The road to fitness

I don't make new year resolutions (I mean, what's the point? I never keep them) but this year I kind of informally resolved (didn't want to put any pressure on myself!) to do better, a LOT better, in the staying healthy department. I've always been a healthy eater and able to stay at my ideal weight without any effort. The latter does not reflect any credit to me but is primarily a function of my mother's fantastic genes. For this, I am grateful every single day :)

The problem with being naturally slim (yes it has it's disadvantages too!) is that there is zero motivation to work out. Therefore, staying fit is never at the top of any agenda and incorporating any kind of fitness routine needs a whole bunch of mental calisthenics designed to push and prod self into action. When I was carrying Ads, I put on so much weight (18 kilos) that losing it became my main motivation. Even there, nature helped me. The first few horrible months of dealing with a colicky baby, getting back to work very soon and the general first-time-mommy stress melted 12 of those 18 kilos within a month (I kid you not!) and the last 6 kilos gradually disappeared over the course of the next 2 years. With Y, I stayed heavier for a longer time and  didn't do too much by way of exercise (a leisurely walk every now and then was about it) but I managed to lose that weight as well. My health-nut of a husband has been after me for years now, berating me for my lack of physical fitness and using emotional blackmail as a not-so-effective tool (You are the mother of 2 children. You need to take better care of your health, for them if not for you). And I thought my kids would actually be better off without me! :)

So anyway, this year I thought I do need to be more responsible. I analyzed why sticking to a fitness routine was so difficult for me. One, I get bored very easily. So clearly, I needed to do something a little more interesting than just walking around the complex or using gym equipment. The latter bores me to death before I've even gotten started! I could have started learning tennis along with Ads since the lessons are right here in the complex but considering our impending move, I'm not going to begin anything new (and expensive) right now. I could do aerobics, zumba, cycling....the options are endless, aren't they? I'd enrolled in yoga classes over the summer and was bowled over by the amazing flexibility and tone that it gave me. So for now I've decided to do yoga and walking/jogging on alternate days, 5 days a week.
Two, what was throwing a spanner in the exercise-related works was that I was being too rigid. If I planned to do 45 minutes of exercise a day, then if I couldn't get the whole 45 minutes done at one stretch, I was just getting frustrated and giving up. I wasn't using any common sense to understand that even if I did just 15 minutes a day, it was still better than doing nothing at all. Therefore, my target now is...no targets! I will try and do between 30-60 minutes a day. I won't get fussed if I can only do 20, or 15 minutes. I will also be flexible about splitting the routine and getting the daily quota done in 2 sessions. Most importantly, I will treat it as an investment in my health and well-being and NOT as a chore.
Three, how many times have we all read/heard this? It's all about lifestyle changes. Portion control. Moderation. Small steps. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Bending down to play with the kids.
I have seen the light :) More importantly, the ever-present motivation in the form of fit and agile husband is always at hand! On his mean days, S will comment on how 30 years hence, he will still be able to keep up with the youngsters, while I hobble along sorrily behind them :( Gotta make sure that doesn't happen!