The document discusses fitness and demystifies diet and exercise. It aims to empower readers with facts to eliminate myths and take control of their health. The key points are that fitness requires hard work and discipline but does not require starving or extreme workouts. Minor, targeted changes can make a big impact. It provides an overview of a healthy diet and exercise plan focusing on strength training and flexibility.

1. Fitness: Demystifying Diet and Exercise
-Ashwin Rao

2. Why are we discussing this ?
• Almost all of us want to be healthy and fit
• But diet and exercise are painful things
• Is there a “magic diet” or a “workout gizmo” we’ll learn about
• Goal 1: Get empowered with facts, eliminate myths, take control
• Goal 2: Prioritize within the list of diet/exercise pointers
• You’ll make good progress just by focusing on the top of the list
• Treat the bottom of the list as “good to know luxury items”
• Fitness leads to greater self-confidence and sense of achievement

3. Some Warnings
• Good health and fitness requires hard work, discipline and sacrifices
• For most people, fitness is a “luxury” not a “necessity”
• It gets harder and harder with age
• It doesn’t work if you don’t genuinely enjoy it
• Access to good food/exercise is not so easy in Mumbai
• There is no quick solution – involves a permanent lifestyle change
• Need to be willing to spend good amount of time as well as money

4. But there will be some pleasant surprises
• You don’t have to starve yourself
• You don’t have to eat bland, boring food
• You don’t have to run 10 miles a day
• Some of you could do the exercises at home
• You will learn that minor, but targeted changes can make a big impact
• You will learn a lot about your body and its responses
• After some seasoning, many people find the healthy lifestyle addictive

5. Overview of Diet
• Liquidity
• Size and Frequency of Meals
• Food Pyramid
• Carbs and Protein
• State Space: ω fats
• Raw Foods
• Supplements
• Effect on Metabolism and Hormones
• Most dangerous foods & Worst practices
• Meal/Snack Tips

6. Liquidity
• Harsh Truth: Alcohol and Caffeine are more damaging than you think
• Problems: Dehydration, indigestion, screws up appetite and sleep
• “A good night of drinking eliminates a week of hard workout” –Ashwin ☺
• Law of conservation of “height” – a massive low follows every “high”
• Soda/”Juices”/Packaged beverages – mixture of sugar/salt/caffeine
• All you need is WATER, WATER and WATER
• And consider veggie juices as well – Greens, with a bit of carrots/beets
• “Health drinks” are a scam, with a few exceptions
• Remember: your liquid intake is more important than the solids you eat
• Sense of balance: Indulge yourself occasionally, or you’ll go crazy

7. Size and Frequency of Meals
• Ideally, six small to medium-sized meals a day
• Breakfast is a very important meal
• Before and after workouts
• Get balanced food in every meal
• How much protein ? Depends on your exercise levels
• Don’t focus too much on calories
• The key is to develop your metabolism

8. Food Pyramid

9. Carbs and Proteins
• Good carbs and bad carbs
• Anything refined is bad – go with dark color when in doubt
• Veggie carbs more important than grain carbs
• Avoid white rice, naan, white bread, pasta, biscuits etc.
• Replace dessert with fruits (small portions with every meal)
• Protein: Veg or non-veg ?
• Non-veg: Focus on fish and organic meats/eggs
• Veg: Daals, beans, nuts, spinach, paneer, sprouts
• At least 1g of protein per kg of body weight
• Weight-training will require more protein to repair muscles

10. State Space : ω fats
• Fats don’t make you Fat !
• The body produces ω-9s – they are non-essential fatty acids
•We mostly get ω-6s in our food
• ω-3s: hard to get in our regular diet
• Fish/Cod/Krill Oil, Flaxseeds/Flax oil, Butternuts,Walnuts
• Quality of ω-3 oils is very important
• Saturated Fats are bad but unrefined coconut oil is good for you
• Trans fats are VERY bad – mostly in processed/packaged foods

11. Raw foods
• Heat destroys nutrients
• Raw veggies and fruits are VERY powerful
• Try juicing veggies if you can’t eat them raw
• Go with veggies/fruits that are not too sweet
• Get your daily dose of nuts and sprouts
• Sashimi: Yummy or Yuck ?
• Raw milk and raw eggs: VERY dangerous in India
• Raw food diet has been shown to reverse serious illnesses

12. Supplements
• Should we take multi-vitamin pills, protein powders etc. ?
• Generally not required. Besides, there are quality issues.
• Useful in certain situations: travel, workouts, dietary restrictions
• ω-3s, Probiotics, some packaged veggie juices/protein powder
• Avoid things like “fat killers”, Creatine/Glutamine etc.
• Unless you are into serious bodybuilding

13. Effect on Metabolism and Hormones
• Important to understand that diet controls your metabolism
• Eating healthy food several times a day will boost metabolism
• Eating sparsely, no breakfast, caffeine/sugar etc slow your body
• Similarly, good foods will improve your hormonal balance
• White carbs and sugary foods/drinks screw up hormones
• Weight gain is mostly due to poor metabolism and hormones
• Diet, sleep, stress, metabolism, hormones – all closely linked
• We’ll talk about effect of exercise on metabolism/hormones

14. Most dangerous foods
• Alcohol and Coffee
• Soft drinks, coke, diet coke, even packaged juices
• French fries and their equivalent Indian fried foods
• Donuts and their equivalent Indian sugary foods
• All sorts of white carbs – bread, pasta, even morning cereal
• Low-fat/reduced-fat packaged foods
• Hot dog, bacon, cured meats etc.
• “namkeen”-type evening snacks
• Having said that, occasional indulgence will keep you sane

15. Worst practices
• Skipping breakfast or other meals
• Low appetite
• Frequent snacking on “namkeen”-type food
• Lot of coffee, tea or soft drinks through the day
• Irregular meal hours
• Binging on alcohol and dessert
• Inconsistent sleep timings
• Getting very little protein – vegetarians need to watch out

16. Meal/snack tips
• Dark grains – whole wheat, jowar, ragi, bajra rotis
• Ragi dosa, Pesarattu, Adai (basically no rice)
• Brown rice, or even better, try Quinoa
• Use unrefined coconut oil on Lentil Dosas/Quinoa (Delicious !)
• Keep a box of walnuts, almonds, brazil nuts (raw, no salt)
• Snack on fruits – try to eat less sugary fruits
• Also, dry fruits (in moderation)
• Sprouts are one of the major joys of being in India
• Freshly squeezed Cucumber + Spinach + Carrot juice is divine

17. Exercise
• Our body needs Strength, Endurance and Flexibility
• Weights→Strength, Cardio→Endurance, Yoga→Flexibility
• Bang for the buck: Weights, then Flexibility, then Endurance
• We will focus on basic strength training
• The goal is to lose fast and gain lean muscle
• We are not here to figure out how to look like John Abraham
• Basic strength training goes a surprisingly long way
• Add some yoga and a sport or two to complement

18. Strength Training Excuses
• “I don’t want to build big muscles”
• “It’s not going to help me lose weight, so I do running”
• “I’m not the weight-lifting type”
• “I’m afraid of hurting my back”
• “Lifting weights is so boring”
• “Lifting weights is so unnatural”

19. How does strength training work ?
• Lifting weights makes your muscles work hard
• This results in “tiny tears” in your muscles (next day soreness)
• Protein + Rest between workouts repair and grow muscles
• Over a period of time, you can lift heavier weights
• Better muscle tone leads to faster metabolism
• This means faster fat burning even when sedentary
• Positive effects of testosterone production
• This accelerates the process of fat loss and muscle gain

20. Strength Training Basics
• Lift a weight quantity which lets you do 6 reps, but not more
• Do 3-4 sets of these 6 reps for each exercise
• On a given day, focus on only lower body or only upper body
• Give that body part a break for at least 3-4 days
• Lifting technique and maintenance of form is VERY important
• Proper breathing: Exhale when lifting, inhale when lowering
• Lifting action: power and speed, focusing on the exact muscle
• Lowering action: very gradual (over 2-4 seconds)

21. Workout Tips
• Workout in the morning when your testosterone levels are high
• Have enough carbs and protein before and after the workout
• Drink plenty of water during the workout
• Use a trainer/spotter to watch your form and to rack weights
• Legs and back are the most important muscles
• Lots of squats and pullups (and variants) – can be done at home
•Warm up with a 5 min jog before the workout
• Stretch for 10 minutes after the workout

22. Workout Tips (continued)
• Workout duration: 20-50 mins (not incl warmup and stretching)
• Don’t socialize, keep a tight schedule, focus your mind
• Keep records of your reps, sets and poundage
• Do the most demanding exercises first
• Don’t workout if you are sick or have slept too little
• Avoid supplements, unless you want to do serious bodybuilding
• Most importantly, feel good and enjoy your workout

23. Sample Schedule
• Thrice a week
• Mondays: Chest, Shoulders and back
• Mondays: Bench Press, Incline Press, Pull ups, Chin ups
• Wednesdays: Biceps, Triceps and Abs
• Wednesdays: Biceps flex, Narrow bench press, Ab crunches
• Fridays: Legs
• Fridays: Squats, Deadlifts, Calf raise
• Do yoga on other days or some light sports or just rest

24. Yoga
• Deep breathing – focus your mind on breath flow
• Try to touch your toes without bending your legs (sitting)
• Dog position, plus upward and downward facing
• Learn to stretch your biceps, triceps, chest and shoulders too
• Hold stretches for at least 30 seconds
• Yoga also builds strength and makes you sweat
• Disclaimer: I am not a yoga expert, so can offer limited help

25. Final Words
• Diet and Exercise go together – can’t get away with just one
• Get your hydration and sleep habits in structure first
• Incorporate diet and exercise in your life incrementally
• Important to understand what foods are good and what are bad
• Don’t force yourself to follow a strict diet. Indulge...sometimes
• Train yourself to enjoy your strength training
• See improvements in a month even with basic strength training
• Adequate rest between workouts is extremely important
• Treat this as a lifetime commitment, not as a “Get Fit Quick”