How to be a bodybuilder. How to make/ build muscles. How to remain tension free even in today's era. Is your life on the right track? Are you fit enough? Are you old and still want fitness?

How to keep yourself fit in this era. Must read.

Are you fit enough for your life, family or office?

Remember-'Commandos are made not born' Nasser Gorsi

My passion for fitness

Photo courtesy: Google images

As I entered my office today evening, I met a senior colleague, who is in her 70s, a native American, Mrs Dona. As I was about to shake hands with her as usual, she declined and said her hands were dirty as she had just changed a tyre of her car. I was surprised at that because I have never seen any Indian girl here working like this. I know many girls, my students and friends, who have always asked for some help from others for such a work. Does it mean that they can't? or they don't have enough strength whereas that white old lady did. Where is women empowerment in India then?
She came to India around 45 years ago and settled here. I must say that she is the most active person at my office.

Once there was a saying 'Health is Wealth'. But now, people think wealth is health. Problems begin when the whole day is spent in the office, field and all those bullshits that your boss pins on you or the idiotic talks of your colleagues. Millions of people suffer from such things everyday in their work places and after the whole day they get tired and don't feel like spending some quality time with their families or with self. Believe me, there have been millions of relationship troubles due to the very fact that one gets tired and doesn't want to involve in gossips etc. So-called creativity gets diffused in the exhaustion.

Ever thought about living a healthy lifestyle, coming home from the office in an energetic manner, hopping around your home and enjoying with family or friends, going to market or park and walk for miles without even feeling a single pinch of fatigue ???

I remember, during my job at one of the finest newspapers in the world, I would find my seniors and colleagues sitting like a couch potato and gazing at their desktop screens. They would enter the office, put down their keys, bag and look around like someone who has won a world war and wants to sleep forever in a way like we see some slow motion videos on the TVs. They wondered what kept me so energetic and fast. Many were jealous, others would take tips.

Whereas, I would walk into my office feeling my exotic six-pack abs hidden under clothes. You know you can feel every muscle and enjoy it when you develop the same.

We had a smiley guy named Kalyaan g. He would always tell me that he felt empowered after shaking hands with me and would take some tips of workout. He would often meet me and tell that he woke up in the morning and went for a walk.

During my various interviews for the army, air force and Reliance securities I was asked to relax rather than sitting a straight posture. I would say, "This is the most relaxing position I am sitting at."

Workout is such a thing that can change your life forever. I started running, weightlifting and stretching during my high school and haven't left it since then. You know gaining the required weight and muscles with lots of strength feels great when people look at your straight body posture and your ripping muscles especially in your school/college or university.

It gives you confidence when you are stronger than others.

Getting up early morning and going for a jog or gym is one of the best things that can ever happen to anybody. Many of you might be helpless in waking up from your sticky bed and keep postponing your alarm every day I bet you. But fellas! we get up only in one alarm. Never set another one. If you can get up early morning, you will be mentally very strong.

Simple jogging around 2-5 kms everyday would suffice your health needs. After running we feel exhausted physically. But the fresh blood that runs in our body supplies lots of oxygen to our each and every part which is needed to the tissues. Our body also needs strength training to keep muscles healthy. Either some weightlifting or push ups/pull ups are some simple and fine exercises.

Try in sets. Like 10-12 repetitions in one set. Take a break of about one or two minutes then start again with full discipline.

Strict discipline is essential for health. Don't sympathize with your body. Be its master.

Remember! Commandos are made not born.

If you can, then go to a good gym. I know it might look difficult to continue after a week. More than 90 per cent of people fail to continue. Excuses: partner didn't wake up, will go tomorrow (which never comes), feel like sleeping more today etc and there is no returning back to gym for days or months or that time never comes. Mate, this isn't a dream but life, so I suggest you take it that way.

Eating healthy is equally important as working out. A good and healthy diet contributes 50 per cent in keeping our self fit. Decrease your intake of trans fats like fried stuff, ice-creams, say no to junk foods.

Salad, fruits, meat, eggs, rice, wheat and milk is more than sufficient if taken in the right quantity.

I remember our great graphic designer once asked me about the cost of dumbbells. I told him the price and the shops from where he could buy other exercise stuff also. But I told him that continuing such a thing and maintaining the routine was one of the tasks he would face. He wondered if that concept existed. He bought the stuff, started dumbbell press and in a week or so, he got married. Yes, he had left his dream of gaining those pumping iron muscles.

My one of the closest friends has his own way of getting early in the morning. For the past 7 good years, he has been setting up alarm to wake up at 5 and plan to go to gym. Once, he even revealed that he was setting up 5-7 alarms every night and finally, he leaves his bed at 10 am. But the guy does some good workout after dinner at 10 pm, hats off.

As I said, that second alarm never comes. Once we get up at some time, our body sets its own biological clock and we start getting up at the same time.

After a recent nice movie "Bhaag Milkha bhaag" directed on the life of Milkha Singh, I saw many youngsters started running-some alone and others in groups. But their routine lasted till the movie curtained from the cinemas.

During my college days, I never missed even a single day without running or weightlifting. Be it fog, rain, hail storm, I would always be there on the ground. Even during some festivals I would never find anybody in the whole park but my dedication to run one more round and then push ups and chin ups. It felt great when the whole body would be hot enough to think any tension of the world.

After I joined the newspaper job, my Editor-in-Chief told me that I would never see my evenings during my job, I knew it and accepted the offer letter.

I knew how I could maintain my routine during my 6 pm to 12 onwards midnight shift. Coming home around 1 am, and sleeping late, and getting up early mornings, my sleep cycle got disturbed. My immune system started collapsing and I would fall sick every couple of months. I started putting on fat around my exotic 6-pack abs and sides. I suffered acute sinusitis, fatigue and at times, I would go thoughtless or dumb I must confess. I realised, work makes you dumb enough to think something beyond it.

During my MA English days without any gym.
Only anti-gravity exercises without any supplement.

It was summer. Heat waves were all around and my colleagues kept grumbling even in those ACs at the office. I told myself that no, I would never give up, I shouldn't, I can't, I don't have that thing of surrendering before the circumstances. People take my suggestions and I had failed to continue my own workout plan and that at the of 28! No, this was never acceptable to me.

Due to some obligations, I had failed to pick some quality time for my workout and had only afternoon time. "So what," I told myself. I wore my shorts and shoes and ran the run of my life, breaking all those bondage in my mind, remembering my college days. I continued the same routine that summer and later, I started adjusting my workout but never gave up.