Step 1: Choose the right gym

It is important to choose a gym based on convenience, hygiene and equipment. It is even more important to choose a gym where you can get guidance, periodic checkups and tailored workout plans based on the needs of your body.

Step 2: Choose the right trainer

A personal trainer, who can understand your requirement and tailor the plan based on it, is a must. He is also the one, who can provide simple tips, right ways of doing exercise and be a sympathetic partner in your journey. During my registration, I told my manager that I required a personal trainer who has worked with forty year olds before and is available in the evenings. The manager’s list drastically decreased to one person who in the end turned out to be perfect for me. The manager immediately called him and after a few moments of conversation, sized me up and replied: “the okay type”. The trainer was probably wondering how bad the situation was. My trainer drafted a schedule after consulting with the physiotherapist of the gym. I am indebted to my trainer who took upon himself to help me achieving my fitness.

Step 3: Mental strength

In the first week itself, I decided to quit the gym. And this feeling persisted for almost two months. However, my resolute trainer would every day. “Sir, today we’ll only work on the body parts which are not paining, I promise. Don’t worry, it won’t hurt much. Just come to gym today.” I could have easily ignored him, but I chose to remain mentally determined to undertake this journey in spite of the pain and minimal results initially.

Step 4: Keep your general physician informed

There came a day when I found it difficult to walk. I was advised to meet my general physician and I consulted him. Upon giving him my exercise schedule, he agreed with my trainer’s methods. He gave me some protein tablets and advised that my body would take some time to adjust to the exercise routine. It is important to have your general physician informed as throughout my workout journey over the past three years, there have been pains and soreness in various parts of my body that my physician could help me out with, be it with a few vitamins or by simply counselling.

Step 5: Diet

The key is moderation and not avoidance. The gym’s dietician and internet sources suggested that one consume all types of food – carbohydrate, protein, vitamins, minerals, and even fats. I did reduce my consumption of pickles, desserts and deep fried snacks. The changes that I made as I began to work out were ingesting more natural proteins after the workout, like egg whites. Six small meals in moderate quantities has slowly become a habit and I eat dinner some two and half hours before sleeping. Of course, I do encounter the occasional challenge when food is served late at parties. My solution is simple. Eat a little at your normal time and then have a little at the party to avoid offending your host. I did splurge occasionally, but slowly the urge has also died down in order to avoid working harder to shed those extra calories.

Step 6: Be a student

As we rise in our careers, we tend to forget that one can learn from juniors too. My personal trainer who was around half of my age had taken the role of a strict headmaster. I decided to oblige and play the part of the student simply because he was the expert and was passionate about his job. He has scolded me for cheating on the exercises and shouted at me for not doing them properly after teaching multiple times. He punished me too by repeating some exercises. He also motivated me whenever I was feeling down. So, leave your executive position aside and be hungry to learn from your trainer.

Step 7: Keep changing your exercise regime

My initial schedule was predominately cardio with some weight training and general fitness exercises like crunches and a few yoga positions. Slowly, my trainer would change the exercises and the time spent on them every three months, depending upon the physiotherapist’s report. The change is required to shake the body out of its accustomed exercise routine to ensure that the workout is yielding the right results.

Step 8: Reward yourself

“I think you need a smaller size,” said the shop assistant, sizing me up. Working out is very rewarding. It opens the doors to a whole new world of fashion. In the past three years I’ve had a huge change in wardrobe. Due to my reducing size, I’ve begun picking out slim fits and fashionable clothes. It has been a welcome change from the past where my sole aim was to find something that would hide my bulge because now, no matter what I wear, I feel confident.

Step 9: Make fitness a part of your lifestyle

Once fitness is regained, you don’t want to lose it. It is important to make it a part of your daily routine. Just because you’ve reached your goal doesn’t mean you are done. Incorporate it into your everyday life. Health problems are either god-sent or man-made. Since the latter is in our hands we should do our best to avoid it. After all, the benefits of good health don’t need any more advertisement.

First Published in The Economic Times

26th Dec 2004 at Corbyn’s Cove resort, near Port Blair overlooking the Andaman Sea, I awoke to the tremor of the ground. My family with two kids and parents, was filled with trepidation due to the earthquake. Towering waves were furiously attacking the hotel’s infrastructure.

Fishing nets were strewn over treesand dead fish littered in the lawn.I immediately rushed to the reception and managed to place three calls to my brother, my office and our travel agent.
The agent made arrangements for us to leave the next day. The next thing I knew; the lines were dead. Many of the hotel staff left while some guests climbed a nearby hillock in desperation. The news that the runway was damaged and no flights could take off added to our misery. Night fell and my daughter’s murmuring kept me awake. My prayers were answered the next day when a van rumbled down the hillock despite the lack of roads. Apparently only small flights were able to navigate what remained of the runway.

A team of journalists who flew in from Delhi streamed us back home. I finally exhaled in relief when I was airborne. This experience taught me to make the right decision with a calm mind during crises.

First Year Hardships

It was my first job in Delhi which really opened my eyes to difficulties of the real world. My pay was low and this made housing a problem for me. When I heard that my friend’s friends were looking for a fourth occupant, I applied. However, when I returned from a business trip to Mumbai I found the house vacant. I thus collected my belongings from the landlady and searched for a new residence. I ended up living with my friend, a senior. Unfortunately I was made to feel unwelcome by his friends. I was staunchly against living with relatives as I was desperate to make it on my own. After hours of futile searching I found a hostel in South Delhi and moved in. But my troubles were not over as I soon discovered that it was for students of some professional course and the warden had been subletting it. The day we were asked not to return to the hostel for an evening due to a senior official’s visit was the day I felt uneasy about the place and decided to move out again. Luckily I found a batch mate of mine in a similar situation and together we shifted to East Delhi. There we rented a room having a shared bathroom with the landlord’s family. When our landlord refused to give us a rent receipt we knew it was time to vacate once again. It was only after a year of nomadic living that we mannaged to land a decent accomodation. This experience still boosts my confidence in difficult situation.

Dance Your Way to your Employees’ Hearts

It was a contemplative day for me when I received a feedback from a person during my skip level stating that the communication gap between me and my new employees was widening. I was wondering what I could do to counter this when an idea struck me. Every year our organization has a family night for all our employees. This event was always an eclectic medley of various entertainment forms. It had everything from band performances to skits to traditional dances and to Bollywood dances from our employees.

I took the initiative to reach out to the Bollywood team in the hope of shaking a leg with them. They taught me the steps and though I could tell they felt awkward in the beginning, as the days passed they realized that I was diligent and dedicated and our practice sessions were more light hearted. My team also made efforts to synchronize themselves with me. My dance was to be a surprise and so all my practice sessions were conducted in top secret. When my big day arrived, the cheers were deafening. The buzz surrounding my performance lasted for weeks and it brought me closer to the younger folks.

When Honesty is the Saviour

At the close of my friend’s New Year’s Eve party, I approached my car, which I had parked in a nearby alley. Just then two men materialized before us. They began to raise their voices and their hands. I immediately realized I had accidently blocked their gate. The volatile men rose to a fight assuming the worst in us. However I apologized and sympathized with them for I had made them wait for long hours to take their vehicle inside. Disbelieving as they were, they sarcastically suggested that I had parked a few minutes back. Instead of responding to their provocation I remained humble thus preventing a brawl from breaking out. It was my even temper which mellowed them down and allowed us to leave in peace.

Why a Mid-Life Correction is better than a Mid-Life Crisis

When a routine checkup showed an unfavourable increase in the different parameters of my medical report, I decided that it was time to hit the gym. I couldn’t turn a blind eye to my obvious lack of physical fitness. I registered at a nearby gym and requested a personal trainer. The beginning was strenuous and in the first week itself, when my trainer was bending my leg over my chest, I was afflicted with serious muscle pain. He apologized profusely and switched to easier exercises. I tried to skip gym the next day but my trainer would not hear of it. The first few days left most of my muscles sore and aching but as the days passed my stamina increased and I was beginning to see results. After 90 days, my trainer declared that he had no experience as to what to do next simply because most customers left within this period. My trainer helped me persist at the gym and now after two years I am regular and fit. My daily workout has brought marvelous changes in my lifestyle and my wardrobe and an imminent mid-life crisis is, thankfully, nowhere to be seen.

First Published in The Economic Times