Post-pandemic fitness: Sleep, diet, and strength training are the key areas that experts are focusing on

Post the second wave, there’s a change in fitness mantra with sleep, diet, and strength training taking precedence
Wanitha Ashok at a session
Wanitha Ashok at a session

The pandemic has brought about several changes, including the way coaches are approaching ways to keep fit. While exercise, diet, and sleep (in that order) were the top 3 ways to stay healthy, coaches are now focusing on those, albeit in reverse order. So, sleep, diet, and strength training have taken precedence post the second wave of the  Covid-19 pandemic.

According to fitness coaches, the second wave of the pandemic has opened doors to a host of health issues, including insomnia, laziness, weight gain, joint pain, among others which demands a more systematic and strict fitness routine. For those who have recovered from Covid, coaches are advising clients to take it slow.  Rakesh HK, founder and managing director of WE Fitness, Health and Wellness Centre, believes that working from home is leading to disturbed sleep hours. 

“A lot of people are experiencing excess sleep which is leading to food cravings, hormonal imbalance, all of which ultimately result in increased toxins. Bodyweight exercises like squats, lunges, slow walking, push-and-pull, twist-and-turn are reinforced during the fitness sessions... all of this helps them get back in shape,” says Rakesh, who has noticed that people have low energy levels on the whole and are quitting recreational activities like badminton and tennis.

Wanitha Ashok, Fit India Ambassador and Bengaluru-based health and lifestyle coach, finds that people aren’t returning to exercise sessions post the pandemic. “Laziness has taken over. People have become comfortable and I see a laid-back approach. Fitness levels have dropped,” says Ashok, adding that mind and body workouts along with skill-based cardio improve the quality of day-to-day life. “The training module is now focused mostly on multi-dimensional skills training, including neuro-muscular integrity, balance, coordination, mental agility, physical agility. 

Belly fat issues seem to be a common problem, but there is no spot reduction,” says Ashok, who suggests slow cardio practises for those who have recovered from the virus. According to Vinay Kumar, a city-based independent fitness coach, people are confined to their homes and worry about going to gyms in light of the looming third wave. “My trainees are hardly coming to gyms and fitness studios fearing the possible third wave. A lot of people prefer bodyweight and balancing exercises and choose to do it at home,” says Kumar. 

Sindhu Jain, a homemaker and fitness enthusiast, says, “After getting infected from Covid-19 in December, my body did not respond to my usual fitness routine. However, I managed to get back to normalcy only after I started doing slow cardio, strength training, and eating a balanced diet which was mostly home-cooked food.”

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