As you may know, I was in Toronto some weeks back and had a difficult time sticking to my regimen. So while at the Shangri-La, I spoke with Gym Director and Health Club Trainer Hirash Gurar. I explained to him what I was doing with Brad Gansberg, and my struggle with weight in the past and the first thing he said was, “Don’t train to lose weight. Find some other positive motivation.” He was right. The more and more I ran, the more upset I got because I hadn’t dropped 20, 30lbs. This put me back in a cycle of, “nothing will ever work for me.” Now if I had followed Gurar path ideology, I’d probably run for a cause, that no matter the outcome, I wasn’t the ultimate benefactor. Like for non-profit that tracks their monetary goals by how many runners/walkers participate. Does this make sense?
He also said maintaining your active lifestyle is possible even in the bedroom. By utilizing your bed and room walls, you can have a workout experience equivalent to what you do in the gym. Below you’ll find workouts suitable for different areas of your room.’
The Wall – Wall sits, Hamstring curls/stretches, Reverse crunches
The Bed – Squats, Incline push-ups, Decline push-ups (make sure you get out of position slowly for proper safety.)
The Floor – Jogging in place, Lunges, Planks, Sit-ups
Other tips Hirash said to keep in mind:
- Stretch – Your muscles can’t thank you enough. Doing any sort of routine without stretching is like running looking for an injury. Makes sure to stretch before and after a workout to prepare the muscles for training and it aids in flexibility.
- Hydrate often! – Drinking several glass of water daily can help with maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but can also clear up skin, help with swelling and inflammation as well as digestion.
- Warm-up before any cardio – Warming up gets your heart ready for what intense cardio you plan on putting your body through. You wouldn’t take your car from 0 mph to 80 mph without slowly accelerating. Unless you’re a drag racer, often ride in the Indy 500 or are in any of the Fast and Furious movies than you answer is no.
- Check out what other amenities your hotel offers – Some hotels have pools, gyms or contracts with nearby places for guests. The Shangri-La had both a gym and pool, which by the way many forget is a great strength training and cardio workout in one.