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As much as you enjoy bonding over a cuppa, clinking glasses and bottles, shopping, dining or even gossipping, why leave the idea of working out with your buddy behind? Take a cue from actors Sara Ali Khan and Janhvi Kapoor, whose fitness sessions together have become an Internet sensation! Plan your own exercise routine with your close friend(s) to stay motivated in your pursuit of health and happiness, suggests the celebrities’ trainer Namrata Purohit on the occasion of International Friendship Day.
A noted Pilates expert, Namrata is the driving force behind Sara and Janhvi’s innovative workouts which include leg raises, lunges, squats, kicks and more. While a lot of people indulge in physical workout alone or with their trainers, we wonder what extra kick a friend brings to a session.
Well ladies, if Namrata’s word is anything to go by, it can do wonders! The fitness instructor, who also trains celebrities like Kareena Kapoor Khan, Malaika Arora, Amit Sadh and Sonakshi Sinha, speaks to Health Shots about the why and how. Read on!
3. A worthy reason to be social: When social distancing is the order of the day, why not choose to be social with a good purpose? In Namrata’s opinion, while people have been totally missing the social aspect of life due to the Covid-19 pandemic, “working out with a friend can give them a chance to be social as well as work on themselves at the same time”. As we’d say in filmy style, Ek teer se do nishaan!
Also, read: Catch Sara Ali Khan and Janhvi Kapoor doing a kickass HIIT session together
4. Not just about body: A workout session with your friend goes beyond the benefits that show on your body. “It also relaxes the mind,” says Namrata, who is happy about how people have started taking health and fitness more seriously in the post Covid-19 world.
5. Bonding: “Friends that workout together, stay together!” While this is a joke that Namrata and her buddies keep cracking, it’s also something that she sincerely believes in. Explaining why, she tells Health Shots a poignant point, “When you’re working out, you’re strong, but you are also in a vulnerable space. So, you tend to show your strengths and your weaknesses to your buddy. And that forms a different kind of bond between you because you learn more about each other, you learn how to encourage each other, you share challenges, successes and also failures… You understand each other better without actually saying anything.”
Choosing the right kind of buddy can be important. But what are the factors you must consider?
1. It is always a smarter idea to choose a friend whose basic fitness level, not just stamina, is at par or maybe even better than yours so that you can complement each other during a workout session.
2. Having a similar mindset and approach towards fitness and discipline is vital for consistency and enjoyment.
3. Remember that everyone’s body is different! While you might do things together, it’s also important to understand your own body and goals as an individual. So, make sure neither you nor your friend forgets that.
If you’ve scrolled through her Instagram page, you know that she’s a lady who is always up to tricks and challenges with her fit friends! “I love doing silly challenges, and making people co-ordinate things together,” Namrata tells Health Shots, adding why: “It confuses them… but that helps because then they just don’t have to focus on their strength and flexibility but also co-ordination.”1. Squats and Ball Passes: Take a medicine ball, and have your partner throw a medicine ball to you to catch before performing a squat! And as you rise from the squat, throw the ball back to your partner.
2. Planks and Alternate Hand Clap: Get in the plank position while facing each other. Each of you needs to take out one hand and clap with your friend’s.
3. Fluidity never fails: Since a lot of Namrata’s Pilates training is done on the Reformer, she is all for fluid exercises which help people build core strength and facilitate proper muscle engagement.
4. Add a little weight: If your buddy can handle the weight of your emotional troubles, try adding some real weight on them during a pushup session! A tricky one, unless you’re lightweight yourself.
5. Crunch and Pike: This one’s all about finding the balance and support… That’s what friends are for, isn’t it?
On that note, wishing all you ladies, and men out there, a Happy Friendship Day!
Radhika Bhirani is a journalist with close to 15 years of experience in the Indian media industry. After writing extensively on health, lifestyle and entertainment, she leads the English content team at Health Shots. She has a special interest in writing on mental health and wellness. ...Read More
