Author: Delna Pooniwala

“Never give in to obsessive compulsive sugar & junk food cravings” Delna Pooniwala.

Ever tried having 2 pieces of chocolate and then ‘STOP’. Do you stop at that, or do you start craving more?

Although we are all aware that sugary deserts & fast foods are fattening and weight gainers, it seems so difficult to control it at times.
This is because, whenever we eat these foods, it causes a surge of feel-good hormones & dopamine is released in the brain.

However after eating the same sugar-rich foods time after time in large amounts, it activates the tongue’s taste receptors & the dopamine receptors simultaneously reduce. This is when we no longer find the dish as satisfying as we once did.

This would result in dissatisfaction when sugar is consumed subsequently and the body would require even larger quantities to be satisfied. This in simple language would be termed as an “addiction”.
This could lead to a loss of control, cravings, and even an increased tolerance for sugar. Sugar is actually a carbohydrate & is nothing to be too concerned about in normal quantities.

However, like all addictive activities, too much of sugar can be far from a good. Eating loads of sugar-laden cakes & pastries or a box of sweets causes blood sugar levels to spike upon consumption and then plummet. This is called a ‘sugar crash’.

When your blood sugar inevitably dips back down & crashes, you may find yourself feeling anxious, moody or depressed. Sugar and other fast foods, create this powerful effect on the brain centers, similar to that of drug abuse like cocaine or nicotine or alcohol.

Unfortunately, most people do not even realize it is an addiction!!

“Music & workout” – Delna Pooniwala.

What music do you like listening to at the gym? Does this music help you through your workout?

Have you ever wondered why, no matter what happened an hour ago at work or home, you can run away to the gym and use the music tunes to help you escape negativity and power you through your workout.

Listening to music can drown our brain’s cries of fatigue. As our body realizes we’re tired and wants to stop exercising, but music competes for our brain’s attention, and can help us to override those signals of fatigue, helping us complete the workout. Not only can we push through the pain to exercise longer and harder when we listen to music, but it can actually help us to use our energy more efficiently.
Songs between 120 & 140 beats per Minuit have the maximum effect on general gym exercisers.

Our memory also gets stimulated with music from certain movies that we may have seen and hence when we hear the training track from Rocky or the chase track from Fast & Furious or the ‘Dhoom’ number, we feel more charged with energy and the song acts as motivational power.

Music is extremely important as the rhythm of your workout music stimulates the motor reflexes of the brain as to when to move, thereby aiding self-paced exercises such as running or weight-lifting. Clueing into these time signals helps in using our energy more efficiently.

Do share the tracks you personally like playing at gym. It would be nice to know if we all listen to similar stuff!!

“Beetroot Salad” – Delna Pooniwala.

A great source of Betalin that helps in detoxification.

Rich in phytonutrients, vitamin A, B, C, fiber, Calcium, minerals, zinc, copper magnesium, phosphorus, protein & Iron.

A regular intake of Beetroot also improves intensity of your workout by 16%. So you could make a great juice & it could b consumed as a good pre workout drink too.

“Gym Etiquettes” – Delna Pooniwala.

In current times, a daily visit to the gym is an important part of our life. However, it is so important to follow proper gym etiquette which some new gym goers may not be aware of.

Always visit the gym in appropriate clothing & appearance. You cannot have an out of the bed dull sloppy look as basic courtesy to fellow gym mates. Everyone likes seeing positive, well groomed and energetic people around.

Your personal hygiene has to be taken care of. It would be disgusting to workout next to a person who has body or oral odour. So always carry an extra T-shirt, a mouth fresher & deodorant in your gym bag.
Always greet people briefly & do not try to initiate a conversion. You need to be sensitive to the fact that you might have not yet started your workout or may not be as serious about it, but there are others who may be in the midst of a serious focused workout or building momentum on a treadmill & may consider it disturbing to start a dialogue.

Any gym would facilitate you with great appropriate music. However, if you wish to hear something of your own choice you need to carry your headset n music yourself. In addition to the music, gyms usually have television screens which are supposed to be used as a visual. Most gyms would mute the volume permanently on the system & some allow you to connect a headset to it. However, you need to be very careful that the sound does not get out of your headset.

Always carry a towel & lay it on the bench or equipment so that your sweat does not soil it. It may be required at times to wipe the equipment you may have soiled with your sweat. However, do make sure you do not leave your soiled towel or bottle in an inappropriate place.

While performing your routine, do not use a bench or equipment like a selfish kid not wanting to share his toy. Always share and alternate.
Maintain decent courteous language and a soft tone. People do get offended with the use of indecent words or loud behaviour.
Last and most important – Treat your trainers with respect. Trainers are your knowledge bank to a great body. They are your coach, companion and guide so address them respectfully like you would address a coach in any sport or a teacher or Guru.

“A brief insight to Chest workout” – Delna Pooniwala.

When working on the chest it is extremely important to understand that we require working the complete pectorals. To simplify this lets split it into what is called the upper chest which comprises of the Pectoralis major and the clavicular pectoralis major and the lower pecks or sternocostal head. All these muscles have their own unique fiber angles and hence depending on the particular set of exercises and angles that you use, the body will shift its muscle emphasis on the muscle mechanically worked upon at that point.

Although any pressing movement does work the entire chest, flies isolate yr chest at a different angle than presses do. So it is important to include a combination of both for complete peck development. You could make any one of them your primary exercise.
It is important to know that an incline elevation of 30` would increase the focus of workout to the upper chest whereas a flat or decline bench would shift the focus to the lower fibers. However, when the incline is more than 30`, the focus is shifted from the chest and moves to the shoulders.

A combination of dumbbell presses & high cable flies work as a great choreography to accomplish a well rounded chest workout for consistent gains and strength. Flies isolate yr chest at a different angle than presses do. So it is important to include a combination of both for complete peck development.

There is often a confusion which is better- Dumbbell press or Barbell Press. There are several ways and variations to work the pecks. Any workout that places your pecks under tension will result in gains.
However, I personally prefer Dumbbells because the primary function of the pectorals is horizontal abduction of the humorous which means bringing your arms horizontally towards the front of your body. While using dumbbells the arms follow a certain natural arch motion, working specifically the pectorals rather than shifting focus to the shoulders or triceps.

Since you can place your arms in a position that is more comfortable and natural for you, it reduces the chance of shoulder injury / shift in muscle tension.
Also, while doing a Dumbbell press each arm moves independently and hence there is equal load. One arm does not cheat for the other so it maintains the balance and development of muscle onto both sides of the chest.
Hence I find a Dumbbell workout much more effective.

Another common question that often comes up is what would be better – Dumbbell flies or cable flies. Although one should always do something that they are comfortable with, Dumbbell flies would exert a high degree of tension only in the bottom half of the rep, but as your arms are pulled up, there is very little to no stress on the peck.
As for Cable flies, the resistance is pulled to the side rather than a straight up n down motion hence there would b significant tension exerted to the pectorals at the bottom as well as top of the movement. Again, placing the cable high n then pulling down would place tension directly on the lower fibers of the pectorals.

Always remember to plan your entire workout before you start so that you do not forget any variation & use the weights you can manage.

‘A Fab n Famous Anant Ambani’ – Delna Pooniwala.

Last Sunday was a memorable day for the proud parents Nita & Mukesh Ambani, as their youngest son Anant became “Fab n Famous” by setting a great record of shedding 108 kgs.

This entire transformation took 500+ long days under the expert guidance and supervision of an USA based expert. One has to be extremely patient and careful while following the routine. This kind of a transformation is a slow and gradual process and requires strategic planning, safe supervision and constant & close monitoring by an expert.

The entire transformation during this period, was a gradual weight loss process of an average 1.2 kgs per week. Anant was on a well monitored ketogenic diet with high protein & adequate fats but zero sugar and low carbohydrates. He was truly dedicated to his goal of shedding weight and worked hard daily for 5 to 6 hours. His routine for this transformation was a 21 km walk, followed by yoga, weight training, functional training and high intensity cardio exercise.

Anant is truly an inspiration to many people who may want to lose weight. It is only due to his sincere dedication and pure hard work over 18 continuous long months, that he has achieved his goal & he sure deserves credit for it!!

“How to get optimal result from the bicep curl” – Delna Pooniwala.

I may have visited several gyms all over the globe & an observation has been that guys are fond of working on their biceps. However, many do not do it the right way.

So here are a few ‘do it right tips’ In order to maximize the tension on your biceps & build your upper arms more efficiently & also, releasing the tension from your surrounding muscles and joints.

Weather you do a standard Barbell curl, cable curl or a dumbbell curl, Do not allow your shoulders and elbows to drift forward. When the shoulder or elbow is drifted forward, the tension is shifted on the anterior deltoid.

Keep your elbows pinned at your sides. Many people want to power their weights up and hence flare their elbows outwards. This causes stress on the joints and surrounding muscles. This technique may enable you to lift heavier loads but would do nothing when it comes to the development of the bicep muscles.

Keep your wrists in a neutral or slightly extended position and do not move it. Moving the wrist, moves the tension from the bicep to the wrist and forearms which would lead to a less effective bicep workout and could also cause injury to the wrist.

Keep your back straight and minimize the use of momentum as this generates greater chances for lower back injuries.

A brilliant technique I always advice is to contract your triceps at the bottom of every rep. Before you lift your weight up, flex the triceps. This ensures that your biceps are fully lengthened on every rep and are being trained through the largest range of motion possible.
When your biceps come to a dead stop before start of a new rep, you know you are not using any momentum and it is pure muscle strength.

Your muscles have no idea what weight you are objectively lifting. The only thing that your muscles respond to is the direct amount of tension that they are placed under. Maximum muscle stimulation does not mean taking heavy weights. You may drop your weights but focus on lifting the weight by the pure force of your bicep only.

“Increase your metabolism by increasing muscle”- Delna Pooniwala.

Most people who want to lose fat, indulge in cardio activity. We are all aware that an hour long session of Aerobics, Zumba, aqua sport or Cross trainer would spike your metabolism, resulting in maximum calorie loss & hence weight loss.

However, there is a way by which your metabolic rate could always be on a high. The most effective way is to increase and maintain lean muscle mass.

Muscles are made up of what is called metabolically active tissues which means that it requires energy to be built, used and maintained unlike a slab of fat that just sits there. The best way to build muscle mass is by weight training.

So even if fat loss is your main goal, one should indulge in weight training along with a cardio regime.

“Quinoa & Garbanzo Bean Salad” – Delna Pooniwala.

Today’s salad is truly filling & perfect if you are extremely hungry or have a naturally big appetite.

‘QUINOA’ is something we tend to see nowadays in supermarkets. It is naturally gluten-free and contains iron, B-vitamins, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, vitamin E and fibre.
It is one of the only few plant foods that are considered a ‘complete protein’ and comprises of all the essential amino acids.

‘GARBANZO BEANS’ or as we usually call it – Chickpeas, Channa or Choley, are a miracle medicine food..

The high fibre content helps you feeling satiated & hence you would not tend to over eat when on a diet & also avoid the risk of other health hazards because Its excellent composition that controls blood sugar, LDL cholesterol, Total Cholesterol & Triglycerides.
The iron, phosphate, calcium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, vitamin C, B6 and vitamin K content present in ‘choley’ all contribute to building and maintaining bone structure and strength.

What’s more girls!! -The high protein content makes it a perfect food for luscious beautiful hair.

“The Body Achieves what the Mind Believes” – Delna Pooniwala.

At times after a break from the regular routine, we end up adding on a few kilograms than usual and despite a very tiny bit of control; it doesn’t seem to get back to what we were.

Even though we may plan a lot of positive foods & routines each day, it can be very easy to be seduced by the negatives, which grab our attention. This little seduction does bring momentary pleasure to the taste buds but leads to regret later. This is when disappointments sets in and few of us give up and create a downward spiral of indulging in more wrong foods & getting lazy for an activity.

It is so important that we use positive psychology at this point. Positive psychology is really just an attempt to understand our basic nature and the activities that lead to our real happiness.

There are three basic realms of happiness. There are short-term feelings of joy and pleasure, which would come from impulsive acts like getting tempted with a pizza and donuts.

Then there are mid-term feelings which could trigger while being engaged with others. So you would go to the gym only if you have company.

And the third is a long-term happiness, where you develop an aim in life and live a life with meaning.

Research suggests that a lot of impulsive short term happiness or so-called “feel good” activities such as shopping and consuming good meals may be briefly satisfying but don’t really lead to any sort of long-term happiness. And at times is upsetting when you check your weight on the scale or receive your credit card bills.

It seems that the most rewarding, are the ones where you understand your aim and goal as an individual. An attitude that would let you “get in the flow” & set a positive part of your daily routine such as a morning walk, daily gym sessions, yoga, meditation or involvement in a sport activity along with a planned diet schedule or a guideline you follow.

It’s just about being mentally positive and believing that you can follow a regime and start with the initial flow. Once you make it your set routine, the momentum would build up and sooner than you know, your body would achieve your goal.