Day 302-2011 : Gym Time!

The alarm on my mobile phone rings at 6.00 AM. I open my eyes immediately and manhandle my phone in my attempt to press a button...any button!  Usually it is the 'snooze' button which gets preference and the cycle repeats itself in another 5 minutes.  I have to be careful not to push it, as the lady of the house, is in deep slumber, along with the cubs, and the incessant ringing of the alarm bell might bring her to life!  If that happens, meri to khair nahi...

The idea of the entire exercise above is...well....exercise!  The goal is to be able to reach the gymnasium, which involves a torturous 300 metres walk, by 6.30 AM.  The first thought that comes to my head is, 'Is it Thursday today?', as the gym is closed every Thursday.  The next question that I ask myself is, 'Does any part of my body hurt?  Ankles, back, etc., etc.?'  If so, I surely do not want to aggravate any of it.  That done, I quietly try to find out, if by any chance, the boys are awake.  If so, I can engage them rather than go to the gym! Once I get through this elaborate validation exercise and find no excuse for not going to the gym, I pack my gym bag and walk those 300 metres to the gym.  Getting to the gym is definitely the most difficult part of my exercise regimen, each morning!

I am now a regular at the gym, the regularity gradually increasing over the last few years.  But this year, I have spent the most time in the gym compared to any of the previous ones.  It probably also has to do with the fact that the place is more than a gym, it is a club.  It houses a fully equipped gym, a swimming pool, a steam and a sauna room, a badminton court, a billiards table, a table-tennis table and other assorted board games, including carrom!  This is the Raheja Vihar Club House, where I spend an hour, 5 days a week.  The 6th day, Sunday, is an extended session of 2 hours.

Back to the morning routine.  It is quite interesting, the fact that, throughout my walk to the gym, my workout at the gym and the walk back, I almost always end up seeing the same faces!  On the roads, it is the female group who gossip more than they walk, the uncle group whose discussions range from national politics to....society politics, the young couples who seem to enjoy the company more than the walk, the serious runners preparing for the upcoming marathon with all kinds of jazzy gadgets strapped on, the teenager who seems to be barely awake (probably pushed out of the bed by his parents to go and get some exercise) and the pot-bellied uncle who is always on the mobile phone while he walks!  In the gym, again, the same faces each day.  The frustrated, but narcissistic actor who has a larger ego than his biceps, a middle aged uncle who watches the gym equipment more than using it, a young lady who does the most strenuous routines, the other lady who keeps looking if someone is looking at her, the badminton pro who plays with the men on the court everyday and beats them and a sincere Sardarji who has lost probably more than 10 kgs since I started seeing him in the gym.  It looks like we are all a slave to habits and routines.

My routine is a modest one, the aim being to burn 300 calories in 60 minutes.  The routine includes 18 minutes on the treadmill with the speed changing incrementally every 2.5 minutes, another 17 - 18 minutes on the elliptical / normal cycle with incremental levels of difficulty and 24-25 minutes of stretches and weights.  I tend to change the routine some days and replace the gym workout with 25 laps in the pool.  The result till date: About 4 kgs and one waist size lost in the last 3 months, not bad I would say. 

Problem is, my BMI says I am still 'slightly overweight' and all that has been lost can be back in no time if I lower my guard!  But, I am more than determined not to do so!

This is a battle of will....and it has to be won!

Take care.