Fitness 1 by Coach KK

Keshav started on his fitness journey like most others do, with the aim to lose just a few inches off his waist, however little did he know that it would soon become just more than an hour that he spent in the gym trying out different workout programs. From having tried and failed at random workout programs that led to an endless pursuit of self-education and a hunger for knowledge, Keshav found his passion in helping others who are or at some point were, stuck in their respective fitness journeys. Over the past couple of years, he’s helped people reach their fitness goals be it losing weight, building muscle, increasing strength, becoming more flexible or simply improving endurance and stamina by educating, providing unique fitness programming and systematic communication with all his clients. Keshav takes only selected clients who have a desire to become fit and healthy, not just on the outside, making sure that every single client is coached personally and not through ass...

I get asked about the best “Indian” weight loss diet a lot these days. Here’s my answer for that question: Well, if there was such a thing as “The Best Indian Weight Loss Diet” wouldn't every Indian be on it. Who want to be overweight, fatigued, fat and unfit anyway. If the best weight loss diet actually existed everyone would be fit, toned, muscular and healthy. To put the entire weight loss philosophy into a simple equation, I would say: Weight Loss = Calorie Deficit i.e. consuming less calories than for weight maintenance Thats it. No hidden secrets, no false hopes and certainly no absurd food choices. If your unaware about your current calorie intake, calculate that first. It can be done using a food tracker app on the smart phone. MyFitnessPal is a good one. Then balance out for appropriate ratios of protein, carbs, fats and fiber. Reduce intake and be consistent. Drink plenty of water and follow a well balanced exercise program. This is as simple as it g...

For those of us, who swear by lifting a loaded barbell be it for achieving a personal fitness goal, preparing for a competition, or simply to look a little leaner and muscular, creatine is one supplemental product that catches our attention even before the session gets over. Now, I’m certainly not here to debate weather it should be in your monthly supplement shopping list, simply because not everyone will benefit from it, but is has become a staple complementing my post workout shake. If your already eating loads of red meat almost every day, creatine may or may not show any positive results for you. However, for some like me, who’s primarily getting in calories from a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet, creatine can do wonders. So, what is creatine : In simple terms, creatine is a nitrogenous organic acid which is a naturally produced in the human body from L-arginine, glycine and methionine (amino acids). Chemically, creatine is represented as C4H9N3O2. Its primary function is to supp...

Reducing fat without losing muscle is quite tricky and if you're trying to do it for the first time, chances are its going to be really difficult. This is because there are lots of processes going on inside the body at any random time. Fat loss or even muscle gain is not like an ON-OFF switch that you shift from one goal to the other in an instant. Lots of bodybuilding and fitness enthusiasts take years figuring out how to manipulate certain dietary and exercise parameters so that they can preserve their hard earned muscle while on a fat loss diet. Following are certain general guidelines that can be helpful: Monitor your calorie, macro, water intake regularly. Calculating Current Macros and Calories Do not reduce or play with sodium intake. It can be quite unrewarding. Train hard, with a good split. This does not mean go nuts every time you're in the gym. Get enough deep quality sleep. Sometimes even twice a day, if you need it. Reduce calorie as and when needed. D...

Hi. Its been a while since I last posted. Without wasting any more time I want to dive into a topic that is some what controversial but outright confusing and misunderstood, especially by women. First of all to get the basics straight, weight loss = calorie deficit i.e. consuming less calories than maintenance levels for a specific period of time. Similarly, Sustained Weight Loss = Calorie Deficit + Exercise. Now, if you're one of those who specifically dislike exercise such as weight training, etc. and would prefer to be in a weight loss phase counting solely on reducing food intake, this post is not for you. However, if you're the kind that is ready to start on their weight loss plan and are willing to include some sort of exercise few times per week do read on as I'll be covering three points that I've come across in my career which cause the biggest hurdle for women aiming to lose weight and become fitter. Under-eating: Well, I just mentioned above the losing ...

Although its been more than a month since New Year's Eve and this post is late, most of you would have already jumped onto the weight loss wagon, but by its very nature losing weight or rather becoming fitter, stronger and leaner especially from the mid section, has never really been sustainable for some of us. With this post, we bring to you some of the most common misconceptions that people have about weight loss and how making some minor adjustments or little tweaks here and there can make this fitness journey of yours more simple, realistic and achievable this year. Weight Loss is not linear:  Well thats not entirely true, since there have been people following a weight loss diet who have managed to keep the needle of their weighing scale linearly move downwards each week, but these are certainly the exceptions rather than the majority. For most people, you're going to see some sort of a zig-zag trend with weight loss where the weight fluctuates over the short term. Th...

Whey protein in recent years has gathered so many followers and consumers that it is hard to ignore it any more. Up until the 1990's not many had heard about whey protein and little did people know that one day it would become a staple for many fitness enthusiasts. What separates whey protein from the rest of the supplements available is its marketing and distribution. While one may or may not find any other relevant supplement, whey protein would surely be available for purchase at any time of the year. Whey protein supplements come in many forms as follows: Whey Protein Concentrate : Contains high protein, moderate carbohydrates and fats. Whey Protein Isolate : Contains high protein, no carbohydrate and fats. Whey Protein Hydrolysate : Hight in protein, although marketed for its partially broken down amino acid structure to aid in digestion. Whey protein is generally marketed as a post workout supplement, which means consuming it immediately after a heavy weight train...

Every time one hears of dieting to lose body weight the concept of metabolism surfaces, especially phrases such as "increasing metabolism" or "increasing metabolic rate", etc. For those who are unaware about what this means or its relevance with weight loss may find it exciting or even intimidating at times to having been given the secret power to change/alter their metabolic rate by following a unbalanced, low calorie, nutrient deficient, and bland weight loss diet. Most people dieting to lose weight coupled with being less aware about what metabolism is may end up with a altered metabolic rate, physiological and psychological response than may potentially take them further away from their fitness goal/s. Metabolism Metabolism is defined as " The sum total of all reactions taking place within the body geared towards building it up and breaking it down". Building up functions are based on anabolism (anabolic functions) while breaking down functions ar...

For those that may not be familiar with calories and macro nutrients can go through  Calculating Current Macros and Calories  this post will give a brief introduction on calculating current calorie and macro nutrient intake. Based on this current intake adjustments can be made to accommodate for a fat loss aimed dietary intake. Do keep in mind that there can be a difference between your recommended daily calorie intake and the current daily intake you'r consuming. If there's a big gap between these two numbers then it may be better to not reduce calories further as it may lead to a further slowing down of metabolism and thereby hindering the fat loss goal. I have done the following calculation taking a hypothetical individual "A" as an example. This is just to explain the concept and you should not assume this to be the recommended fat loss intake and thus should only understand the concept rather than start following it. Example: Recommended Body Weight Maintena...

How much protein should I consume is probably the first question that comes to mind when starting a strength based fitness program. It is not uncommon for people to remain confused about protein consumption even after they get the right answer. There has been too much negative vibe created towards protein by the so called experts that protein consumption is now looked upon as a pathway to ill health and disease. During my school life I heard many stories about the local akaharas (local gyms) where the pahalwan's (wrestlers/athletes) drank literally gallons of milk and chugged down bowls of ghee (clarified butter) each day. At that time there were no packets of low fat or fat free milk available. Assuming that they drank nearly 2 liters of milk (it could be more or even less) it amounts to approximately 60 grams of protein. Of course this was not the only thing they consumed, considering a typical Indian diet comprising of dal (lentils/beans), roti (whole wheat), rice, fresh frui...

Protein is one of the three macro nutrients, the other two being fat and carbohydrates. While the typical Indian diet provides plenty (sometimes even excess) of fats and carbohydrates, it is said that it doesn't do justice towards meeting daily protein needs. How much protein is actually needed by an individual each day is a totally different question which deserves its own discussion ( Click Here  for more on protein intake), so I won't even touch that here. However, I will list down below certain foods which would provide enough complete protein (well at least for me) to reach (my) daily protein goal. 1. Milk 2. Paneer (cottage cheese) 3. Beans/Lentils + Grains 4. Soy 5. Eggs 6. Chicken 7. Fish 8. Tofu If not consuming these foods on a regular basis a deficiency of protein may occur. For example monetary issues, lack of accessibility, not knowing how to cook, ignorance towards these foods, improper meal planning, etc. are some reasons due to which these m...

Most people starting/following a fitness program find it surprising to know that they can eat the foods they like and still achieve their fitness goals. The portion size of their favorite foods would obviously be limited, but they may get away with it if they are consistent. Flexible Dieting has been around for some time but is only recently gaining popularity mainly for the benefits it offers. The basic idea behind flexible dieting is that you eat the foods you like throughout the day by simply keeping track of their respective macro nutrients. Being close to or on point with your daily/weekly macro nutrient intake numbers may assist you in achieving your nutritional goal, provided that the macro nutrient numbers and your daily/weekly caloric intake values are correct to begin with. Some benefits of flexible dieting include flexibility to eat your favorite foods, varied food intake option, ease of preparing/combining foods you prefer, comparatively easier to adhere to diet...

Diet undoubtedly is an important element of a fitness program. Most fitness goals such as weight loss, fat loss, weight gain, etc. are influenced directly by the type of foods consumed during the duration of the fitness program. A lot of individuals starting their fitness journey rely on either general diet plans or specifically prepared ones for the entire program. Benefits of these may include an easy to follow approach, knowing what to eat for the entire day/week/month before hand, quick results,etc. while drawbacks may include not knowing what dietary steps to follow after the program ends, adaptation of metabolism to a different caloric intake, weight loss/gain still continuing after the program is over and results are achieved, regaining weight and body fat weeks/months after the program(weight/fat loss) ended, limited food items included in program, etc. While these drawbacks are certainly not experienced by everyone, it would be wise to keep an eye out for them. N...

Most fitness enthusiasts consider supplementing their diet with certain nutrients in the quest for their fitness goal. Weather these supplements are actually needed by them is a completely different question altogether. This blog post is however focused on buying supplements in India.  Most supplements available in India are of foreign origin, while there are certainly some that are fully manufactured in India. Some people prefer to buy supplements from trainers, while others prefer their local shops as an ideal place to make the purchase. There are even some who buy supplements from unknown sources being lured away with either heavy discounts or false promises or both. While all of the above mentioned sources can be some of the easiest means of buying your favorite supplement, they may not be the best. For supplements manufactured in countries other than India, checking the official website of the brand you want to purchase is a good place to start. Most companies di...

Success on a fitness program is dependent on not only following an exercise pattern rigorously but giving an equal if not more attention to proper nutrition based on your goal. Many times individuals starting an exercise program may not see results that they expect and start hopping from one exercise program to another. In situations like these they usually forget to check their nutritional intake, which may the reason for their slow or in certain cases extremely slow progress. Some common reasons for nutrition becoming a limiting factor for many during a fitness program include time, budget, not knowing where to start, quantity of food, type of food necessary, timing of nutrient intake, food preparation, etc. There are also some individuals who start relying on nutritional supplements solely as their chief source of nutrients and show only a casual attitude towards whole foods thereby depriving themselves of the benefits that whole foods may offer. If you get stuck on a fitn...

Cooking forms an integral part of any fitness program. While we may consider regular exercise, healthy eating habits, etc as essential components of a fitness program, more often than not we prefer to outsource the cooking aspect on a fitness program to someone else. Any fitness program weather fat loss, weight loss or weight gain requires eating as per the goal desired. For those living with families, it may sometimes become difficult to consume meals as per the desired goal due to various reasons including depending on others to cook meals for them, not knowing how to cook, etc. Also, preparing two separate kind of meals, one for that member of the family following a specific diet and the other for the remaining members, not only becomes more time consuming but at the sane time may not be financially efficient for some. In some cases it may even happen that the entire family may have to consume meal prepared as per the likes of one member who is on a fitness program. While ...

Carbohydrate is one of the three macro nutrients, with the other two being protein and fat. While for protein and fat questions like minimum amount, maximum amount etc. do come up, very rarely are these associated with carbohydrates. Carbohydrates is also the one food that is readily available for consumption. The type, quantity and timing of carbohydrates may have a major impact while on a fitness program. Tolerance for carbohydrates is a highly individual factor. While complex carbohydrates (especially fiberous carbohydrates) maybe beneficial for almost all and can be included as part of most dietary strategies, simple carbohydrates such as simple sugars may pose as a major obstacle in the path of certain fitness goals. Carbohydrate tolerance is mainly evaluated on an individual's capability to efficiently utilize carbohydrates (the simple sugars) for daily energy needs/expenditure rather than holding on to it by storing it as fat for later use. Lean individuals generally ...

Carbohydrates are the preferred source of energy for the human body and can at times lead to confusion among fitness enthusiasts. Having too much or too less of carbohydrates can greatly impact not only a fitness goal but an individual training session too. In comparison with protein and fat which may not change much during a fitness program, carbohydrate requirements can vary on a daily/weekly basis. Broadly classified as simple and complex carbohydrates, they provide us with 4 calories for every gram consumed. Glucose, Fructose, Galactose, Lactose, Maltose and Sucrose are types of simple carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates include starch, glycogen and fiber. Some functions of carbohydrates are serving as an energy source, getting stored in the liver and muscles for use, aiding in satiety, etc. Fibers in addition may regulate blood glucose, may promote normal blood cholesterol, may maintain healthy bowel function, etc. There is no fixed answer to the amount of carbohydr...

Vegetarians often struggle with meeting their daily protein needs on a fitness program. Most vegetarian foods have an abundance of carbohydrates and moderate to low fats, along with low ranges of either incomplete or complete protein sources. Simply putting it, incomplete proteins do not contain all the essential amino-acids while complete proteins do. Grains, Beans, Lentils, etc. are some sources of incomplete proteins while milk, cheese, cottage cheese, soy, etc. are examples of complete protein sources. If, for example, someone is aiming for roughly 100 grams of protein per day that would account for either drinking close to 29 liters of milk (skimmed) or eating close to 1 kg of cottage cheese (fat-free), considering the intake comes from only one source i.e. either milk or cottage cheese. Not to forget the extra calories from carbohydrates that come along with these sources. Incomplete proteins although individually not as effective as complete proteins, do possess a special c...

Calculating the amount of macro nutrients i.e. carbohydrates, proteins and fat may or may not be the best strategy for everyone. In addition these calculations are not 100% accurate and at times they may overestimate or underestimate the result. Although it does help to know how much an individual is currently eating and how much they may need to eat to reach their goal. In any case, keeping the goal (weather fat loss or weight gain) in mind the first thing that paves the way for future decisions is to access what your current macro nutrient and calorie intake is. This can be done by observing the food you are eating for a few days (to check for variance), noting it down and assigning the food eaten to specific macro nutrients i.e protein, carbohydrates and fats. It is best to note the foods by weight (like grams, etc). Once you have a day's food intake measured and written down, simply add the weights of carbohydrates, proteins and fats individually. Repeat this for few days...