Don’t Lose Out, Work Out!

Mar 31, 2014 by     Comments Off on Don’t Lose Out, Work Out!    Posted under: Book Emporium, Hang Out

A few weeks ago, I was browsing at Liberty Books and right up front I saw a new book, ‘Don’t Lose Out, Work Out!’ along with an installation consisting of a chair covered with ‘Sitting is Injurious to Health’ warning signs. Since I’m a fitness instructor by profession, I was naturally compelled to pick it up.

I soon realized that the author, Rujuta Diwekar, an exercise and nutrition professional based in India, had put her personal touch to it. That is, she had made the book very interesting by adding in Hindi words, desi names, names of local dishes, and several phrases on and off. For example, the very first topic she tackles is the myth of spot reduction, which as she says, is all ‘garam hava’.

Diwekar had earlier written another book with a similar theme, called ‘Women & the Weight Loss Tamasha’.

Moving further into the book, Rujuta Diwekar divides it into four major areas: Exercise Science – what happens behind the scenes, Strength Training, Cardio, and Yoga. The very first area covers the very basic of exercise science e.g. is it ok to do anything you want the entire day just because you exercise for an hour? Diwekar clearly says no. It’s important to understand the concept of being physically active (i.e. not being lethargic throughout the day or worse, just sitting the entire time) and exercising.

The sub-topic ‘Dil Ki Baat’ talks about the difference in aerobic exercise and anaerobic exercise, where the latter helps not only your heart increase in size similar to aerobic exercise, but also increases the thickness in the wall of your left ventricle. She also explains why random workout sessions here and there don’t work – have a schedule! Plan your workouts, your meals throughout the day, and measure yourself according to the Borg scale.

After this come the bigger and more in-depth chapters on Strength Training, Cardio, and Yoga. These are far more detailed than expected and written in a very easy-to-understand way. At the end of each chapter is a short summary, ‘Chalo Recap Karein’, where Diwekar quickly brings everything together in a concise and clear way.

On a personal note, I’ve been able to completely relate to this book because so many of my Zumba students do walk in with myths and ideas ingrained in their minds; not only regarding exercise but also with regards to what they eat. Remember if you have ‘ghar ka khana’ does not mean you can ignore every other aspect of living a healthy and physically active life.

It is actually quite a big struggle to understand these concepts yourself and then pass them on to your students but as a fitness professional, it is an essential part of my job. Overall, an excellent read. I know I’ll be referring to this book several times and recommending it too!

P.S. It’s available at Liberty Books at a discounted price of Rs.565 – a good investment.

The Author

Click to view all posts from .

Comments are closed.

Your Voice Matters to Us

Send in your entries, ideas, thoughts, VLogs, Photologs and related to editorial@youthcorrespondent.com today.

Subscribe to us on

Youth Correspondent RSS
Youth Correspondent on Facebook
Youth Correspondent on Twitter
Youth Correspondent on Youtube