Miss-Fit 

1. I have heard that sleeping well helps in losing weight. How true is it?
Sleeping doesn’t help lose weight per se. It helps keep your mouth zipped from unwanted calories. If you are awake past bedtime, you will be engaged in some activities and dinner would have been digested so you tend to get hungry and look out for some small bites and gain weight. What helps in losing weight is calorie deficit and calorie expenditure via exercise and movement.  We do burn around 50 calories an hour while we sleep, but these numbers vary from person to person. 

2. Does the weather play any role in burning fat?

You shouldn’t yield to temptation as this weather makes you crave hot and spicy foods like samosa, pakora, bhaji, chaats etc. So watch out for those unwanted calories. The cold weather doesn’t translate to sustained weight loss. The shiver-induced hormone boost does burn extra calories to keep the body warm but it won’t leave the same long-lasting effects on  metabolism as regular trips to the gym.

3. There is a lot of news about people having cardiac arrests while in the gym. Is it a possible side effect of working out?

No way, not at all. I am not sure if this can be due to a combination of vaccination, intense workouts and supplements. I would discourage heavy-duty workouts and supplements like fat burners, steroids, etc. Instead, aim for general fitness and a clean diet.

Wanitha Ashok is a Fit India Movement Ambassador and celebrity fitness coach