| Kippreport.com

Zero to hero

November 18, 2010 9:32 by Jay Akasie

There are other, more subtle factors to consider when executives working in the Gulf attempt to improve their lifestyles. “In a place like Dubai, it’s easy for people to think they’re on one long holiday, even though they’ve come here to live,” says Hodgson. “There’s a massive social impact on fitness regimes when people move to a fun tourist destination.”

Rounding out the fitness evaluation are things like the peak flow test, which tests lung capacity, and the ‘sit-and-reach’ test, which tests flexibility. The latter test is one of the most important for someone like me – the weekend fitness warrior who assumes a rigorous workout gets the job done. Too often, says Hodgson, people who are training with weights are shortening their muscles but aren’t bothering to stretch enough before and after sessions. So they’re not maximizing their time in the gym.

That brings up another issue frazzled executives face in the gym – not exercising the right combination of muscles. For every reaction, there’s a reaction. I learned the same goes for muscles. If you’re going to spend time pushing, spend as much effort pulling with the same set of muscles. “Muscle imbalances create tightness and muscles weakness,” Hodgson says.

I’m happy to report that with only a few days in my month-long experiment to go, my muscles are enjoying more strength than they’ve had in years. One of the most dramatic moments in “Supersize Me” was when the doctor told the star to halt his fast- food experiment. I never faced such a do-or-die moment, but what I figured out was that getting fit isn’t about extreme behavior. It’s about pacing yourself and doing whatever you can to meet your goals.

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