Smita is a good friend who is only 55 but has the fitness of a hyperactive 5 year old. Earlier was operations head at Abs, one of the largest chain of gyms in Pune. ICC on SB Road and Magarpatta are the biggest centers for Abs. Annual individual collections are upwards of 3 cr from each of these two gyms. Had invited her to have a chat with the Bulls Eye Pune team on fitness. Here are the excerpts:

• An interesting check for obesity is the waist to hip ratio. The waist is usually the narrowest portion of the body. The hip is the area around your pelvis. A good ratio is 0.8. Above 1 is obesity.
• Fitness is 20% exercise, 80% diet
• Main source of carbohydrates are rice, breads and rotis. We usually overdo the carbo in our diets. Advice is that if you like the dal so much, just have the dal, why have that extra roti with it?
• Protein comes from Tofu, Paneer, Sprouts, Dal, Dahi, Eggs, and meat.
• Oil in diet is important. It lubricates the joints. It helps in making the skin supple. How much oil do we need to have? 3 tea spoons of oil per person per day. So add the number of family members that you have and measure out those many teaspoons of oil in a jar. That is all that you have to use in one day.
• Fat in the body is used to line nerves. Nutrients are usually fat-soluble. Usual proportions of fat in our body is 8-18% for males and 18-22% for females.
• Given a choice, prefer the wheat maggi noodles over the normal one.
• Consume one banana 1-1.5 hour before a high intensity activity. 
• If you want weight loss – banana and custard apple are not fruits you may want to eat.
• Mango and seasonal fruits are a good source of Vitamin A.
• Brown rice, which is unpolished, takes time to digest as it is a complex carbohydrate. These are better than simple carbohydrates.
• For vegetarians, flax seeds (also known as linseed) are a good source of Omega 3.
• The weight of muscles is 7 times more the weight of fat. So throw away the weighing scale – as it is measuring the wrong thing. 
• Skeletal muscle mass gives you strength , power; shape and structure and most importantly, increases your metabolism. 
• Most people have back problems because of bad posture. Just being conscious of that will reduce your problem.  
• The male body is blessed with hormone Testestorone and large major muscle groups which helps in building muscle mass.
• The body is designed for physical movement. Kind of exercises that are recommended: Brisk walking – above 6 kmph,jogging,swimming,long distance running,etc
• Cardio exercise should always be done in the outdoors
• In exercise, historical improvement is important
• Increase duration or intensity of exercise. Target heart rate calculation.
• Maximum heart rate allowed is 220 – Age = 176 in my case. Your exercising needs to take you up to 80% of this rate = 176*0.8 = 140

Whenever you expect to do something which is equivalent of a marathon, give the body complete rest for 24 hours.