Posts filed under 'Healthy Lifestyles'
Nowadays, the days just pass me by. It is Monday morning, and I have that familiar blue feeling. 5 days of hard work await, and I am wondering just how long it is going to take for these 5 days to pass. Which is a funny thought, because 5 days should take… 5 days! But on a Monday morning, 5 days seem like eternity.
A whirr, a flash, and poof! suddenly it is Friday evening! Where did the time go? How did the days pass? I am wondering if I got caught in some kind of time warp. But that isn’t what it is.
It is just that we are too busy with our lives to notice it sail by us. We work hard, and we work long. Some of us are lazy and don’t work at all, some of us are awfully rich, and don’t need to work, but those are different stories for another time.
Let me talk about me this time.
I realized that in the speed at which I am runing ahead through life, I have lost the time I used to take out to exercise. I look at myself, and what I see saddens me. Gone is the superfit look that I had until about a couple of years back. The toned body is now soft and fleshy. There is a hint of fat across the landscape, and it sets alarm bells ringing. I resolve to resolutely work out again.
I set the alarm to 5:00 a.m. I am going to jog slowly (which means walk slightly fast) for a mile or so. That should be good enough for starters. I go to bed, awaiting the morning and, at the same time, dreading the hard labor.
It is 7:00 a.m. and the sun is shining. Arrgh! I overslept again, as usual. I curse myself, my lack of commitment to my health and well-being. Over a slightly large breakfast, I think probably 1 mile at 5:00 a.m. was a harsh choice anyway. Tomorrow! I tell myself. Just wait and see.
Tomorrow I’ll try yoga…
June 15th, 2006
Written By: daisy
The world has changed drastically over the last few decades. The pace of life has picked up, to an extent that it is not merely fast now, but frantic. Social empowerment and upliftment has translated into more and more people taking the plunge into career building and moving towards the high life. The human mind has evolved, and evolved drastically. From inventing the wheel to nanotechnology, we have come a long way. And while this has increased the comforts of life, it has also brought about tremendous changes in lifestyles. The changes occur at many levels - the individual level, the family level, the social level.
The high life is good, no doubt. Having money helps, obviously. However, while career-builiding as a passion may be good, it definitely is not good news when in turns into obsession. We are a need-based society. We need, so we do. However, over time, there has emerged a serious dichtomy between need and requirement. Need is no longer the central theme. Need has become secondary. Earlier, a roof over our heads was a need. Not so any more. Today, a roof over our heads is a requirement. A 5-digit salary is a need.
This in turn has led to people sacrificing smaller things in life. While these seem like small things, the impact they have is often huge. Two such things are food and sleep. These are basic requirements for the body. The body cannot function normally if it is deprived of either of these. Today’s employee sacrifices both in large amounts. To be able to pack in our hectic schedules, we wake early and work late. We sacrifice a good meal for snacks. It has become all about maximum benefit with minimum input and the shortest time fame. While this may be a good business concept, it doesn’t work as far as the body is concerned.
The result? Stress, hypertension, sleep deprivation, and other assorted problems such as sleep apnea. The need of the hour is to strike a healthy balance between ‘work’ and ‘life’. If this doesn’t happen, the results can be ominous. Burnout, failing health, and fatigue are just the beginning.
All this is at an individual level. At a social level, the results are there for all to see. Failed marriages, divorces, separations have become the norm today. People are awe-struck today when they hear that someone has been happily married, to one person, for the past decade. These incidents affect not just the individual, but also the partner in the relationship, the children they have.
Having a high paying job at the expense of family - it is for the individual to decide whether it is worth it.
June 11th, 2006
Written By: daisy
I saw an article on the BBC news a few days ago about a huge warehouse full of Carlsberg beer that is waiting to be delivered to the millions of thirsty football fans watching the World Cup in the UK.
It was staggering to see how much beer will be drunk in the next few weeks - and that was just one warehouse for one brewer.
In the supermarkets you can see who is buying this beer - and mostly they are not the fit, slim healthy looking types. It’s a shame to see that many of the football fans are carrying a beer belly along with their beer purchases, and many are not that old - mid twenties, I would guess.
I can feel slightly virtuous at this point as a few weeks ago I decided to stop drinking any alcohol on weekdays. I had previously had a small bottle of beer on occasional weekday evenings - maybe three small bottles a week in total - so I can hardly be classed as a heavy drinker.
You know what? I suddenly realised that I was feeling more alert and energetic than usual. It might be the good weather we’re having at the moment, or a whole host of other reasons, but if reducing my alcohol intake is part of it, its working wonders.
I don’t want to stop drinking altogether as I like wine and I also like beer occasionally, but if my experience is anything to go by, all those football fans would feel even better when England wins the World Cup!
June 9th, 2006
Written By: chris
Healthy living, for long, has remained an abstract concept. When I was a kid, the concept of staying healthy was drummed into my head by all and sundry - dad, granny, physical education teacher (the equivalent of gym instructor). I am sure this is the experience of all of us - we knew we should live healthy, what came of living healthy, but we only had a very basic idea of the ‘how’ aspect.
This is in stark contrast to kids today. In a world of evolving technology, sensibilities, lifestyles, and mindsets, living healthy is no longer a concept. It is a mantra. You have girls barely in their teens working out. You have young boys enrolling for gym class in a bid to stay fit and look impressive. Middle-aged people throng the sidewalks in the early morning hours, some walking, some jogging, in their frantic efforts at joining the ’staying fit’ club. Narcissus is in. The lean and ‘beautiful people’ look is everywhere - from the advertisements on television to high school classrooms.
All this is good. It would be almost hypocritical, in a sense, to claim we care for others when we don’t really make the effort to care for ourselves. However, there is a limit to this. Being healthy is one thing. Being obsessed with staying healthy is another. And both are not the same.
There is, therefore, the need to strike a fine balance between the two. It is true that we can enjoy our lives much better when the basic framework, i.e. the body, is healthy and fit. However, it doesn’t make sense to direct all our energies to the act of keeping ourselves healthy and fit, and thereby not having the time to enjoy much else.
Balancing is the key, as it always is!
June 8th, 2006
Written By: daisy
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