"Understanding My Body Series" (Continued)

2. Sing “My Body is a Wonderland”- LOVE YOUR BODY!

OK, first of all my apologies for the late post. Most of you know that I am moving to Melbourne for work, and the last few days had to be spent totally into the wrap-up. But don’t worry, we gonna catch up nice and fine :-). This one comes from one of Bangkok’s lovely airport lounges, so read with the Thai hospitality pampering you :-)

So HERE is the next most important thing to focus on, after The Trio- LOVING YOUR BODY!

Before we get to understand the why/ how of that, lets recall what we would typically do something/ someone we are in love with (and further suggestions are welcome!):-

1. Love means Never having to say I’m Sorry!: Yes, those immortal words from the epic novel “Love Story”. And it starts with this, when it comes to loving your body too- give it, and yourself- SPACE! Both will commit mistakes, but still both will need to watch each other’s back and not give up on one another- just keep coming back to one another, no matter what.

2. Love warrants Care, Protection for the one you Love: “Give, before you expect in return” they say. And the same works when it comes to being in love with your own body. Before you expect it to give you those results on looks, performance, and overall health, you need to be caring for it, protect it from prolonged and undue stress, and treat it like it needs to be treated- A SUPERSTAR’S BODY :-). She’s yours, after all- remember?

3. To Love is to Sacrifice: Has someone ever asked you- “what all would you give away for being with me”? And what did you say? Well, guess what- your love affair with your body will warrant sacrifices- of things that you may love the most- that lazy sitting on the couch each evening, the frequent flights to your favourite fast food joints every weekend, and maybe even that regular smoke, or drinking contests at parties. And when you are good enough, she will love you back. When your body loves you back, believe me, it’s the most beautiful thing that would ever be.

4. To Love is to RESPECT: No one needs an explanation on what this means. Without a degree of respect, no love lasts- no matter what its initial intensity is. Similarly, unless one doesn’t learn to respect the interests of his/ her body and strive to meet them, all fitness peaks would be temporary and the person would keep slipping down the pits, as soon as his/ her motivation sees a dip. Respect for your body will protect it always- even from yourself.

5. Talk to me, Baby: All of them writers made millions of bucks giving out this one sermon- COMMUNICATE IN YOUR RELATIONSHIPS! Irony is, we still tend to miss on that. Talking to your body- understanding what it wants, and prepping it in advance for what you want from it- is perhaps the gist of this complete write. This spans the entire Trio of exercise, diet, and rest. Developing this dialogue with one’s body takes time, and will perfect over time. But being on it from the first day is non-negotiable and very important. Do you love her enough? Well if you do, you gotta learn to listen to her.

6. Love me for what I am, not what you want me to be: It is important to love your body the way it is TODAY, for it to beautify further and become your desired body of tomorrow. Walk to that mirror and see her respond each day to your hard-work on The Trio. Hating one’s looks, being ashamed of your body, is the worse feedback you could give to her. And that’s not going to help her one bit to live up to your dream. So love your body like it is today, and it will make you very proud tomorrow.

7. To Love is to LIVE!: Love teaches one to live. And once you are in love with your body, the very meaning of life as a whole will change. This transformation is not something that can be put in words- it is for each one of us out there to walk the path ourselves and experience it. At THIS point, most of us would have covered 50% path towards our fitness goal!

Being in love with your body is a current thing, not a thing of the future. It protects our bodies from our own selves most of the times, since our schedules and business priorities sacrifice bodily interests at the drop of a hat. There are sacrifices that you would make to give loving attention to your body, and there has to be a rigor in doing that.

But all that said- it also means never having to say sorry. You would make mistakes- and your body also at times would not yield all that you want from it. Both of you need to figure out a middle and win-win path from there.

My Confessions and Realizations:

My idea of fitness was punishing my body into DOING WHAT I WANTED IT TO DO- at work, in the gym, while sleeping, while eating, even while resting. It was stressing my body all the more, and the poor thing would keep trying to guess what I want from her, while I would never give her a patient ear to understand what she wants.

This lead to a lot of problems including ill-health, injuries, even surgeries in my case.

I then realized that this exploitative behaviour from me is not helping my body one bit. With some guidance from a gym trainer and reading some books, I got to understand my mistakes.

I still make mistakes. But I love her, so I don’t say “I’m Sorry” :-)

“Understanding My Body Series” will continue with 4 more posts on understanding the basics. I request your most serious attention right now, as this will form the foundation core of your fit future. I am back in a couple of hours from Melbourne with the next post, and we would have caught up on last week’s lost time.

Understanding My Body Series- The “Trio Foundation”

Hi everyone! Thank you for your enthusiastic response and messages- you kept me busy whole last week responding to your emails and queries, and I am really Honored by your enthusiasm for this site!

In this series, we will focus on understanding our body- before we actually jump to fitness routines etc. This is of vital importance, since without the basic knowledge of how this works; one is bound to make costly mistakes in her/ his fitness journey.

The “Trio Foundation”

The foundation of the human body’s fitness is primarily governed by “The Trio”- three basic factors (can’t get simpler, eh):

1. REST (sleep- the time when internal organs can rest and skeletal tissue can repair)

2. DIET (but of course)

3. EXERCISE (includes our overall activity profile- not just workouts, not just squash games)

Think about The Trio as three dots in an equilateral triangle. Even if one of them moves from its original position, the triangle won’t be equilateral anymore- and the rest of the 2 dots will need to readjust themselves to get the formation back on track. The FIRST thing one needs to realize about fitness- without a proper balance between The Trio in one’s life, holistic fitness is impossible.

I know that would emancipate some sighs and “I don’t agree” lines, but true it is. A lot of us (which included me of course) fall into the trap of believing that even though one is sleeping less than 4 hours a day and eating on practically anything that comes by during that working lunch, further pushing oneself hard on the gym floor would be a great investment to one’s fitness.

Which it is not.

And there are very sad stories around us that I don’t want to directly quote here, but which prove that this imbalance is good enough to kill perfectly “fit and healthy looking” people.

All of us studied about the “Early Man”- I am sure saw pictures of him/ her too. Ever wondered why you never saw the picture of the Early Man with a paunch? It is simple- The Trio in their bodies was perfectly balanced- they slept full, ate right, and their lives were full of physical activities (of course, all those complex gym machines hadn’t been invented back then!).

A very important factor to fitness is that one should realize their situation, look for the right balance between rest-exercise-diet, and follow a regime that is suited specifically to their body. “How”- is that your next question? Well, the next few posts will delve deeper into that. But as a rule of thumb, here is what a perfect trio balance would look like:

1. REST- Sleep for 8 hours each day

2. DIET- Eating all dietary requirements in balanced proportions (including water, carbs, proteins, fats, fibre). Also includes NOT starving

3. EXERCISE- Figure out your calling- gym/ sports/ activities- but use that skeletal structure fully

Remember- I said “rule of thumb”. There are very few days in my life where I get to meet the above three. But I readjust the dots, as explained above. It has taken time and I have found the right ways to do that after committing some mistakes, but once I did understand how/ when my body needs this readjustment, life became a breeze. So it’s important to understand that there will be deviations, and if one is working towards holistic fitness, those deviations would be negated by The Trio.

What to Do to Fix My Trio

Glad you are asking. Very simply (and in this particular order of importance)-

1. Give yourself adequate rest. Sleep adequately- try to restore your sleep every 3 days if you are in a very tough schedule (total sleep time in 3 days should be between 22-24 hrs)- don’t push harder than three days because after that, your body will start reacting with defense measures to the additional stress- the first line of defense?- PRODUCE MORE PROTECTIVE (FAT!!) TISSUE.

2. “Know” what you are eating- counting calories is tough and doesn’t work for all, but knowing the food that you eat helps. Also, keep to limits with your portions, and eat at least 6 meals a day (don’t fall of, it’s doable, I’ve done it, and it works. We’ll talk of that in coming posts).

3. Stay Active. Good news is that most of us try and do something here, so this one I am not too bothered about till the time you get the first two right. For extreme cases who aren’t doing anything here- with all due respect- find your calling and move that ***. Future posts lined up for this one too.

Remember:

Fitness is a way of life, and it doesn’t come easy. It needs discipline and thought to itself

This TAKES TIME. And it shouldn’t matter to you how much time. It’s a complete life that you will live in your body- so invest into it worthily

The good news is- The Trio is your foundation, and many times just about all that you need to do in your schedule. It’s important to fall into the habit, if you are really serious about getting and staying fit

My Confessions and Realizations:

I was never a very active person for most of my past life- “slug” was the right word to define me. What does an inactive person do when he realizes he is too fat? He starves- and that’s what I did at times. And all this didn’t really help my fitness much. I was a fat but weak person, who would occasionally commit heroics at the gym- only to end up being weaker.

I had this liking for tennis though, and when I started playing tennis seriously (around 7 years back), I realized that my body is not as fit as I think it is.

I then joined a gym which had a fitness and diet coach, and they guided me to this gyan. That gyan worked- and I have seen it working for many, not just me.

I have been a sheer foodie, and like to eat food that I love, in heavy quantities! I also love chocolates, and cannot live without them. But when I got my Trio in place, that changed a bit. I still eat all that I love (including chocolates), just keep my knowledge around what I eat, and it’s good enough to keep my fitness.

So start working on your Trio from today. It will not matter if you don’t succeed right away (which you will not, it takes time and practice), but once you start on it, the future posts coming in will benefit you immensely.

So I am back to you again this Saturday- and it’s only going to get better- now that I have so many of you interacting with me! Keep happy, and be healthy.

Where Do I Want to Go? - Setting My Fitness Goal

It HAS TO start with this. The longer I took to understand this and kept trying to act smart, the tougher it became. So my opening request- please spare time to fix your fitness goal first.

Here is what a fitness goal could be like:

> Simply getting to feel better and staying positive

> Reversing the years- getting some of my teenage energy back

> Protect myself from a family history of diabetes, heart trouble, cancer, high BP, arthritis, and others

> Specially for women- Getting back to shape post a pregnancy/ caesarean section

> Manage my existing ailments- overcoming them and coming back to the mainstream of fit women and men

> Reduce weight/ Define Body Shape/ Increase Stamina

> Help me reduce stress in my life and work

And here’s what a fitness goal SHOULD NOT be like (and I’m being practical):

> “Burn” Fat

> Build bigger biceps

> Have a 4/6/8/10…100 pack abdominal line (see my pack before I die)

> Getting back into all my old clothes/ fit into that 24” CK Jeans

> Spice up my midriff for that sexy dress I want to wear to that marriage/ party

> Be able to run 15 km in 30 minutes once again

> Help me be more productive (Hell yes, believe it or nuts, one of us actually said that to me once)

Here’s the deal about the “Don’ts” list- they are still goals, but they are not FITNESS goals. My ideal fitness goal will be holistic, and encompass more than just a wishlist.

Note: For all of us who have a medical condition, it doesn’t bite to visit the Doc again and check with her/ him on the feasibility of our fitness goal. It’s the mission statement to my bodily enterprise, so spending time and effort in deciding on it is probably the best health decision you would ever make.

So go create your goal, and we will meet again the coming Wednesday with more. Do write to me if I could be of assistance in helping you decide on your fitness goal.

My Confessions and Realizations:

I made a lot of mistakes here. I almost had all the bad goals listed above, and took almost a year to rehabilitate myself. What I have put here is the crux of a series of hard-earned realizations.

I was lucky to be around with a girl who is very fit, and observing her, I realized that fitness is not just about exercise or getting to a diet- it’s a lifestyle thing, and my whole existence needs to come together in one piece in order for me to be fit. That’s when it really changed for me.

Look forward to your questions and suggestions. Till we talk next time- glow, my Dears!

Life Tricked Me into Health

THANK YOU!!

You actually read my e-mail invite and came to see this place! That's very sweet of you :-)

Before we go further, would you take a moment to CLICK HERE and subscribe to this blog? That would really encourage me to go further, and make this journey a lot more fun!

A GOOD LIFE is what we all want- a life full of fun, success, progress, and comfort. Though I had most of it all the time, never really realized it. I was always cribbing (still do sometimes) and felt defeated (still do at times!), not realizing what I already had to make life sing to me.

My life ain't perfect yet- I don't think it would ever be- but yes, its a lot sexier. Thanks to my improving (and still improving) health.

 I always thought that being fit is not for us corporates- hell, where's the time to even think of anything- 5 days of crazy work, one day of house work, and the last day fizzles out just in the whining and sheer horror of seeing that Monday sunrise :-(

Won't go into the details- one day that changed- when I actually messed something in my body real bad, and I almost got admitted to a hospital. Pardon my vocab- phat gayi thi.

I came out of it- thanks to:

> My adapting a fit lifestyle, and

> CHASING MY FITNESS GOAL LIKE A KID- WITHOUT USING TOO MUCH OF MY WISE BRAIN.

 I intend to share this journey with all of you, in a sincere endeavor to provide my dearest friends the opportunity to have a more fulfiling life, by living healthy.

 This will be a non-political forum always- any kind of questions and feedback welcome, and I promise to write short and easy-to-read posts 2 times each week. I would LOVE to hear how your fitness is doing, and maybe we could share our individual stories with each other- to eventually meet the purpose of this blog.

Ciao, and watch out this space. Together, let's become, and make Corporate India healthy.