Gym jam

I have always been a perfectionist, trying to master whatever I do. Sometimes, I get so lost that my quest turns into an obsession. And soon it starts having negative impacts on my life. The most recent victim of my chagrin is gym. 

Since I started working out, I have lost almost 10 kgs and I feel awesome! I have to catch myself from floating off the ground when people compliment me. That’s figurative BTW. I haven’t lost so much to fly off the ground :P Having spent most of my childhood as a chubby kid, I felt insanely happy when I was commended on my weight loss. Every compliment fueled me further and I grew hungry for more. I was so hung up on reaching my ideal weight that I reduced my food intake and killed myself in the gym. Being a foodie made things worse. I started loathing thin people with unbelievable metabolism. They ate twice as much as me and still managed to stay the same. Naturally, I would get frustrated and depressed. I started hating gym because the scales were not moving in my favor. 

I started seeing gym as a monster which did not let me eat what I want and do what I want. It ate two hours of my day and gave me nothing in return. I was furious that I had to sweat it out every day while others were born slim and did not have to go through this torture. My mom and friends are my biggest support. They encouraged me not to give up. But no matter what, my weight stubbornly refused to drop lower. I continued gym on their persuasion but I had lost my enthusiasm. I went there grudgingly without any hope of improvement. Slowly but steadily my resentment kept consuming me until I became very bitter. That’s when I decided to take a break from gym. 

Initially I appreciated the extra hours it gave me during the day. I relaxed and spent more time reading and indulging in hobbies. It seemed like I was on equal footing with the others. I felt cheerful again :) As I calmed down, I sensed something else in me. Separation pangs I realized. I missed gym!! Can you believe it? :D Still, I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to join back. The turning point was when I read a quote from Milind Soman, the actor who recently completed the toughest triathlon at the age of 50 and is now known as IronMan. He said 

“Fitness to me is freedom. People think fitness means not eating this and doing things you don’t like. To me, fitness is liberating.” 

“Endurance sport teaches us one thing – that if you work at something you love, patiently, consistently and with focus, not only will you get where you want to get, but every moment you will be where you want to be.” 

I realized it’s true. Working out had helped me in innumerable ways. I became more confident and comfortable in my skin. I gained stamina and resistance. I looked better and healthier. Most importantly, I had shut up all those people who constantly used to rib me about my weight. Milind is right. Fitness gives us the freedom to eat what we want because we know we will be burning it out at the end of the day. It gives us the freedom to wear what we like without having to worry about hiding flab. When we exercise consistently, we are actually moving towards success. And every moment, we are one step closer. How had I been so dumb to ignore all these positive aspects of working out!  So I decided to hit back to gym albeit without a vengeance :P 

Now that I had decided to return, I wanted to understand my problem and so I did a bit of research. Here is what I found. This piece is from a weight loss point of view. Apparently, the way it works is when we start out, the body weight increases in the initial few weeks. This is where our body is building up muscles initially. If we continue working consistently, our body will get into the weight loss mode. If we stick to the diet and work out plan, the decline may be faster. Eventually it may so happen that our body may get used to our training program and calorie intake. The number of calories gained becomes equal to the number of calories burnt, thus hitting a plateau, where in our body weight remains constant. So what is the solution? The top three things I found on the net are:

1. Make sure the number of calories consumed is less than the number of calories burnt. That doesn’t mean eat less food. It means break up your meals to include more fiber and protein and less carbohydrates. 

2. Progressively take your work out session to the next level. Increase the intensity or the number of sets in each type of exercise. 

3. Increase the water intake. Strange as it may seem, the more water you drink the less water the body will retain. Thus flushing out toxins and fat and helping weight loss. 

Despite all this research, I have come up with my own rules (I was never good at taking advice :P). After all, we know our body the best right? Recently my work place moved further from my home and the travel exhausts me. This must be the reason why I tire out quickly in the gym these days. So, I am going to shift my schedule a bit and move my weekly break from Sunday to Wednesday. I always work out more during the weekend. This way I will have a break mid-week which will give me time to recharge. Also, I will not monitor my weight like a hawk. I will not imagine myself constantly running towards some target figure. I figured out that am marginally over-weight. Someone even called the extra weight as ‘vanity pounds’ :D I am not exercising to impress anybody, so why the pressure? I will take it easy and enjoy the process instead of mulling over numbers. 

I hope my beloved gym will forgive me for deserting it and welcome me with open arms and never let go <3 Sigh! So romantic!

Trending #2015

I have been MIA for some time and for good reasons :) I have discovered new passions and have been constantly learning and evolving. It is strange how turning 25 helped me to be more focused and matured in my thinking. I felt like I was in training mode for all these years and now I am ready to take on the world and battle it out. Just kidding but yeah I do feel like now is the time to actually embrace life and make my own experiences. I am enjoying the confidence endowed by my education and the independence bestowed by my career. I can say for sure that this is the best time of my life ever. Read on to find out why.

Following several failed resolutions, I have finally begun to make time for myself. I started working out last year and soon it began to show. My friend once told me that fit people look good even in the simplest of clothes. That is so true. It also dawned on me that healthy people look beautiful naturally. Of course, beauty is only skin deep. But it never hurts to look good outside while being good inside too right? ;) So I looked up the net and found some DIY beauty treatments. Most important discovery being “Baking soda is a universal remedy for everything”. It is not only good for the skin and hair but also works well for a pedicure. And it is not expensive at all! Now, that’s certainly a huge plus ;)

Talking about the internet, my new found obsession is Pinterest. There is virtually everything in there and often I substitute Google with Pinterest. I have found craft ideas, recipes, remedies, décor ideas, life hacks, fashion tips and loads of entertainment. I also like the quotes there and I have seen that however idyllic my browsing is the quotes definitely inspire me at some level. So what if I have been borrowing ideas from Pinterest? My room looks way cooler now and my stuff is more organized :D But I always try and thank the person who came up with the original idea. Credit goes where it is due.

I have also been going to a lot of places and being a food bon vivant (fancy name for food junkie :P) I find immense pleasure in tasting new cuisines. All my TV shows revolve around food too - Masterchef Australia, My kitchen rules, Top chef. I don’t cook often but I love exotic recipes and making simple food yum! This year I was also blessed with couple of precious friends who helped me redefine myself. They hold a very special place in my heart <3 Although I was always a dreamer, I became a doer only because of them :D

And one of my prime achievements as a doer is my vacation to Germany! Yes, yes, yesss! I made it. My dream of a phoren vacation has come true. All thanks to my sister and brother in law. They practically guided me through the whole visa process and took care of me like a baby when I was there. I cannot even begin to describe our merrymaking. My sister has always pampered me but my jiju is equally indulgent too. They packed fun in every moment while ensuring my comfort. Just thinking of the good times tears me up (I am such a drama queen sob). I want to give life to the wonderful memories I made there. Ladies and gentlemen, I present you, my next project - tadaaaa - Deutschland Diaries! It is not a journal per se. Just a scrapbook capturing my German adventures :) But I so want to make it and show it to my sister. She will be over the moon when she sees it!

I feel guilty about writing such a long post :) But I can hardly contain my excitement. I want to do more. Travel to new lands and explore new cultures. Try out new things and find out more about myself. My likes and dislikes. My desires and fears. My capabilities and shortcomings. I am feeling so positive that I seem like one of the comic characters from sitcoms! :D Buckle up life, here I come!

(P.S. Guess what? I had my first driving lesson and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I think I will be kickass on road :D)

How I met my kid

I have been talking about how sponsoring a child's education has brought me enormous peace. But what tops that feeling is actually meeting the child in real life!! It has been an year now and somehow I had not been able to take that one step to meet the kid. I did want to see her, talk to her and connect to her. But I am not very good with kids and so I was a bit hesitant. My friend coaxed me into setting up a meet (ultimately he did it himself :P) and got the ball rolling.

I have to say World Vision coordinated the visit very well. A few emails were exchanged and before I knew it, I had an appointment with the child. I was thrilled and excited and nervous. How is she? Will she be pleased to see me? Will we get along well? It felt nothing short of an interview. I prepared myself. The gifts were carefully chosen too. A cute pillow to be her comfort companion. Story books to help her reading. An activity book and colors to nurture her creativity and imagination. And of course chocolates!

The much awaited moment finally arrived. She was wearing a green and pink churidar. She looked on edge too. As soon as she saw me, she gave me a bouquet and welcomed me with a smile. Ah.. It felt magical! I couldn't stop smiling looking at her. Without realizing, I had developed a bond with the child. I felt responsible for her. Within moments we warmed up to each other. Of course, we forced ourselves to make small conversation but it was definitely a start. She had been trained for the visit and she gave well rehearsed answers to our questions. She even sang a song and read a bit for us. Poor kid! My heart went out to her.

As minutes passed by, the comfort level increased and she started talking a bit about her family and friends. She is a very smart kid and I could sense that she is very talkative too albeit a bit shy. She had come with her brothers who vouched for it. I felt very proud of her. She is sharp and with a little help she can go places. I am happy that I am able to provide her that support, which will enable her to spread her wings and fly.

All in all, it was a wonderful experience. One that brought me calm and peace. It justified my existence and made me realize the reason why life is so beautiful. All those long hours at work seemed nothing in front of her smile. Isn't it true?

 " The heart that gives, gathers. "

- Tao Te Ching

On the way..

Am back :D Glad to have finally made it to this post. I have so many things on my mind that I want to pen down. But I keep procrastinating. Someday, I created a sort of bucket list of things I always wanted to do. With time, it became just one amongst other posts. A random discussion with friends reminded me that I have not even attempted to make all those dreams come true. So here is what I have been up to and trust me, it feels awesome to check off those things! :) If you want the whole list, it's here.

#22 Sponsor a child's education

My long time dream of sponsoring a kid's education. Sharing knowledge (Vidya daana) is the best form of charity. And to be able to shape someone's life is very satisfying. I chose World Vision because it is very transparent and you can get complete details on the child. And to be honest, Rs.800 per month is not asking too much :)

#36 Donate blood

I was a bit scared of this one. But I did it!! There was a blood donation drive happening at work on 19th December, 2014. I did not think much and went for it. Unless you psyche yourself about losing some blood, you don't feel a thing. I hope to do it more often.

#6 Lose 5 kgs

I can't tell you how much I have waited for this day! :D It took non stop work outs, extreme diet control and immense determination to achieve this. Nah, am just kidding :P If you are thinking about taking the healthy way, go enroll for a gym right now. And don't stress yourself about the routine. Take your time, enjoy the process and breathe! Keep breathing and sip water every now and then. When you give your body the chance to cool down, you feel less tired. You will see the results sooner than you expected. By the way, diet control is necessary but if you work out daily, you can cheat sometimes ;)

#1 Learn a form of dance

I am cheating a bit here. I am not actually learning a single form of dance. I joined a dance class where they teach different dance forms. So its hip hop one week and Bollywood on the other. A mixed bag. But its fun to be jack of all trades than master of one, what say?

And now for the upcoming ones :P

#4 Watch a match in a stadium

IPL is about to start and I will surely be bullying my friends to catch a match. I guess I have to rephrase that. Bully them to take me along because they are huge cricket buffs and would love nothing more than watch a match live :P

#7 Get my hair colored

With my bolder approach to cosmetics, getting a dash of red in my hair is definitely on the cards!

#8 Have a holiday abroad

After the flop planning to Bhutan (it's still phoren ok??), keeping my fingers crossed for Germany. My lips are sealed until I actually make this trip!

#16 Make a scrapbook like the ones they show in movies/TV

I have been working on this. I have all the materials now. Waiting for pics of me in all those scrap book worthy moments :P

#17 Learn to drive

I am telling you this is coming real soon! (I really have to strike this one off by this month mid-year year soon)

#26 Have a best friend apart from my sister

This one might just get ticked off :)

Welcome 2015!

It is a new year again! A chance for many of us to put back the past and look forward to new beginnings. To make new plans which will never transform into actions, just like last year :P Okay, I was just kidding :D But it is a great time to think about what we really want from life and are we doing enough to achieve it.

A quick review of how my 2014 went by.

 1. Promotion finally announced formally.
 2. Moved to a bigger house which means I get my own room! Yayyy!
 3. Sister's wedding in March :D
 4. Sister moved to Germany for couple of years :(
 5. At work, independently managed an important customer project.
 6. Started working out.
 7. Sponsored a kid's education and donated blood.
 8. Organized secret santa at work which turned out to be a great success!
 9. Spent more time with friends.
10. New year party at Taj West End.

Last year has been a year of transformation. Personally and professionally. I have been trying to maintain a work-life balance. Professionally, I have learned to delegate and relax my schedule. Personally, I am able to look beyond work and make time for people who matter to me. Hoping to keep the flow going. It took me a quarter of a century to prepare myself for all the amazing things ahead!! :D