Fun workouts for beauty queens

For Nupur Shikare, the fitness trainer for ‘I am She' — the official preliminary to the Miss Universe 2011 contest, working out is not just about bicep curls, an hourglass figure or six packs. “More than a good body or looks, fitness is to maintain an ideal well-toned body. It is a 360-degree effort involving flexibility, endurance, stamina and nutritional diet,” he says.

Having worked closely with Bollywood actors including Sushmita Sen, the brain behind the ‘I am She' programme, Shikare was able to design a strict but balanced fitness regime for the contestants.

“Most models just desire a toned body and indulge in crash diets, overdo certain workouts, dress shabbily. But the end result is far from what they desire.

“The right way is to balance good diet and workout,” he says.

After five years in fitness training, Nupur launched his brand Fitnessism in 2010. He is one of the few people in the country who teach the Brazilian martial art Capoeira, which cleverly masquerades as dance. “It is an excellent workout that involves not only the whole body but also tests mental alertness,” says Shikare, who included a few Capoeira workouts for the ‘I am She' contestants.

Tracing its origins to descendants of African slaves in Brazil, the Capoeira is marked by quick and complex moves, including power kicks and leg sweeps, ground and aerial acrobatics, knee strikes, take-downs, elbow strikes, punches and head-butts.

“It is more like a conversation, a close game of question and answer,” Shikare says. Long popular in Europe and Africa, it has now made its way into Indian cities and is growing in popularity, he says.

His Fitnessism is a blend of various exercise styles, including martial art forms, and aims to make the workouts enjoyable and relaxing. “Even the most hardcore fitness freak will admit that exercise can be boring. Besides, many gyms are austere and the atmosphere puts off all but the most highly motivated,” he says.

His workout sessions are conducted outdoors and last 45 minutes each. “We make use of basic objects in our surroundings, like gunny bags or car tyres, to design our workout sessions. It becomes much more fun. Making workout sessions a pleasurable experience can bring about desirable results within no time,” he adds.