When it comes to celebs setting fitness goals, Mandira Bedi has been a pro at that. Time and again she gives us inspiration to sweat it out and stay fit. Even during the Covid-19 lockdown, she has been keeping the spirits high with great workouts at home. Now notching up her workout sessions to another level, she collaborates with Cure.fit in their Cult.live Masterclasses where you can join in for free and burn those calories with her. We catch up with Mandira Bedi as she tells us more about her masterclass and also shares pro tips on working out at home.
Tell us about your Cult.live Masterclass. What can we expect?
Mandira Bedi: I am super excited to be a part of cult.live masterclasses. The trainers at cult.live have formulated these beautiful workouts and programs which takes me out of my comfort zone and challenges me. You can expect a high intensity, fun filled session which will challenge you, make you push your boundaries and take you out of your comfort zone.
What to keep in mind when starting workouts at home?
Mandira Bedi: Very few people have fitness equipment at home and need constant motivation. Hence they join a gym and hire a personal trainer. However, if you can create a routine for yourself, for example a window of 1.5 hours in the morning or evening, and tick off the things you include in that routine, it surely helps. Also there are a lot of workout sessions online, which makes it easy to workout at home. Try to find sessions that allow you to workout with just your body weight or minimal equipment. Self-motivation is another key aspect while exercising at home.
(Also read: Don't Let Staying At Home Stand In The Way Of Getting Your Exercise)
What's your idea of a good mix of home workouts?
Mandira Bedi: Try and cover as many body parts as you can. I do core and squats every day. Make sure you don't neglect your upper body. If you have the energy to do high intensity training on some days, go for it. Ensure you give your ankles and knees a rest with low intensity workouts without too much impact on your knees and ankles. Listen to your body, see what your body needs and mix it up a little bit.
Break your training into body parts and high-intensity/low-intensity workouts throughout the week. As far as my workouts with cult.live are concerned, I look forward to every workout that comes my way because I'm used to working out with a certain bunch of moves, which are my favourites and also certain moves, which I don't like but I still do them. But what is fantastic is I get to learn something new and push my own boundaries. That's what I enjoy the most and if it encourages people at home to follow suit, I think it's a job decently done.
How do you plan your week of workouts?
Mandira Bedi: Well, I alternate between high intensity and low intensity workouts. Every alternate day is a high energy, high intensity, jumping, skipping kind of workout. And then there's lower impact exercises like squats and lunges where I'm not jumping or escalating the heart rate. So, I mix it up like that. I happen to have a cross trainer and elliptical trainer in my house. So I do two days a week of elliptical training for one hour. I use the steps in my house as well. I mix it up and try to do different things so I don't get bored.
(Also read: 6 Effective Ways To Get Motivated To Workout Regularly)
Your tips to beginners who are looking to stay fit and active
Mandira Bedi: For beginners who are starting their journey of exercise, just remember, there's always an easier version, a scaled down version of every exercise. Start by doing that, and don't push your body in a way that you could injure yourself. Your body does speak to you.
I heard somebody once say that pain is your greatest friend. There's that good pain which you get after exercising when your muscles are a bit sore and then there's bad pain when you hurt yourself because you've pushed yourself in a wrong manner and caused injury. So listen to your body and do what you are capable of. Slowly start scaling up your exercise.
What's most important, I think is also eating right, we are all sitting at home and the trips to the fridge can get very, very frequent. So try and keep yourself busy and don't spend too much time in front of a screen because that kind of encourages you to snack and to eat unhealthy food.
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