Hello and welcome to another edition of the Lounge Fitness roundup. Here at Lounge, we care deeply about your fitness journey, so every week we try to bring you the best possible fitness advice.

This week too we published a bunch of extremely useful articles, and here are three that we feel you should especially read. The first is about how India Inc. in encouraging employees to get fit, the second is about doing challenging workouts with light weights, and the third is about essential summer workout gear.

Ever since the pandemic, Indian companies have been taking extra care to ensure the health and mental wellbeing of their employees. The thinking behind this is tied to the simple idea that a happy and healthy employee equals a happier and more productive worker.

In this story, writer Shrenik Avlani speaks to a number of companies to find out more about the initiatives that they have been pursuing, especially that of setting up sports leagues. A must-read.

It is now a widely recognized fact that in order to challenge yourself and get more fit, you need to mix up your workout. Never let your muscles get used to a long-standing and stale routine.

As writer Pulasta Dhar explains in this story, one of the easiest ways to do so is to shift to lighter weights and start doing more challenging workouts. Whether at the gym, or at home, you can do these anywhere, and enjoy the difference.

Now that summer is here and heatwaves are sweeping across the country, it is extremely important that you make a seasonal change to your workouts and, as a result, to your workout gear.

In this story, Shrenik Avlani brings you five products and health ideas that you will definitely benefit from. It is time to change with the season, and we have just the products for you.

Rucking, otherwise known as “weighted walking”, is an exercise growing in popularity among the time poor. “Strapping on a rucksack turns your daily commute, dash across town or lunchtime stroll into an effective workout session,” explains Farren Morgan, a former Queens Guard, Kings Guard, paratrooper, personal trainer in the British army and the founder of and current coach at The Tactical Athlete. 

As well as eliminating the cost of a gym membership and expensive equipment bar a durable rucksack, it’s also helping you to hit your recommended target of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity per week. 

In fact, this type of weighted walking gives you more bang for your energy-expenditure buck. Scientists estimate that the added weight increases the amount of energy needed to move at the same pace you would minus the load. 

“Rucking allows soldiers to acclimatise their bodies to the rigours of combat operations, developing the strength, endurance, and mental resilience necessary to perform effectively and carry heavy loads in challenging environments,” Farren explained.

While recently #rucking has amassed over 19.3 million views on TikTok, it’s not a new phenomenon. Anthropological studies of our human ancestors suggest that loaded walking is a physical activity that modern humans evolved to excel at.

Tread lightly to avoid injury. “Familiarising yourself with the right equipment, terrain, nutrition and hydration is key,” Morgan advises. “Start with a manageable weight [see our guide below] and increase gradually as you acclimatise.”

Three ways to begin your rucking journey

“Good posture is key,” says Morgan. “Stand tall, keep your shoulders relaxed, and your core engaged, with a walking roll from heel to toe or light midsole strike for running.”

Syncing your arm swing to the opposite leg stride and breath can encourage both good gait rhythm and posture, he notes. “Add speed intervals, inclines, or longer strides if conversation is easy, pace feels maintainable, or your heart rate measures low on tech. However if you’re breathless, experiencing pain, or losing form, dial it back.”

Fitness trainer and powerlifter Sarah Willis (@mindovermusclept), competes in competitions every year, and stopped her tough workout to chat about fitness.

She explained that taking time out of your routine to prioritise your health can often seem like a difficult task to fulfil, but something that you’ll always benefit from, both physically and mentally.

She said: “A massive thing for me is female empowerment. I’ve never felt as empowered as I do walking into the gym, feeling strong, and knowing I can lift heavy.”

Gym bro Tabi Emosi was heading up to work after a tough workout, and stopped to chat about the impact exercise has on his life, and his friend’s lives.

He said: “Even my boy only started working out last year – but he got in shape, and now he notices little things… like people wanna speak to him more, it’s an ice-breaker for him, like ‘oh, bro you look good!’.

“Your self-esteem is better, too, and you carry that when you’re talking to people.”

Sarah motioned that she often gets “post-comp blues”, and explained: “You’ve worked six/seven months towards this day, and that’s it… then you’re like ‘what now?’, and it’s difficult to get back into routine after that… it’s strange, yeah.”