New Year Countdown: The ultimate 5-week fitness challenge

This workout routine will help you shed those extra kilos before the New Year.

Haven't managed to live up to your fitness goals this year? Don't fret!

With just a month left for the New Year, this 6-week workout will help you fit into that little black dress you plan on wearing on 31st night.

Yes, you heard it right! You can actually get a lot done in just six weeks.

Presenting the first of our 6-week series. Next week we will bring you the second part of this series.

Week 1: Condition yourself

One of the main reasons why people quit the gym soon after joining it, is because they fail to understand their body.

They set themselves up for failure by working out hard and exercising vigorously.

You must take small steps in order to achieve a fitness goal.

Remember the number of years it took you to get out of shape?

Well! You need to give your body that many months to get back in shape.

First things first, understand how fitness works.

Working out is all about exercising your heart and muscles.

In order to figure out the maximum capacity of your heart, you should subtract your age from 220. For example: If you are 40, your maximum heart rate is 180 beats per minute.

So, your aim while working out is to increase your heart rate and bring it close to the maximum.

The higher you go towards your maximum heart rate capacity, the more calories you end up burning.

Tip: You must understand that during the initial stages of work out, it's very easy for your heart to touch its maximum capacity because your body is not well-conditioned.

Smaller steps must be taken when starting out a workout routine regardless of your previous experience in fitness.

Recommended workout routine for week 1:

4 sets of 10 push-ups on the knees

• Get down on your knees and place both your palms to the ground. Make sure the distance between them is a bit wider that your shoulders.
• Contract your abdominal muscles, inhale and slowly bend your elbows and lower your chest until your chin is close to the ground.
• Do not push out your buttocks and make sure your body is straight, from the top of your head to the end of your spine.
• Focus on your breathing and hold that position for 10 seconds. Exhale. Return to the starting position. Repeat.

4 sets of 50 high knees

• Stand upright with your feet apart and hold out your hands straight, at your hip level.
• Contract your abdominal muscles. Make sure to keep your core tight throughout the exercise.
• Begin jogging and eventually, lift your knees higher. Try to touch your knees to your hands.
• Make sure that you are lifting your knees higher so that they can touch your hands, not the other way around. Repeat.

4 sets of 30 sec plank

• Lie face down and position your palms parallel to your shoulders and your feet flexed with your toes on the floor.
• Inhale and slowly raise your body up. Your body should make a straight line from your head to your toes. Tighten your core and buttocks.
• Focus on your breathing and count to ten.
• Slowly exhale and lower your self back to the floor. Repeat.

4 sets of 30 sec V-sit hold

• Lay on the ground with your legs and arms extended in front of you. Inhale and simultaneously lift your chest as well as your legs off the ground. Make sure your legs are at a 45 degree angle and your lower back is touching the floor. Your body should be in a V position.
• Focus on your breathing and hold that pose for 10 seconds.
• Exhale and return to the starting position. Repeat.

4 sets of 15 squats

• Stand with your feet open slightly wider than hip distance apart and pointing slightly outwards.
• Look straight ahead and not down towards the floor. You can keep your hands straight out, parallel to the floor or create a fist.
• Inhale, lower your body by pushing your hips out towards the back. Try and go as low as possible so that your hip joint is parallel to the floor.
• Exhale, press into your heels, and keeping the balls of your feet on the floor, straighten your knees. Repeat.

10 min walk at mild pace

This workout should be completed in 30 minutes.

Tip: Train for one day and rest the second.

Complete this seven-day cycle and then you can move on to the routine for Week 2.

Expect to be sore from the workouts after the first week due to the micro tears in your muscle fibers. But you must make sure to stretch and stay hydrated.

The author is the founder of My Bollywood Body, a popular online fitness platform based in Canada, which promotes the concept of E-Gymmimg.