Fitness has a different definition for people, while for someone it may mean being an ideal weight, for others it may be gaining muscle. And all of these have different types of exercises, diets and other lifestyle changes which will help them reach their goal in a reasonable amount of time. One thing that everyone must understand is that you cannot rush fitness, but you can maximize your ability to reach your goal quicker. Maximizing means making the most of the opportunity, for example, you have an hour to exercise every day and you wish to lose weight, to maximize your opportunity you must fit in cardio that allows you to burn calories easily like Stairmaster, running on an inclination, as well as weightlifting. And on the other hand, if you wish to gain muscle, you will focus more on weights and lifting the most you can. Muscle gain is said to be a difficult task as you are practically depending on the wear and tear of your muscles to build them bigger.

While there are many ways to gain muscle periodization has shown to have better results in the long run.

What Is Periodization?

Think of periodization as planning your workouts like a coach plans a game. Instead of just showing up and doing the same thing every time, you break your training into different stages, each with a specific goal. It's like building a house, you don't start by putting on the roof! You lay the foundation first. Periodization helps you do the same with your fitness. You might spend some time focusing on building a base level of fitness, then move on to building strength, and then maybe work on power or speed. By changing things up regularly, you keep your body guessing and avoid hitting plateaus. It's all about working smarter, not just harder.

Periodization isn't just some random idea, it's based on how our bodies work. When you exercise, your body experiences stress. It reacts to this stress in a predictable way, going through different stages. Periodization uses this knowledge to its advantage. It pushes your body just enough to make it adapt and get stronger, but not so much that it gets worn out and injured. Think of it in food terms, not too hot, not too cold, but just right. Some of the benefits of periodization include getting stronger or faster, avoiding overtraining which can actually make you weaker! preventing injuries, staying motivated because you have a plan, and seeing consistent progress over time.

Can Periodization Be Used For Other Sports?

Periodization is a discipline that can be applied in many places. Periodization isn't just for bodybuilders or athletes; it can help anyone who exercises.

It can be used for strength training, if your goal is to build muscle, periodization helps you cycle through different phases to maximize growth. It is also useful for people who are into endurance training like runners, swimmers, and cyclists use it to prepare for long events by focusing on different energy systems. For athletes in all sports use periodization to peak at the right time and avoid getting injured during training. Even in bodybuilding, where the focus is on aesthetics, periodization plays a key role in maximizing muscle growth and achieving that competition-ready physique.

Putting periodization into practice takes some planning. First, you need to know your goals. What do you want to achieve? Then, choose a periodization model that fits your goals and how much experience you have. Next, divide your training year into phases, each with a specific purpose. This might be a few weeks or a few months long. Then, adjust your training volume which depends on how much you do, intensity which is how hard you work), and exercises to match each phase.

Your date of birth indicates your chronological age, but it may not reflect the actual picture of how your body is ageing. According to Dr Prateek Sharma, professor of medicine at the University of Kansas, simple measures like grip strength, walking speed and VO₂ max could help assess a person’s biological age and life span.

Speaking at a session on Longevity in the Indian Context: Diet, Supplements and Myths, Sharma said the focus is gradually shifting from simply asking how long people live to how many years they can remain healthy and functional.

He said, “Soon, biological age will be measured through indicators such as epigenetics, grip strength, gait and VO2 max, rather than chronological age.”

Biological Age Is Not Equal To Actual Age

Chronological age is the number of years that passed since you were born. Biological age, on the other hand, captures how your well body is functioning as years pass and how quickly it may be ageing.

Two people who are both 50 may have very different levels of muscle strength, cardiovascular fitness, metabolic health, and mobility.

Factors That Shape Healthy Ageing

Dr. Sharma says that apart from genes, lifestyle and environment factors play a key role in healthy ageing.

He said, “Genes are important. Genes load the gun, but environment and lifestyle are the ones that pull the trigger as well.”

He added that factors including diet, sleep, physical activity and environment can substantially influence healthy ageing.

Also read: French Court Links Flight Attendant’s Breast Cancer To Workplace Radiation; How Does Flying Increase Cancer Risk?

What Grip Strength Can Tell About Your Biological Age?

Lower grip strength has often been associated with conditions including frailty and sarcopenia. Additionally, research has linked poor grip strength with higher risks of hospitalisation and mortality.

A 2024 review described handgrip strength as a potentially useful health biomarker, although the measurement also needs to account for factors like age, sex and complete body size.

It is important to note that there is no single grip-strength number that can tell everyone their biological age.

Also read: Study Finds The Wealthiest Americans Had Higher Mortality Than The Poorest Europeans

Walking Speed Can Measure Healthy Ageing

The way a person walks can also provide signs about their physical function. Gait speed reflects how multiple systems work together. These systems include muscle strength, balance, coordination, cardiovascular fitness and neurological function.

A slow walking pace can therefore sometimes be an early sign of declining physical function and poor biological age.

Despite promising findings, expert caution that mobility tests are not sureshot ways for predicting lifespan. They are better considered as screening tools that can alert doctors to possible health issues that require further assessment.

Auriel Willette, an expert in brain ageing from Rutgers University said, “A poor or declining result is a reason for a health professional to investigate why function is changing, rather than gauging how long someone will live.”

Grip strength and gait are greatly influenced by age, body composition, injuries, neurological conditions, physical activity, overall fitness, and other lifestyle factors. A temporary decline may not necessarily mean a person is ageing rapidly.

Doctors can potentially use these findings to measures the loss of strength or mobility early. It could help them decide when interventions like exercise, nutrition and treatment of underlying health problems may help.

For years, people trying to lose weight have been told that slow and steady is the safest and most sustainable approach. But a new study is challenging that long-standing advice.

Researchers found that losing weight more quickly may actually lead to greater weight loss that can be maintained over time.

The findings, presented at the European Congress on Obesity 2026, followed 284 adults with obesity, around 90% of whom were women. Researchers compared a rapid weight-loss method with a more gradual approach.

What Did The Study Find?

During the first 16 weeks, participants in the rapid weight-loss group followed a low-calorie diet that started below 1,000 calories a day and gradually increased to around 1,500 calories. The gradual-loss group consumed approximately 1,400 calories a day.

Those in the rapid-loss group lost an average of 12.9% of their body weight during the first 16 weeks, compared with 8.1% among those following the gradual approach. But the researchers were particularly interested in what happened after the initial weight-loss phase.

Both groups subsequently entered a 36-week weight-maintenance program, receiving regular support and guidance on maintaining healthy eating habits.

After one year, the rapid-loss group had still lost more weight overall, averaging 14.4% of their starting body weight, compared with 10.5% in the gradual-loss group.

Also read: Meniscus Tears: Why Runners & Athletes Shouldn't Ignore This Common Knee Injury

Does This Mean Fast Weight Loss Is Better?

The study challenges the idea that rapid weight loss automatically leads to weight regain. It does not mean people should drastically cut back calories or attempt crash diets.

HealthandMe spoke to Dr Rajiv Kovil, Diabetes & Obesity Specialist, S L Raheja Hospital, to understand which approach is truly sustainable for long-term weight loss.

He says, “Scientifically, this reinforces an important concept: the speed of initial weight loss and the sustainability of weight loss are not necessarily opposites. Larger early weight loss may provide metabolic benefits, improve mobility and motivation, and give patients a greater “weight-loss buffer” before biological pressures favouring regain become prominent.”

One of the most important details is that the rapid-loss programme was structured and professionally supervised, with consistent support after the initial weight-loss period.

He further explains, “This was rapid, medically structured weight loss—not unsupervised crash dieting. Participants received continued behavioural and weight-regain-prevention support. Moreover, the results are currently reported from a conference presentation rather than a fully peer-reviewed publication, and body-composition and energy-expenditure data were not reported.”

Dr Kovil goes on to say that truly sustainable weight loss should never revolve around the number of kilograms lost.

He said, “The message therefore is not “faster is always better.” It is that obesity treatment should move away from an arbitrary obsession with the rate of kilograms lost.”

Dr Marie Spreckley of the University of Cambridge said the study involved an intensive intervention with frequent professional support, meaning the results may not necessarily translate to unsupervised dieting in everyday life.

Dr Dimitrios Koutoukidis of the University of Oxford also cautioned that the study was based on limited data from a conference abstract and mostly involved women.

Also read: Walking Becomes Harder With Age Not Just Due To Weaker Muscles; Study Says Your Ankles May Be To Blame Too

Why Slow Weight Loss Has Been Recommended?

The traditional argument is that gradual weight loss is easier to maintain and may reduce the risk of losing muscle or encourage weight regain.

But experts say the new findings suggest the speed of weight loss itself may not be the main factor determining whether weight comes back. What may matter more is what happens after the weight comes off.

Dr Adam Collins of the University of Surrey noted that metabolic adaptation and reductions in lean mass appear to relate more closely to the total amount of weight lost than simply how quickly it was lost.

Dr Kovil concludes, “In obesity medicine, the real endpoint is not how slowly you lose weight—it is how safely you lose fat, preserve muscle and maintain the metabolic benefit. Sustainability is determined less by the speed of weight loss and more by the quality and continuity of long-term treatment.”

If there is something common to active individuals, then it is the habit of downplaying knee pain as "just a strain." Runners complete races despite feeling some discomfort, weekend football enthusiasts freeze their knees and return to the game, while fitness lovers believe that the pain will go away after a few days of rest.

Sometimes the pain fades away. Yet sometimes it remains, showing signs of a meniscus tear, one of the most common knee injuries among active individuals.

What Is A Meniscus Tear?

The meniscus is a semi lunar ‘C’ shaped fibrocartilage structure that acts as a shock absorber between the thigh bone and the shin bone. The meniscus cushions the knee and stabilizes the joint every time the person runs, jumps, squats, or turns.

In case of awkward knee twisting (especially when the foot is firmly pressed to the ground), the meniscus can be torn. Such injury can be often found in sports such as football, basketball, tennis, and badminton, as well as among leisure runners.

Also read: Walking Becomes Harder With Age Not Just Due To Weaker Muscles; Study Says Your Ankles May Be To Blame Too

What Happens If You Keep Running On A Torn Meniscus?

Many people mistakenly believe that a meniscus tear is always accompanied by severe pain. In reality, many people will continue running or playing after the injury as the symptoms are manageable at first. Patients may experience swelling within the same day, pain when going up the stairs, or experiencing the knee catching or being unable to completely straighten. These are the red flags that should be addressed, and not ignored.

Disregarding any of these symptoms can be detrimental. Continuing to stress the damaged knee may lead to aggravating the tear and putting more strain on the adjacent cartilage, thus increasing chances of developing early osteoarthritis. The sooner the injury is diagnosed, the higher chances a person receives help with preserving the meniscus, which is extremely important for the knee function for many years.

Also read: What Is Zone 2 Cardio? The Workout Everyone Is Talking About

Does Every Meniscus Tear Need Surgery?

Treatment performed in each case is not identical. Minor tears may be treated with physiotherapy, modification of a person’s lifestyle, and specific exercises aimed at making the muscles supporting the knee stronger. Severe tears or ones that cause recurrent locking or instability of the joint require certain surgical intervention like arthroscopic repair or balancing.

Probably, the most disregarded part of the process of healing is rehabilitation. Pain can go away before the knee gets its strength back, and that is the reason for many athletes getting injured again. A systematic return to activity helps to promote optimal healing for the knee.

When Should Athletes Seek Medical Advice?

If you are someone who likes to run or play sport, knee pain should never be an issue that becomes accepted. Often your body can let you know when there is something wrong. Paying attention to those early signs and being quick to seek medical advice can mean the situation can be managed properly.

By Dr. Attique Vasdev, Vice Chairman, Orthopaedics, Medanta Gurugram