Amit’s 7 Laws Of Diet, Exercise And Sport

I don’t have a 6 pack. Actually, it’s more like a 36 pack. I don’t quite have the body of Bradley Cooper and I’m never going to be as fast as Usain Bolt.

I may be 20 stone but I have a resting heart rate of around 52bpm which is equivalent to that of an Olympic athlete. I can dart around the badminton court as quick as anyone I know (and I know some good players.)

I accept any challenge from anyone for any sport as I’m quite versatile. I used to play Basketball and Table Tennis at college. I played Tennis while I was at school and I also used to play Squash.

People often come to me and suggest some really silly ways of losing weight. They suggest diets like protein only diets or diets where you have only cereal or even energy bars and no meals.

No matter how much I want to lose weight I will never ever use any extreme methods. Why? Because the people I’ve seen who’ve adopted those methods, will initially lose weight quickly but as soon as the diet is over, the weight will pile back on with a vengeance! The very notion of going on a ‘diet’ is self defeating because it’s adopting a temporary eating pattern.

I have some very simple rules when it comes to staying fit and healthy. These include adopting a diet that is sustainable for life and the same goes for exercise. Doing exercise that can be done anywhere at any time. Eating a diet that takes no major sacrifices so you can still enjoy the taste of food. etc.

Here they are in more detail, my 7 laws of diet, exercise and sport.

1. Diet for life

This one is a no-brainer for me. I could easily jump on a diet that involves me only having cereal bars or shakes and lose all the weight I want to in the space of a couple of months, I just choose not to. I spent many years abusing my body and subjecting it to food that was no good for it. I’m not going to go the opposite way and now deprive it of proper regular sustenance.

Last year I ended up stuck in India for month. What would’ve happened to me if I was following one of those silly diets? It would’ve completely gone awry and then I would’ve been miserable and had to start all over again. While I was there I just ate as sensibly as I could and I came back the same weight as when I left.

2. Enjoying exercise

The reason people don’t keep up with the exercise regimes they set themselves is for one simple reason; they push themselves too hard in the beginning and then anchor the feeling of burnout into their bodies. The next time they want to exercise they will recall the feeling of burnout and won’t want to feel like that again so, they’re less likely to exercise.

If you stop at the point of enjoyment, you’ll anchor that feeling into your body and the next time you train, you’ll feel excited about it, because the last time you stopped at enjoyment and will recall that feeling.

I don’t do gyms. I say to people, if you feel like joining, get into a habit of exercising for 3 – 6 months and then join the gym. It’s that simple.

3. Resting

Rest is essential. Whether you’re trying to lose weight or condition your body, you need rest. I’ve always found that I only drop weight if I rest my body properly. If I don’t factor in rest not only do I not drop weight, but over a lengthy period of time I become more susceptible to illnesses and injuries.

4. Fasting

Every once in a while, fast. You don’t have to go to major extremes like week long fasts or anything like that. Just a 24 hour fast once or twice a year to give your body a bit of respite from digesting constantly and to detox.

5. Guilty eating

I try to never allow myself to feel guilty over whatever I eat. There are two key reasons for this.

i) There are so many people without food, that to feel guilty about having plenty is like a slap in the face to them.

ii) The act of feeling guilty whilst eating, I can’t imagine it does me any good. If I fancy a treat I’ll eat it with gratitude and then move past it. I’ll just be thankful that I’ve been blessed with having options.

Don’t eat with a guilty attitude. If you want food, have it and be thankful for it.

6. Liquids

I decided from a very young age that I was going to remain tee-total.
I allow myself to occasionally have a soft drink if I’m out with friends. Most people that know me, know that I have a soft spot for a soya hot chocolate! 🙂

Regardless, I do make sure I drink plenty of water. A minimum of a litre a day on days when I’m not doing any physical activity and usually around 3 litres on days when I train.

I don’t care what the experts say, you need water! And no, beer does not count towards your daily water intake. Neither does coffee, tea, or anything else for that matter. H2O is the only thing that can count towards your water intake.

7. Sport

I’ve been blessed enough to find a sport that I never have to motivate myself to go and do. Badminton is something I never feel like I have to do. I’m always excited when it’s game night and if I ever miss a session I always feel like I’ve missed something really important.

There is an activity out there for you that will enjoy just as much as I enjoy badminton. If going to the gym is your thing. Great. If not try find a sport or activity you love and you’ll never have force yourself to go ever again. You’ll go because you just love it.

I also learned to skip so if I do go away I can just take my rope with me and carry on, or I just go running.

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Your thoughts?