Our chairs seem to be the new lean-mean killer machines. And the money we spent buying those clean running shoes, the brand new gym clothes and the determination to lay off those extra pounds are all praiseworthy goals.

But then again, we live in an age of fads. When one sizzles out, ten new are already making their way across social media pages. Fitness groups that keep each other motivated through the first few days of gym-induced pain, some people even have “global groups” as if we did not have enough people in our country, to begin with.

So what is all this fuss about fads? Are they even worth following?

Let’s discuss five such fitness fads that must not be followed blindly.

This fad has taken the world by storm, with many people claiming to have shed several kilos within months. Now the thing with intermittent fasting is that it is not one formula that fits all. To begin with, there are six different types of fasting-

• Spontaneous meal skipping where you have the freedom to skip any two meals every week
• An alternate day fast
• A 24-hour complete fast that you must follow twice every week
• A 5:2 fast where you restrict your calorie intake for two days in a week
• The warrior diet where you eat nothing all day and have a large meal at night to spontaneous
• And the 16:8 diet where you pick an 8-hour window in the day to have your meals.

The problem with these types of fasting is that you cannot sustain them for long. For the first few weeks, you will see symptoms of weakness, fatigue, headache, and lethargy. This may prompt one to give up the diet trend soon. Plus, every person is different — their body type, immunity levels, metabolism ratio and even work routines. Thus, fasting intermittently does not work for all.

Try going for low-calorie foods instead that will keep you full for a long time without adding on to your calorie count. Flax seeds, chia seeds, and pumpkin seeds are some excellent examples of such snacks.