Q: Owing to the shortage of time, I can exercise only in the morning. Can cardio and weight training exercises be done in the same session? If yes, which one comes first and what should be the gap between the two? What should one eat/drink before and after weight training and cardio exercises respectively? I am an eggetarian. I want to keep fit and avoid putting on weight. Do protein supplements help? Please suggest some good, safe and economical supplements available in India?

A:Any form of exercise will stimulate heart and lungs to maximum activity. Lifting weights too can stimulate the heart and cardiovascular system. I suggest you do simple walking or swimming thrice a week and weight lifting thrice a week to get good results and monotony does not set in. For weight lifting, you should use a variety of combinations which isolate single muscles, regional groups of muscles or total body training. Try and handle heavier weights after rest. If you want to do cardio and weight lifting together, 20 minutes of cardio work out is good enough. Three times a week for weight lifting is ideal to keep muscles working to maximum capacity without soreness and fatigue. As a rule of thumb, 48 hours should elapse between sessions. 1. Take small sips of water during exercise. 2. Do not exercise on an empty stomach. It leads to dehydration. 3. Do not have a heavy breakfast. If you are exercising after breakfast. Half an hour before exercising and about half an hour after exercising for a heavy meal should be good enough. Your height and weight is ideal. I do not think you need any supplements. If you want, you can try whey proteins. They provide essential amino acids, the best PER, the best biological value. You can try Tropicana Nitro FX which will give you 54g per 100g.