Every body is different. And how every body responds to effort is also, diabolically different.
Still, kickstarting your fitness journey does not have to necessarily be a mammoth undertaking. It’s about giving yourself time to build a habit and then allowing that habit the space to accommodate itself into your life. And guess what? A gym membership you’ll be dragging yourself to doesn’t have to be part of your story.
Learn from digital creator Ridhi Sharma who goes by the handle @ridhi.culous. In a recent reel she shared how she managed to lose 23kgs by just working out at home — and there were no crazy hacks, or insanic workout challenges involved. So here’s exactly how she did it.
YouTube is your best friend
Ridhi is a proud graduate of the “University of YouTube” as she says. Now there’s a lot of nonsense up there, but you simply can’t go wrong with channels like Chloe Ting, Lilly Sabri, Emi Wong and Bailey Brown, which is the roundup she shares. Pick one or pick all, based on your flexibility and overall fitness level.
Your routine must work for you
And that’s the only way you’re ever going to get anything done. Ridhi’s weekly workout split for instance, has upper body on day 1, full body on day 2, lower body on day 3, full body or lower body on day 4 (optional), an hour of a sport for day 5 (also optional) and a necessary 8k to 10k steps for the remaining 2 active rest days. Sprinkle in 5 to 10 minutes of ab work about thrice a week and this seems like a pretty airtight routine to stick to. And just by the way, none of these workouts need to last longer than 30 to 40 minutes as per Ridhi.
Walk it off
There is no better antidote to absolutely anything you might be going through, than a nice, long walk. Ridhi for one, always tries to hit at least 7k to 8k steps a day. Feeling lazy about putting on your workout sweats and heading back out after just reaching home from work? Just walk around the house!
Keep the equipment minimal
All you need is two to three sets of varying weights (rather cheap and easily available online) and a resistance band to get started. You don’t even need to change the way you’re working out that often too, once your body starts getting accustomed to your routine. Simply adding ankle weights (and/or reps for the moves) will automatically up the intensity.
One thing to keep in mind however, is that abs are in fact, made in the kitchen. You don’t have to give up everything you love, but embracing mindful eating and an emphasis on protein and fibre intake will always serve you well.
Need a final push of motivation? Ridhi says if she can do it, you can too!
