AsiaSpa

asiaSpa India March-April 2016 95

SAMIR SUHAG
Polo Player

Wellness is your body in perfect shape
Wellness is the perfect combination of
a fit body and a perfect state of mind. It
is probably the hardest thing to achieve,
but once you attain it, there’s no looking
back. Being fit is just the physical state,
where the body can go on for hours
without taking a beating. Wellness,
however, would be the addition of the
ideal state of mind and the health of
the entire body added to the fitness.
Wellness is the body in its perfect shape
from inside and outside.

Polo is one of the toughest sports
When playing polo, one has to control
the ball at speeds of 40 kilometres per
hour while handling a horse. So, the
amount of fitness required for this
sport in completely different. The
combination of cardio strength and
flexibility has to be almost perfect.
During the polo season, I prefer to do
cardio along with floor exercises and

stretching. I try and stay away from

weights during this period. In the off

season, however, I focus on muscle

building. I also do a mix of cycling,

swimming and stretching.

Stretch bands come in handy

when I travel

It is difficult to maintain the same

workout routine when I travel, but I

try to create a routine that I can follow

when I am on the go. Some great

workout routines can be done using

stretch bands, which have helped me

stay in shape when I am not in the gym.

Stress makes things worse

My workplace is the field, so it doesn’t

stress me out. I know all days aren’t the

same. One day, things are in control and

the other, no matter how hard you try,

things are not how you want them to be.

There’s no point losing your cool over

things that are out of your control. In

fact, getting stressed just makes things

worse. If at all I am under the weather, I

play with my children – be it a game of

tennis with Yash or some cycle polo or

outback riding with Sanya.

I eat chocolate when I am playing

I don’t follow a strict diet plan. Having

said that, I am also careful about what

I eat. My wife makes sure I eat all

vegetables and fruits. I am also a big fan

of a high protein diet. I make sure that

my breakfast is heavy, and because I am

mostly playing in the afternoon, lunch

is light. I eat chocolate whenever I am

playing – it helps keep me on my toes.

If you work out enough, extra calories

won’t do much harm

I have cheat days, but I believe that as

long as you work out enough, a few

extra calories won’t do any harm. It’s

more important not to skip the gym.

• CHARU SHARMA