How I lost 17.5 pounds in two months?!

Leaving behind the hustle and bustle of city life to start an ordinary life in a simple, unique and beautiful country like Oman has been nothing short of bliss in many ways, especially if you perceive life not based on how many breaths you took, but how many moments took your breath away. Yes, I had a second chance to live life to the fullest in Oman four years back with the hope that the desires close to my heart will no longer be dreams. The first year kicked off with a great sense of gratitude, thanks to the accomplishments in family-aspects, healthy lifestyle, peace, tranquillity, long distance running, swimming, blogging, toastmasters etc. Notably, the health aspect was amazing during the first two years so much that I was fit enough to run half marathon, swim for 1km non-stop, felt good about my body, but even during these two years of good times, something vital had been missing in me which I did not realize then: an unbalanced mind & spirit. Although it was missing during the first two years of good times, it did not affect my pursuit to better health and fitness, as the environment around me was ordinary and uneventful. But with the advent of the third year, my life transformed from “ordinary and uneventful” to “insane levels of stress and frustration” at work as I was thrust- with a responsibility of a major Oracle ERP implementation. This adverse transformation took a toll on my health and this is when the vital factor (unbalanced mind & spirit) became conspicuous.

The fairy tale, “two years of bliss” spun out of balance during the third year and, as a result, I became fatter by 23 pounds in just 12 months. My “empty” over-confidence in health and fitness shaped me to be a hypocrite that made me to believe that I was not overweight.

Then the reality struck!! I was overweight!! I was dumbfounded when I realized that I couldn’t even reduce 1 pound. I couldn’t believe it!! From 163 pounds to 185 pounds in one year!!  Something was terribly amiss.

My guilt-trodden mind engaged in intensive introspection on what went wrong and provoked waves of deep thoughts, but still the ultimate truth and answer never dawned on me. Feeling so lost in a maze, forces of nature introduced me to something that gave all the right answers for my fragile, unbalanced “mind & spirit”:

Yoga!!

I was still oblivious to the fact that this vital aspect was missing and this missing piece of the puzzle was the Achilles’ heel that made my fragile state vulnerable to the undue stress imposed by the change in the work environment.

The priceless lesson learnt was that no matter how fit we are physically with rigorous exercises, if the spirit is not in the right balanced state with the body and mind, even a slight change in the external factors will spin the delicate balance out of control resulting in the ups and downs of body weight and mental state.

The Core Foundation

This is exactly what Yoga is all about. Yoga means to be in perfect tune; your body, mind and spirit are in absolute harmony with existence. When you fine-tune yourself to a level that everything functions beautifully within you, the best of your abilities will naturally flow out of you. Have you noticed that when you are happy you have endless energy? Even if you skip your food or sleep, you will have so much energy to just go on. Just a little happiness liberates you from your normal limitations of energy and capability. Yoga is the science of activating your inner energies in such a way that your body, mind and emotions function at their highest peak. Ultimately, Yoga strengthens that balance so much that no external factors in real life can spin your balance out of control.

Typically, we jump-start with a rigorous exercise routine to shed excess weight but the biggest problem that most of us have is the consistency factor. We start the exercise with great enthusiasm and passion for a couple of weeks and then lose the steam for months which reflects in the ups and downs in the body weight as well.

The Workout

Yoga is the core, but a bit of variety worked for me. For me, combination of Yoga, circuit training at the gym and running, really did the wonder by shedding 17.5 pounds in just two months.

-        Day 1     Yoga 1 hour

-        Day 2     Circuit Training at Gym + 15 minutes cardio + 10 minutes of Yoga/Pranayama

-        Day 3     Yoga 1 hour

-        Day 4     Circuit Training at Gym + 15 minutes cardio + 10 minutes of Yoga/Pranayama

-        Day 5     Running – 1 hour

-        Day 6     Yoga 1 hour

-        Day 7     Relax or Yoga Meditation

Diet

Now, comes the tricky part: DIET. Each of us have our naturally ways of venting out when we are stressed and mine is to eat, eat and eat. When I get stressed out, I eat bars of snickers, packets of M & Ms, a variety of Indian sweets, chicken tikka masala with white rice at 11pm etc. This was a perfect recipe to be obese in no time. For the kind of reckless diet that I engaged myself in, I should be thankful that I put on only 23 pounds in 12 months.

Tips on diet restrictions that helped me greatly:

1.       Start off with a complete medical check-up to ensure that you do not have any major health issues.

2.       Sleep

a.       Do not sleep late. Go to bed by 10pm

b.      Wake up by 5pm

c.       Sleep is fundamental to many aspects in life

d.      If your mind is disturbed before going to bed, meditate to clear your mind.

e.      If you are not getting good sleep or waking up in the middle of night and cannot continue your sleep, something is wrong with your balance for which meditation techniques can help greatly.

f.        Do not drink too much water before going to bed and you may have to wake up in the middle of the night to drain your bladder.

3.       Never be hungry.

a.       No long breaks between meals.

b.      Have fruits or nuts or milk between meals.

c.       Healthy snacks will not make you super-hungry which will help avoid overeating.

4.       Water

a.       Do not drink water 30 minutes before and after food.

b.      Many a times, we feel tired and the reason is that we forget to drink water. Keep your body hydrated all the time.

5.       Water Therapy

a.       Drink one litre of warm water mixed with one spoon of pure honey.

b.      This helps is avoiding over 20 diseases.

6.       STOP sweets. A major factor. If you cannot stop, at least moderate.

7.       Rice

a.       No white rice.

b.      Switch to broken brown rice.

c.       No rice at night, even broken brown rice.

8.       Whole Wheat: in all foods

9.       Drink low fat milk

10.   Vegetables: Have plenty of vegetables, preferably with all meals or snacks

11.   Fruits

a.       Always eat fruit in an empty stomach.

b.      Eating the fruit is healthier than fruit juice.

c.       Have a fruit before any meal.

12.   Finish dinner by 7 to 8 pm. A cup of low-fat milk before bed is fine.

Daily Routine:

-        Wake up by 5am à waking up early triggers a wave of positive thoughts and energy.

-        Water therapy at 5am à Drink 1 litre of warm water mixed with 1 tease spoon of pure honey.

-        8 am Breakfast

o   Do not drink water 30 minutes before and after food.

o   Fruit before food à papaya or banana or apple or orange

o   2 dates

o   Breakfast Options

1.       Museli with skimmed milk

2.       Whole wheat bread with egg whites

3.       Whole wheat dosa with sambar / puthina chutney / tomato chutney (no coconut chutney)

4.       idli

-        11am Snack

o   Do not drink water 30 minutes before and after food.

o   Fruit before food à Always have fruits in empty stomach

o   One cup of skimmed milk

o   One slice whole wheat bread with fat free cheese spread

-        1 pm Lunch

o   Do not drink water 30 minutes before and after food.

o   Fruit before food à Always have fruits in empty stomach

o   Lunch Options

1.       Broken brown rice 1 cup, with any vegetable and/or chicken, dhal & salad

2.       Whole wheat spaghetti with vegetables and/or chicken & salad

3.       If you have the luxury of having lunch at home (like me… hee hee)

·         Broken brown rice with

o   Fish curry / chicken curry / veg curry varieties

o   Two vegetables

-        4 pm Snack

o   Do not drink water 30 minutes before and after food.

o   Fruit

-        6 pm Snack if hungry

o   Marie biscuits or buttermilk

-        7 pm Dinner

o   Do not drink water 30 minutes before and after food.

o   Fruit before food à Always have fruits in empty stomach

o   Dinner Options

1.       Veg salad with avocado à if you feel that you have had too much food during day time.

2.       Whole wheat chappathi and veg dish

3.       NO non-veg for dinner

-        9 pm

o   Banana

o   1 cup of skimmed Milk

Tips for strengthening your balance on a daily basis:

1.       Meditate early morning and before going to bed à Just close your eyes and:

a.       Pray

b.      Feel gratified àThink through the list of blessings that you have.

c.       Prepare your mind & spirit

                                                               i.      Early Morning

1.       Think of all the positive aspects that you need to have in order to have a successful day.

2.       Never to get angry

3.       Be a leader with extraordinary patience

4.       Be calm, cool and pleasant all the time

5.       Do not react impulsively even if people are mean to you and, in case you do, you have already lowered yourself.

6.       Be alert to proactively sense danger or potential issues in the environment which is very essential for project management or any work activities or personal activities.

7.       If you do this right, you will feel elated and you will be ready to face all the problems that life is waiting to throw at you.

                                                             ii.      Before going to bed at night

1.       Think of all the positive aspects (as mentioned above) that have been able to accomplish during the day and pat yourself on your back.

2.       Think of all the blessings you have and feel gratified.

3.       If you do this right, you will have a very peaceful, restful sleep at night.

At first, the points above might look herculean, but trust me; your life will be so fulfilled and happy that you will engage in a constant pursuit of further betterment. It is nothing but a “snowball” effect that will you help to ensure that the lost weight is lost for ever.

Long story short:

-        Yoga is core to ensure that your body, mind and spirit are harmony with existence in order help you face any problem that life throws at you.

-        Physical exercises that you like: gym, running, walking, swimming, outdoor games etc.

The joy that I am experiencing with the right balance is priceless and it really pains to see so many with so many problems for which there are remedies all around us, within our control, but we are always in a constant pursuit of quick “tablet” solutions from doctors which in turn creates more problems.

I wish and hope that this blog will influence a couple of souls to not only get fit but also pursue true, meaningfu

Yoga

Back pain and Uner, my friend, are inseparable to the extent that sometimes he says, “I feel abnormal and odd when I don’t have back pain”. Back pain had been an integral part of Uner’s life for more than three decades!! Every time Uner whines about his back pain saga, I laugh mirthlessly and despise him: “Enough whining and do something about it…..” To be fair, Uner had been to all kinds of Ortho(s) in US, Canada, Singapore, India and Oman over the past fourteen years. I infuriated him when I quipped, “Don’t worry. You will meet your soul mate (ortho) someday”. From x-rays to MRIs to calcium supplements to physiotherapy to all kinds of precautions were tried. Nothing much worked other than leaving behind indelible memory of agony. Eventually, he resigned himself to the fate of living with pain. I guess the back pain was more palatable than the countless heart-breaking disappointments from the umpteen attempts of futile pursuits for cure.

For over a year, I had been hearing about a Yoga teacher who had helped many such souls who claimed to have found their Holy Grail for their health problems. Bringing up the “Y” word or “any” word as another pursuit for cure with a person like Uner who had “tried it all and nothing worked” was like adding fuel to fire. Well, I did dare to face the brunt though. The toughest part was to face the interview Q&A: Where is this place? Who is this lady? Is it too far? Don’t we have anything nearby? Would she come home to teach? When will this get cured? (Coincidentally, although there were many Yoga options available near our apartment, this particular Yoga place was far away.)

Boy, I developed back pain by the time I had answered all these questions. And, yes, finally, we have a winner!! Uner agrees to go for Yoga on condition that I will not jump the gun to make any commitments to the Yoga teacher during the meeting. The plan was to take a decision after a week or so. Well, there is nothing much for me to decide, eh?! I had only one answer to that question. I agreed.

I was told that it is very difficult to find a slot in the Yoga class and, in a worst case scenario, the only possible slot would be as early as 5.30am! Now, I wouldn’t disclose such delicate details of my insidious plan to a spoilt-brat like Uner who is already on the edge, would I?

Finally, we met the Yoga teacher and as we sat down conscious of the awkward pause that filled the air, I broke the ice with introductions. Realizing that Uner’s body language was not leading the conversation in the right direction, I was at the edge of the sofa trying to make amends to conversations in an anxious effort to maintain the delicate balance. Within a few minutes, the conversation had already progressed into a comfort zone and I wondered, “What’s next?” I was a bit pleasantly surprised as I read Uner’s face, emanating “intrigue”, “amazement” and “skepticism”. And, then Uner’s decision shocked me: “Can I join tomorrow at 5.30am?” wow!! I didn’t see that coming!!

Even at the very first class, Uner was sold to the idea of Yoga and since then, there has been a tremendous improvement with his back pain, acidity problem, diet, motivational levels, spiritual state etc. I am impressed and amazed with both his road-to-recovery and the Yoga teacher!! Incredible!!







  

Amazed and intrigued, I signed up for Yoga as well for once a week on Friday, initially, as I run on Thursdays. My purpose of pursuing Yoga was a coincidence!! For a very long time, I have been exploring ways to compliment my training for marathon. Bingo!! I fell for it. After the very first Yoga class, I signed up for twice a week.

Having lived a fairly active lifestyle with running and swimming, I was a bit taken aback to realize my inability to flex my body amidst a group of elder people bending their bodies as if they had no bones!! One of the toughest sports that had made me discover some muscles that I never knew existed was Squash, but Yoga would beat them all! The conditioning of mind and each part of the body – both internal and external!! – accompanied with systematic breathing and awareness-of-the-body in a gracious manner is simply incredible. One has to experience it to believe it.



It was truly impressive and amazing to hear the stories of other students whose age range from teenage to 60+. The benefit that these students had reaped from Yoga was clearly evident from their eagerness to voluntarily share their road-to-recovery stories ranging from knee surgeries to weight loss to acidity problems to back pain to neck pain……the list goes on. Most of these folks had gone through a turbulent time in their lives and after having explored all the modern-world-pill-solutions, Yoga has proved to be an infallible remedy and has gifted them with pain-free life filled with happiness and a strange, but priceless sense of tranquility in their lives. Here is the best part……for these people who had spent a significant part of their daily lives in a hospital….they have not visited a doctor in many years!! Simply beautiful!

Now, Uner - once a skeptic - was sold to Yoga, which meant that I can go back to my mean old ways of teasing him even in the topic of “back pain” which Uner had categorized it as a taboo once, even for me. After the Yoga class, as Uner and I were driving back, I couldn’t wait to poke fun at Uner and I snickered, although I did not speak a word. Uner, sensing my wry smile even without looking at my face, he said with a belligerent tone, “Alright, you win. Now, shut up.” I burst into loud laughter and laughed my lungs out. Another road to recovery has just begun…......all thanks to this amazing Yoga teacher and thanks to power of Yoga.

99 Years Young!! And, still pursuing excellence!!

My friend inspired me to start running, during my recent trip to Mumbai. It was electrifying to just hear the dedication of common people to run marathons irrespective of their long work hours, long commute, financial limitations etc. I felt so small. So with so much enthusiasm, I started running and magically, I seemed to have inspired a couple of friends who readily joined me for the run. Setting a target of 21 km by the end of 2011, I ran 5 km last weekend and 6 km this weekend. It was a beautiful feeling!! But, the day after, the feeling was not all that great. My knees hurt like hell. Although I had done enough study on pronation, I was not wearing the arch-foot-pad inside my shoe. Although I knew that this pain will fade away, my apprehensions about knee injury grew. And, that is when I read this inspiring story of a 99 year old Sikh man who is a World Record holder in marathon!!

Fauja Singh (born April 1, 1911) started running at the age of 81 and holds a world record in his age bracket. Fauja has participated in innumerable competitions worldwide, his fame prompting then Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to invite him to run in the inaugural Lahore Marathon in January 2005. He holds 12 Commonwealth, European and British records for his age-group, ran as one of the torch-bearers for the Athens Olympics in 2004 and was chosen, in 2005, as the Official Starter of the second biggest marathon in the UK, held in Edinburgh.

Fauja has broken bread at the Buckingham Palace with the Queen, who awarded him the runner-up award of Living Legend at Windsor Castle in 2006. More recently, Fauja was part of the Queen's Baton Relay, when it was flagged off in London as the run-up to the Commonwealth Games 2010 to be held in Delhi later this year.

His indefatigable spirit has won him a legion of fans. Impressed, sportswear giant Adidas chose Fauja to feature alongside David Beckham on its ‘Impossible is Nothing' campaign. Not only was his face splashed on huge billboards globally in 2004, Adidas named a shoe-range in his honor. And to think Fauja hadn't heard of Beckham until he was contacted for the ad campaign!

About the campaign, Fauja recalls, "My grandsons told me he was a very famous boy who played football. I was taken to a big stadium where they took my photos. Later, they gave me these shoes." He excitedly rolls up his trousers to reveal trainers named after him.

From living in a small town, Beas Pind in Punjab, for most part of his life - where his only skill was growing sugarcane and wheat - to becoming the poster boy for a whole generation of marathon athletes, the story of Fauja's life reads like fiction. But the marathon man ascribes his tremendous feats to God.

He came to live in the United Kingdom after he lost his wife and a son in quick succession over two decades ago, and moved in with another son in East London. Unable to cope with the bereavement and loneliness of living in a foreign country, a desperate Fauja realized he needed something that could alleviate his pain and infuse a sense of purpose in his otherwise vapid life. Before long, he rediscovered the passion of his youth. Fauja started running.

• Rediscovered at age of 81
• Marathons run: London (5), Toronto (1), New York (1)
• Marathon debut: London, 2000, aged 89
• London Flora Marathon 2000: 6:54
• London Flora Marathon 2001: 6:54
• London Flora Marathon 2002: 6:45
• Bupa Great North Run (Half Marathon) 2002: 2:39
• London Flora Marathon 2003: 6:02
• Toronto Waterfront Marathon 2003: 5:40
• New York City Marathon 2003: 7:35
• London Flora Marathon 2004: 6:07
• Glasgow City Half Marathon 2004: 2:33
• Capital Radio Help a London Child 10,000 m 2004: 1:08
• Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon 2004: 2:29:59

Incredible!! Inspiring!!

I am hitting 40 and I wonder if I have not achieved anything. My restless mind constantly explores passions and avenues to excel, hoping for excellence and achievements. I feel that I am running out of time. Not anymore. Fauja Singh inspires me to continue the exploration and strengthens my spirit to excel.

A humble salute to Fauja Singh.

Got right shoes?

As part of the resolution for 2009, I started jogging and I have been quite successful in shedding some fat. As the resolution became a habit, I impressed myself (I know, it is okay to boast sometimes) with my consistent achievements in scaling up the distance and time.

Meanwhile, I ran into quite a number of kith and kin (in the past few months) that have had knee problems. Some have consistent knee-jerks, agonizing knee-joint pains and some conditions as bad as knee replacement surgery.

This made me think over a few precautionary steps as I pictured myself engaging in an active lifestyle even during my old days (Being hopeful is a good thing ).
I took some simple steps which I thought are very effective in the long run. Knee-guards and right-shoes.

First, I started using knee-guards which made a huge difference in terms of knee pain. Then, as I was looking for a good shoe, I found some information which was very useful and a must for everyone, even if you are planning to walk or run as part of an physical-exercise routine.

I have been planning to do this for quite some time and finally did it!! I am sure there are so many who have thought about it but never did it. Hope you find this information useful.

Excerpt from www.time-to-run.com:
When buying your first pair of running shoes, you will have to select the shoe which is best suited to you. Without us complicating the matter there will be a few factors you will need to look at before plunging further into the world of the runner/jogger.

The factors you need to look at regarding yourself are:
• your foot shape
• the extent of your foot's movement
• your weight
• your budget

And in the future your weekly mileage will certainly determine the type of shoe you purchase.

Your foot shape
Some stores, have a facility to test the shape of your foot as well as to determine your biomechanics and gait. If you have a store such as that available to you, this should be your first port of call. However, if you do not have that luxury available to you, then it is possible to determine your foot shape the following way.
You have all probably seen your foot imprint when you step out of the bath, well that is one way of determining your foot shape. As a very basic tester you are able to determine the following, whether you have a normal, flat, or high-arched foot. Place your feet in a basin of water and the step onto a flat and dry surface. The following should appear :

A normal foot leaves an imprint with a flare, but shows the forefoot and heel connected by a wide band.

The Flat Foot has a low arch and will leave a nearly complete imprint, it looks like the whole sole of the foot.

The High-Arched Foot will leave an imprint with a very narrow showing between the forefoot and heel.

If your foot does all three, leave home now or re-do the test until you get a clear indicator.

Now that you have determined your foot shape you will need to address the extent of your foot's movement. This would be related to your foot shape as well as other biomechanics which may effect your running/jogging style.

Your footshape and its movement
The normal foot: The foot lands on the heel, then rolls inward (pronates) slightly to absorb shock. Runners with a normal foot and normal weight are usually considered biochemically efficient and don’t require motion-control shoes; stability shoes with moderate control features such as a two-density midsole are suitable.

The Flat Foot has a probability towards overpronation of the foot that strikes on the outside of the heel and rolls inward excessively; over a period of time this may lead to different types of overuse injuries. It is normally recommended to use motion-control or stability shoes with firm midsoles and control features that reduce the degree of pronation. Stay away from highly cushioned, curved-lasted shoes that lack stability and control.

The High-Arched Foot will leave an imprint with a very narrow showing between the forefoot and heel. A curved, high-arched foot is generally termed a supinated or underpronated foot; this means it normally isn’t an effective shock absorber. Cushioned shoes with plenty of flexibility to encourage foot motion are recommended. Stay away from motion-control or stability shoes that reduce foot mobility.