'Weighty Issues' ~ From an nomad's diary

I did not know how to name this post, but I hope what I write here does justice to the title. And one may wonder, why such a post all of a sudden. Well, every third person I meet has something to say about his/her ‘extra pounds’. And, every time I hear about people bragging on ‘How much kilos have you shed? Oh! I just managed to get rid of these flabs!’, I can’t help raising my brows. Ok! Here, let me tell a bit about myself, before people get deceived into believing that this post is being ranted by some gym trainer/fitness freak/’yogi bear’ or whatsoever!

I do not have a slim trim toned figure to flaunt. I am more towards the healthy side and being a mother of a naughty prankster, I don’t have time to hit the gym. Oh wait! I don’t need one! I am on my toes all the time, with little time to do some reading, some singing, playing some keyboard and some blogging! My days are longer and nights are invariably shorter, no matter which season of the year it is. Yes, you guessed it right! I am ‘the humble homemaker’ who has transitioned gleefully from a once career oriented software Professional who at one time, was married to her job, drowned in conference calls, drinking horrible coffee, discussing software updates and working her brains off to deliver projects on time. And then, I had thought, “Woohoo! Can anything get more challenging than this?” Phew! The answer is staring right on my face now as I am typing away to glory after sending my two and a half year toddler to school. I can vouch for a fact that a homemaker’s job is no child’s play! Well, before I deviate from what I have in mind for this post, let me brief about why I was impulsed to write this post. 

Off late, I see many people around me suddenly inspired to stay fit. However, the definition of ‘fitness’ too, is variable like ‘what is right or wrong’. And my views that I express here, are solely mine that have sprung from mere observation. So, where was I? Yes, I was saying about this sudden behavioural outburst at the idea of staying fit. But what I have observed is, people merely want to lose weight which is thought to be synonymous with staying fit. It is not just in the place where I live, but even when I was a part of corporate world, I have observed how reckless people could be with their bodies. The cycle would be something like, gain a few pounds (Thanks to MacD, Dominoes, PizzaHut and Sizzler joints) and then join the gym to reduce. Once having followed a strict regimen that curbs those lustful cravings to eat mayonnaise/cheese/butter loaded burgers and sandwiches and flatbreads, the urge to binge hits a new high once the desired weight loss is achieved. And, that is where the problem starts for many.

We all love to eat. And, we all dread the word ‘calories’, though we love the same when it sounds like ‘calories burnt’, ‘calories down’ or ‘zero calories’. And, we all love the idea of ‘hitting the gym’ (quite a fashion these days). And, we all, whether or not we follow, totally adore the idea of staying fit, with a toned body sans water retention and dark circles. The idea, when reaches the stage of implementation though, deviates from the idea of staying to fit to simply losing weight. Yes! Staying fit means you are in control of your hard earned pounds of flesh. However, the other way round that shedding weight to get lighter does not necessarily mean staying fit. And many a time, I have observed that in the pursuit of losing weight, people skip breakfast, eat as per a diet plan (some diets go by the name of crash diets too) and then kill their desires to eat something their frenzied taste buds crave for and then finally, once the diet plan deadline is reached, they hog on everything they missed during their ‘weight loss plan’. Now, I am not against diet plans at all. It is a good idea to shed some extra pounds to stay fit. But, what is not good is to gorge in the aftermath. Not only is the essence of weight loss lost, but the idea of staying fit becomes a misnomer. Besides investing so much of hard work in staying fit, one needs to gain a self control as well. Self control as in knowing what to eat, how much to eat, when to eat and when to stop.

My parents have this ‘Five Thumb Rule for a healthy living’

• Early to bed, early to rise.
• A time for everything and everything at its time.
• Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper. Don’t kill your desires. Eat whatever you like, taste everything but don’t binge.
• From a busy schedule, 30 minutes of a day must be dedicated to physical fitness (like walking, yoga, gym whatsoever)
• And finally, gossip less. Sometimes, mental baggage is extra weight too. A healthy mind alone can compliment a fit body.

My parents belong to a generation where words like ‘metabolism altering mechanism’ and ‘burning calories’ don’t make much sense. For them, even gyms don’t make sense. My father who is nearing 70 can still do surya namaskar effortlessly.  My 60 something mother who does not sport one extra ounce of fat in her body still does all the house hold chores all by herself, considering our home is a big independent home with a garden to maintain. My mother, for a fact, has never got her eyebrows plucked and has never done a facial in life and yet, her face glows like a luminescent lantern often shadowing many made up faces wherever she goes. My husband jokes, we don’t need an emergency light in the dark with my mother around! Oh yes! She simply glows, as if she emits some light from within! I doubt, whether we of the present generation will nurture a health, stamina and a will of that kind, at their age. And, it has taken me more than a decade to understand what my parents kept drumming into my head unsuccessfully for years (now that I am a mom, I know the daunting task ahead),

“Want to look toned! Be a stickler for discipline – a time for everything and everything at its time!

Want to look toned and healthy, along with discipline, eat everything but in limits!

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Want to look toned, healthy and gorgeous, with discipline and good food, wear a smile and keep your mind healthy by keeping it busy”

P.S : And, yes 'the humble home maker' definitely deserves another post!