest that you personally select the band that best suits you. Vissco has displayed various exercises on the packet that encloses the band. Anyway, here are the exercises that we and our students practise in our Fitness-for-Life classes.

• Place the band at arm’s length and shoulder-width apart, palms facing the body. Stretch band as you raise it smoothly towards the ceiling. Lower and repeat (reps) 20 times. Inhale as you raise. Exhale as you finish. This works on the front muscles of your upper body to benefit arms, chest and shoulder muscles.
• Hold band overhead parallel to the floor, palms facing out. Now stretch downward smoothly backward to touch the tailbone at the lower end of your spine. Stretch the band to facilitate smooth ­movement. Inhale as you lower. Exhale after you reach overhead. Benefits muscles at the back of your torso.
• Place the band behind your bottom at arm’s length, palms facing out. Stretch band out horizontally to your fullest capability. Inhale as you do so. Exhale as you return to the start point. Benefits arms and the back of the torso.
• Extend left arm at shoulder level horizontal to the floor. Grip with your right hand at shoulder height with the band bang-centred on the shoulder. Pull with your right hand aligned to your shoulder as far right as you can. Do 20 reps. Now repeat the same exercise with your right arm. Benefits the arms and shoulders. Note: The action is akin to using a bow and arrow.
• Hold the band over shoulders and bend as far left as you can until you feel a stretch waist upwards on the other side. Then, similarly bend right. Do 20 reps. Benefits the arms, shoulders and torso.
• Hold the band stretched over your shoulders and rotate your torso 20 times.

Resistance bands protect and project muscles you can use and prevent muscle decay.

Resistance training maintains muscle bulk already attained by weight training. It naturally and literally stretches and extends such a muscle.

Downward drag

Any seasoned driver will tell you that driving down a ghat road requires much more car control than climbing it. Because the gravitational pull doubles. I’ve witnessed for myself, the greater gravitational force work on a Maruti 800, which packs a Mercedes-like engine into its tiny body chassis. This call from the valley’s depth accelerates its descent. Like a horse bucking in anger or fear, the Maruti too virtually lifts itself. Which is why, the SUV (sports-utility-vehicle) with its stronger body and four-wheeled capability has gained tremendous traction from city, town and countryside users. Put your vehicle in second gear while negotiating the same steep section whether climbing or descending. The strain on your vehicle is the same.

Similarly, time has the last word on the build of an individual obeying the law of gravity. The longer one lives, the greater the downward drag felt by the body. Which is the prime reason one shrinks and stoops with old age. Weight and resistance training confront and cushion the body by preserving body mass and muscle as much and as long as possible. Hence, weight and resistance training is not only for ­weightlifters, bodybuilders and professionals that employ their bodies. It is essential for you too. Who else would carry you around in the winter of your life?

Moisture, dampness and sharp objects like finger nails or rings cause the bands to snap and break. Hence, trim your nails or use gloves while training with bands.

Pitfalls

A holistic fitness life ensures strength and stamina but doesn’t fully cover immunity. Take other measures to strengthen the latter. Like Vitamin C. Avoid crowds and flood-prone areas as much as possible. And beware of chikungunya, dengue and ever-newer Covid -19 avatars which could be lurking behind the next corner.

Be safe.

The writers are authors of Fitness for Life and Simply Spiritual – You Are Naturally Divine and teachers of the Fitness for Life programme