Training Regime - From Zero To Hero

I am a proud owner of a Jane Fonda book which I purchased in my college days. The main reasons for buying it were, it was a beautiful big book with great photos.
There were some really nice exercises.

OK I am cutting the crap, the truth is I bought it because I was getting it really cheap and thought it won't hurt to go through the exercises.

Now, I never did the Jane Fonda exercises though I frequently go through the book (I told you it has good pictures.)

But there is one thing what Jane Fonda said in that book that stayed with me always, not only in weight loss but in other fields of life too. She says 'if you are exercising then pretend that you are a model/actress whose life depends on looking good and being fit'. Basically, she tells us to act according to situation.

If you are exercising train like an athlete, if you are eating behave like a model with petite figure. When I am on a project I act like an achiever, this tip of Jane Fonda has always helped me in my professional life.

I applied the same principle to my exercise routine.

1. Walking - when I started my serious walks in a society in Delhi, I would try to walk faster than any other walker. I was possessed to beat them in my walking.

I behaved as a master walker beating everyone with my long fast strides. Women around will chit chat and walk slowly and I would really walk fast past them, I would make sure that I would complete my rounds twice when they were only at half (one round approximately 1.5 km). Come on, a master walker will not stop for small chats, master walker will walk and walk extremely fast beating everyone at the game.

Slowly women started smiling at me appreciatively, some would quietly compete. And I would just walk fast and fast with my life at stake in beating all of them. Then the compliments started pouring (now this is a great motivation to continue what you are doing). Women would sometimes come on balcony to check my pace or just stand and stare openly to see how fast I walk. The thing about exercise is that people will start admiring you, they will notice you and will silently salute. I have walked in that society at 11:00 pm at night if I was not able to do my evening walks. People knew that not only I am a fast walker but a committed one too. I created that image, I was living that Image. I was the master walker of the society.

That one hour walking competition would leave me drenched in sweat and with a sense of victory. The dents in my figure started appearing here.

Every thing was working fine until it started Raining.

2. Gym - Now in monsoon I decided to go my home town to enjoy the rains and there I joined a gym. Now, with my previous experience with gym, this time it was not 'THE' necessity for loosing weight. If I get a chance to go to gym fine, if not I am still fine. I can work out anyplace in this world.

When I entered this gym, I noticed few women chit chatting while working out, you can either chat or workout, there is no possible way of doing them together.
Now, I entered here behaving as an athlete training hard. I slowly built my pace on the trade mill. Now women in that gym never ran on the trade mill only the men did. But I wanted to run, so what if I am fat and people stare at me. I want to train as an athlete. And I started running first for 3 min, then 5 and slowly increased my time.

It was really nice to see that with me other women would join to run on the machine even those well in their 50s. Women who walked on the machine really fast but never ran, ran with me.

My schedule in the gym was 1 hour cardio and half an hour weights. And I would do my routine as an athlete training to the core.

One day a guy walked up to me and asked if I am from an Army background or related to some sports because I was training like one. I had to control myself from hugging him.

I did played the role well as the results were amazing. The scale pointer was going down and my waist was shaped here.

Everything was working fine until I had to return back to Delhi

3. Power Walking -Now once back, I had no way to train myself hard. It was not possible for me to go to a gym in Delhi. I was back to being the master walker but with a difference. I started walking with ankle weights. If you want to walk with ankle weights then make sure your legs are strong and you have achieved a certain training level.

I was back to competing with the weight strapped on. And believe me one hour of such walking would beat any cardio at gym. My legs and my hips were shaped here.

Everything was going fine until the time I moved to Muscat.

4. Workout at home - Now first 20 days were gone in unpacking the things and settling the place. Rest 10 days went in being happy to be reunited with hubby and celebrating the city of Muscat. So, for one month I did not exercise at all and my training stamina has gone.

But the hard fact is if I want to reduce more and maintain my weight I will have to exercise, no hiding from that. I once bought an elliptical trainer which was serving the purpose of cloth hanger. I decided it was time to make use of it.

I started my training at load 1 for half an hour and now gradually increased to load 10 for 45 minutes. My workout leaves me covered with sweat and a panting breath.

The secret of weight loss is that you have to keep bouncing between zero and hero. once you have attain the maximum in any exercise either start a new one or go back to minimum and start from that level again.

Here being a hero always doesn't pay. Zero is as important.

So if you are not exercising or have never exercised, you are infact a gold mine of potential. You are a zero preparing to be a hero.

Be it size zero or ground zero. Zero is always important.