Q: I am 24 years old and I weigh 70 kg. I used to go to a gym two years ago. Though I never gained any weight or build up my body but I used to be very energetic and carry on other activities like hill climbing, running etc. For the past two years I am in a foreign country pursuing post-graduate studies. I had to undergo a lot of mental stress and had to change my food habits. Back home I used to mostly eat vegetarian food but here I eat meat in every meal. As a result of stress, high intake of meat and no physical activity, I have gained fat on my stomach. I feel low on energy to do any type of activities. I feel tired even if I jog for 5 minutes. This is affecting my confidence to some extent. If my body gets tired in 10 minutes the mind gets tired in 5 minutes. I cannot invest much on the gym or weights. Please suggest some physical, mental and respiratory exercises so that I can get back my stamina and build my body.

A:Exercises have a great role in boosting level confidence in a person. You can start with deep breathing exercises. Sit in a comfortable posture. Deep breath in and out slowly. Repeat this as often as possible. Jogging can be tiring when started suddenly. Go for 1/2 an hour walk everyday. Slowly make it twice a day. Apart from this you can do simple stretches. At your working place get up from your seat every 2 hours and do stretching of arms and hands. After walking for a few days, you can attempt jogging for 5 minutes. Gradually increase this. Non vegetarian items like meat lead to putting on weight. Try to eat more of vegetables and grains.