Quite often in our lives, fitness remains an interesting and attractive idea. Not many of us take the challenge head on as the word “Fitness” in itself sounds like a lot of work, and it is. However, what’s more work is recovering from illnesses and especially chronic illnesses due to the lack of physical fitness. Keeping this in mind, the team at ROI, scheduled a webinar and spoke in depth with two prominent fitness figures in Sri Lanka Yohan Seth Perera (Strength and Conditioning Coach) and Joel Tillekeratne (Founder of Fitness Island)
Together with the fitness gurus, many issues were tackled, such as;
1. Physical activity preventing chronic diseases
2. Mental health benefits of exercise
3. Mental and physical rest
4. Obesity
5. Nutrition
Physical activity to prevent chronic diseases was highlighted on the lines of aches and pains and most prominently things like diabetes and developing bone and joint issues. Keeping fit with simple exercises like the use of resistance bands and basic dumbbells or movement exercises were said to be a great start for beginners or amateurs who have just started and are looking to get comfortable. Starting with a basic movement exercise in itself could be beneficial as it gets the blood flowing and gets you into a basic and standard movement based routine. It was recommended that walking along the roadside or up and down a staircase could be a great way to get comfortable with yourself and exercising bridging the gap between the two.
Mental Health, which plays a great role in achieving physical wellbeing, was also discussed. What many individuals fail to understand is that mental and physical health often goes hand-in-hand. Both panelists spoke on the benefits of exercising to build and develop a higher mental capacity and spoke of personal experiences on this as well. Physical exertion and the term “sweating it out” helps individuals cut out of vices and bad habits as well and create a new mental thought at the outset itself. Individuals who are addicted for smoking, for example, have huge success in reducing consumption after starting physical exercise.
Another point of discussion was the resting time period. Resting in between workouts and days of workout is very important for the growth of muscle and your mental growth as well. Resting is a vital element in the procedure as said by numerous individuals across the world. The rest part of the workout, especially your sleep schedule, should be managed and carried out well and consistently.
The discussion then took a vital turn into the subject of “Obesity”. We all agreed that obesity is a controversial topic as it is taken in two different contexts, socially. The use of social media has diluted the depth of this discussion. Yohan highlighted how over 80% of the U.S. is statistically obese. This was a great highlight as currently, obesity is accepted as a normalized body type and this acts as a counterproductive agent which actually promotes an unhealthy lifestyle. The growth of body acceptance as in turn also sees obesity normalized and this was a key element of the discussion. Those suffering from obesity either procure this due to their genetics or over-eating. One of the ways to overcoming this, which was highlighted in the discussion, is recognizing the issue before resolving it. Identifying the problem and coming to a place of great self esteem helps greatly in overcoming this.
Finally, one of the most important points of the discussion was Nutrition. “What you eat is what you are”. Ah, the ye old liner is very accurate at present. The two panelists highlighted how there is nothing more beneficial for exercising than the right kind of food. Wholesome food is where the calories are at, not the coffee and the tea bun or biscuits you eat, as that is all empty calories. The pair stressed on the importance of whole foods and consistency in whole foods as that is the base in which you build your blocks. The supplementary products and additional consumption can only be taken once a solid structure is formed.
Overall, the pair managed to highlight the most legitimate and important base structures, encouraging more and more individuals to start exercising and place more thought into physical well-being as it also increases one’s mental health capacity as well.
Interested readers may watch the live webinar post on the ROI FB page for more insights: https://fb.watch/1zfD4nVonp/
