This is not Weight Loss 101. This is not a guide to healthy eating and drinking ‘x’ litres of water a day. You’ve had enough of those, we know, we have too. So what is this? This is about fitness. This is about being able to climb five flights of stairs without ending up panting like a dog on the third. This is about going for a trek and making it all the way to the top without feeling like you
need to have glucose fed into your body intravenously. This is about building stamina, increasing flexibility and most importantly, having fun while you’re at it.

By now you know that there is no easy way to achieving the body beautiful. Diets help for short-term weight loss but if you want the change to last, you have to make a lifestyle change. And while new-year resolutions can get you dragging yourself to the gym every day, after a while it gets to be just that—a drag.

The best way to incorporate physical activity into your life—without getting bored out of your mind—is to get some variety into your fitness routine. Include activities which are effective, increase your heart rate and best of all, are so much fun that you don’t ever want to stop.

Capoeira

Take Capoeira, for instance. This Brazilian blend of martial art, game and dance is more than just a fitness trend—for seasoned capoeiristas, it is a way of life. And for good
reason. Capoeira, with its enclosed roda (circle), its infectious rhythms and catchy tunes, is way more fun than running on a treadmill in a stuffy, air conditioned gym. Added to that is the fact that it can be practised anywhere—on the road (provided you’re not blocking traffic), in a room, on a beach, or even in the comfort of your own home. All you need is a willing spirit and for Capoeiristas, that’s never in short supply.

The origins of Capoeira are a subject of debate but the best known theory behind it is that it was developed by African slaves as a means to keep their bodies fit and combat-ready. Since the slave-owners forbade any form of martial art, Capoeira was camouflaged with dance moves, which the slave-owners mistook as dancing. Modern day capoeiristas form the roda and take turns in entering it in pairs, using feints, sweeps, kicks, and head butting to trick their opponents. The aim is not to fight, but to use the roda as a stage to play capoeira.

Considering the origins of Capoeira, it is surprising to see how many fitness enthusiasts are taking it up in today’s day and age. But as the rodas with songs and rhythms continue to find their way to beaches, promenades and into our daily lives, it is clear that Capoeira is here to stay.

Kickboxing

While authentic kickboxing traces its roots to ancient Asia, modern-day kickboxing actually began in the 1970s, when American karate experts arranged competitions that allowed full-contact kicks and punches which were banned in karate—the parent sport of kickboxing.

Kickboxing for fitness includes elements of martial art and boxing, but the greatest difference is that cardio kickboxing does not involve physical contact between competitors. Add to the above some peppy dance music, and you have a workout that is not only completely effective, but also wicked fun. It is a high-impact, high-intensity form of exercise and involves controlled upper and lower body movements, carried out with the discipline and skills required for martial arts. Kickboxing moves help to improve balance, flexibility, co-ordination, and endurance, but are not recommended for people who are not used to vigorous activity.

Beginners are required to break-into fulltime kickboxing only after they have increased their flexibility and endurance levels. It is always advisable to start off with stretching and mild aerobic activities like spot-running and jumping jacks, and then working up to the fast-paced moves of the workout. Some instructors use punching bags or jump ropes to make the workout more interesting.

Kickboxing is a great way to get a total body workout and learn simple self-defence moves at the same time.

Spinning

Most gyms have the standard stationary cycles which all of us have—at one point or the other— tried and jumped off. But a stationary cycle can get boring as all of us with saddle-sore backsides know. Enter the trend known as spinning. Also known as indoor stationary cycling, spinning breaks the boundaries of traditional exercise,
offers a fabulous full-body workout, and is, simply put, great fun.

The popularity of this exercise probably also stems from the fact that it is closely related to the activity we most associate with carefree childhoods—cycling. The spinning cycle looks deceptively like an ordinary exercise bike, but has a heavy flywheel which takes a lot of effort to turn.

A spinning class is usually set to loud energetic music accompanied by encouragement from the instructor who sets the course. The instructor uses various techniques to help the class visualise different types of terrain. On the instructor’s cue, the class changes the resistance settings on their bikes to simulate riding up and downhill, occasionally getting out of the seat to ‘climb’ or ‘sprint’.

Spinning is a great activity for beginners and pros alike because the resistance can be easily adjusted for varying fitness levels. The intensity of the workout is entirely dependent on the individual.

A typical spinning class consists of about 12 to 20 people. Classes are 40 minutes to an hour long, and are especially effective in toning your hips, calves and thighs, apart from being great for getting the heart rate up.

Pilates

Pilates is the West’s answer to Yoga. The Pilates Method was developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates, and is based on the principle that the mind can control the muscles and that mental and physical health are essential to one another.

Pilates exercises focus on strengthening core postural muscles—the abdomen, the lower back, hips, and buttocks—which help keep the body balanced and provide support for the spine. Pilates also teaches breath-awareness and spinal alignment for the purpose of strengthening the deep torso muscles.

Pilates was developed by Joseph Pilates to improve the rehabilitation programme for the many returning veterans of First World War. He recommended a few precise movements emphasising control and form to aid injured soldiers regain their health by strengthening, stretching, and stabilising key muscles.

According to present practitioners, the central aim of Pilates is to create a fusion of mind and body, so that the body moves with economy, grace, and balance. The end goal is to have unity of mind and body. Pilates, much like the pranayama in yogic practice, lays great emphasis on breathing correctly. Joseph Pilates believed that for blood to perfom its function, it needed to be charged with oxygen and purged of waste gases, which could only happen through proper breathing.

The exercises are done lying down on an exercise mat, and involve a series of controlled, precise movements of the arms and legs, along with breathing techniques. It is a high-intensity, low-impact workout that has found takers from Madonna to Oprah, and for good reason.

So get yourself out the gym and sign up for these fabulous alternative workouts that increase your stamina, eliminate all that flab and have you looking—and feeling—like a million dollars.