Sweating it out to stay in shape
We were enjoying a gettogether organised by a common friend’s place the other day. It was a cheerful and chirpy evening as we gossiped, relishing delicacies spread on the table. All was well till a slim friend hopped on to the weighing scale and announced her perfect BMI (body mass index). Many of us were annoyed. Though all of us aren’t foodies yet the rest of the time was spent keeping a check on ourselves.
We returned home with some food for thought. The next day as we sat together, we rummaged through health magazines looking for tips to stay healthy and fit. We resolved to be careful and cautious in our eating habits. Most of us tend to become lackadaisical about keeping fit due to the grinding work schedule and household responsibilities.
These days there’s a lot to deliver at the workplace and there’s easy availability of junk food, too. In this gruelling scenario, healthy food habits go for a toss. We end up binging under stress and strain. We stuff ourselves with whatever we get to eat, ignoring the nutrient quotient. Naturally, we put on weight.
They say, “You become what you eat.” For most of us, talking about food, including its aroma and flavour, is a favourite pass time. We love ritualistic eating, fry till dry, the bhoona version of everything. We plan our breakfast, lunch and dinner, strategising over in-between snacks and tidbits. For us, health food is an oxymoron. When we call a person healthy, we mean one isn’t lean but has curves and contours at the right places.
Amid our resolutions to get rid of layers of fat, we friends try to amuse and assuage ourselves by looking at the picture of Queen Victoria, a pleasantly plump woman with a midriff spread. Reading Ernest Hemingway gave us a solace as he was no gazelle.
In good humour, we checked the list of healthy and wealthy people on Indian soil who have been a source of inspiration and joy right from our worthy Union minister Smriti Irani to celebrity Farah Khan.
But on a serious note, I feel all of us are more into health and fitness than ever before, rolling health and well-being into life, knowing well how we live our life in the twenties, thirties and forties can have far-reaching consequences on our physical and mental health.
Barring the vagaries of fate, one of the surest guarantees that we will have a robust mind and a fit body is to exercise regularly.
Sweating it out to stay in shape is a Herculean task. It is hard to get up early, go for a walk, follow a strict diet and exercise regime, see yourself making no progress at times, but with patience and passion we all need to change our lifestyle. Add fitness to the routine and it is an investment whose dividends we get all through life. Exercise releases feelgood chemicals that help ward off depression and induce calm. This way we can literally sweat worries away with sturdy limbs and a lucid mind. We needn’t indulge in crazy workouts but need to follow long-term sustainable diet and regular fitness routine.
Meanwhile, we friends have hit the refresh button to be comfortable in our own skin. A healthy body and soul mantra is to fall in love with taking care of yourself: Body, mind and spirit. Dream it, wish it and do it. Stay fit and stay blessed!
WE FRIENDS HAVE HIT THE REFRESH BUTTON TO BE COMFORTABLE IN OUR OWN SKIN. A HEALTHY BODY AND SOUL MANTRA IS TO FALL IN LOVE WITH TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF: BODY, MIND AND SPIRIT