MY REGIME

Yesterday Mrityunjay and I were having a conversation about exercise. I told him. I don’t like to exercise. I hate it. But just the way I brush my teeth every morning, I do my cardio for 30 minutes every morning. He said “this is interesting, the way you said it…though it is more interesting that I am finding it interesting” ;)

 Jokes apart, this is exactly what I plan to do. I have failed to stick to exercise programs primarily for this reason. Whenever I decide to exercise, I feel the urge to exercise almost the entire day. I over exercise for a few weeks and then I don’t exercise at all for many months. This time my approach is going to be different. I am going to commit myself to 4 days a week 30 minutes a day cardio program.

But my overall goal for the year is to exercise for 150 hours, which is 3 hours a week. The remaining 50 hours would come from Yoga and weight training. Yes, I will go to gym for 2 months this year for 6 days a week. In the gym, I will do my 30 minutes cardio +30 minutes weight training.

Remaining 25 hours would be Yoga classes. I will join Yoga, 3 days a week for 8-9 weeks. Thus, I would be train myself for exercise during next 4 months. After this, I will continue with the cardio at home only.

When I will do cardio at home only, I will exercise for 10 minutes every evening along with the cardio. I am going to call it- “discover exercise” time. I will find out different exercises. I will try different Yoga poses. I will do weights. In other words, these 10 minutes would be the time when I will exercise for my own sake.

More or less, this is going to be my regime of exercise for this year. 4 months of training+ purchasing treadmill+ compound walk RYBO program.

Along with this exercise regime, I am going to follow 8 mini-meals diet.

1- Banana or apple+ 10 dry fruits by 8.

2- Breakfast by 10.

3- Lunch by 1.

4- Salad by 3.

5- Egg by 5.

6- Fruits by 7.

7- Dinner by 9.

8- Milk by 11.

8 MINI MEALS

STARTED WITH RYBO
I have started with Run Your Butts Off program. This week I am supposed to walk for 30 minutes 4 times a week. I walked on Sunday. So now, I need to walk for 3 more times during this week. I took my first picture. I am looking fat. But it is OK. I am not going to kill myself for looking fat.
I have nothing else to write so I will share a healthy recipe with you.

DATE AND PEANUT LADDOS
• Take 10-12 dates, wash them and take out the seeds. Cut them in small pieces.
• Roast peanuts. Take out the chilaka. Grind them in mixer grinder.
• Pour ghee in a kadai. Add the dates and cook them till they are tender. Add peanut powder. Mix well.
• Make small balls (laddos) of this mixture.
This tastes really good. It is rich in iron. Why am I sharing a recipe with you? Soon, I will start to follow a diet. No, this is not the diet where I will starve myself. Thanks to Rujuta Diwekar, the definition of diet has changed to eating small portions in sensible ways. I am planning to go on 8 mini-meals a day plan. I will need to cook all these things at that time.

My 8 mini-meals would-
3 main meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner.
5 supplementary meals:
• Milk
• Fruits
• Vegetable-salad
• Dry fruits
• Eggs
The above mentioned recipe would be a good thing for dry fruit section.

RUN YOUR BUTTS OFF

My book run your butts off has come. I read 20 pages. This was my target of this week. I am starting my running workout from Sunday. I have to choose any 4 days when I commit to go for walk. Yes, the first week is easy. I just have to walk. I am planning to walk on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I don’t want to commit anything for Saturday morning because Friday evening is my guarded time with Mrityunjay.

I am enthusiastic but at the same time I am nervous. This is important to me. I know that. It is not just about getting back in shape. It is about claiming my life. It is about letting my life know that I am a first class person. I want people to look at me and know that I am sincere. Only a sincere and disciplined person can achieve anything in life. And only a sincere and discipline person can stick to his/her workouts. I want to stick to my workouts. This week they are super easy. I have to show up at my walking tracks 4 times a week. I have to walk 30 minutes. That’s it. I know this is not hard. I know I will be able to do this. Starting today, Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Fridays are my days for workout. I am going to hit the ground by 8 a.m. I need to get up by 7:30 a.m. I know I will achieve this. I have achieved this in past. I have done this before and I will be able to do it again. But most importantly, this time I am not doing it because I want to pursue some modeling career, I am doing this because I want to let the SOU (Soul of Universe) know that I am a person who respects my mind and body.

WATERING YOUR BODY

I think any person who has tried to lose weight knows one thing, at least in theory. He/she has to drink more water. I have taken resolutions that I will drink 4-5 liters of water every day at least 50 times before today. But the problem is this, we forget. We forget to drink water. There is a way by which you can condition your mind to remind you to drink more water throughout the day. Every time you use washroom, drink a glass of water. If you are able to condition your mind for this, you will not have to remember to drink water. Moreover, because you will drink a glass full of water, you will have to use washroom more often. It is as simple as that!

“WEIGHT MACHINES ARE STUPID IDEA” AND SOME MOTIVATIONAL IDEAS

I think the person who invented weight machine must have been a true sadist. There is nothing good about the idea to use a weight machine to figure out how healthy or fit you are. I have found out my own method to check my progress and success. I take a picture of mine in the same dress every week. Let me be honest, I take my picture in black color skin tight dress. There is nothing wrong about feeling great, is there? So I take my picture. This week by week picture gives me an idea if I am losing weight. It doesn’t matter what the weight machine says, if I am looking better, I don’t care how much I weight. And if I am feeling better, it doesn’t even matter how I look. So the key is not to know what your weight is. The key is in doing something for your body which can make you FEEL good.

My days are going busy. But now Agrima is 3 months old. She has a more stable sleep pattern. So I am hoping to commit to a workout plan. As I told yesterday, I have ordered this book called “Run your butts off”; I am frantically waiting for it to arrive. A part of me tells me that the book will give me good advice, agreed, but ultimately I will have to do the right thing. But there is this naughty part of me which says, don’t worry, only by receiving the book you will start to slim down :). I know that is a stupid idea.

These days my eating pattern has gone haywire. I eat my lunch at 3 p.m. This is bad. I am not proud of this. But a part of me tries to convince me that once I will start to pay more attention to my workout, this pattern will change. I sincerely hope that it will change.

There is a nagger in every person. Whenever I start something good, this nagger in me says, why you didn’t do this earlier. It is really difficult to shut this bi**h up. I can’t understand why my nagger can’t leave me alone. OK, I didn’t do this earlier, but now I am starting. Do I not need encouragement for that? I do. So today I am taking a conscious decision. I am saying it aloud- “Bit*h, I don’t want to hear you. My today is my reality and today I am taking the decision to stay fit. I will achieve this. So kindly leave.”

3 STEPS

I took my first major step in direction of losing weight. I ordered a book called “Run your butts off.” Now it was not cheap. On Flipkart, I got the book for 886. This is big money. But I bought it. I bought it for a simple reason. If I will spend the money, I will be more serious to follow what the book advices. I will get the book by 10th. I am planning to start running as soon as I get the book. For the first month or so, I will run for 2 hours every week. I will use the remaining 1 hour for meditation on fitness. I will see myself working out. I will see myself running in the compound and I will see myself shedding those kilos. I am not even interested in buying a weight machine. I will take my pictures every week. I don’t care what I weight. But I do care how I look. I am feeling good. This is the year where I will focus on getting fit.
How home maker’s diary works?
• I write 1 page for 5 days a week in an area where I want to improve.
• I read 4 pages for 5 days a week on the topic.
• I meditate for 10 minutes on that area for 5 times a week.
These are the 3 milestones of HMD.
Why should I write?
Writing makes every intention real. I can think anything in my head but when I put it on the paper; I am obliged in more than one way. It also compels me to stay with my goal.
Why should I read?
Reading increases knowledge, yes, but it is also like a friend who continuously budges me to take the tinny steps towards my goal.
Why should I meditate?
This is the most important step. Anything that has to happen in real life has to happen first in the mind. When I achieve my target in my mind, I open the possibilities of achieving the same in real life.

ANOTHER DAY-NOTHING HAPPENED

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

I didn’t do anything today also. Let me be honest, I am not able to pay any attention to my fitness with my schedule and the young kid. I know I am supposed to think about my fitness. What should I do? I really don’t have time.

The Principle of Attention

Friday, January 27, 2012
Home maker’s diaries work on a basic assumption. I call it “the principle of attention”. It says that things start to change in life the moment we start to give attention to that thing or person. If I want to be fit, this is what I am going to do. When I meditate, I will visualize myself getting fitter and fitter every day. I will read at least 20 pages every day to improve my knowledge in the area of fitness. I am not claiming that 1000 pages which I will read this year will make me an expert on the subject, far from it. But those pages will make me more attentive to my fitness. It is as simple as this.
Mrityunjay says this very often. “Intentions matter!” I am with him on this. Intentions do matter a lot in the scheme of universe. Universe pays close attention to your intention. Once you decide to lose weight even before you start your first exercise or plan your first diet, do this. Let the universe know your intention. Let the universe know that you are planning to lose weight.
I am doing exactly that with this blog. With this blog, I am putting my intention in front of SOU and the world.
What is SOU?
SOU stands for Soul of Universe. Anyone who has read the Alchemist doesn’t need much of explanation. If anyone has not read Alchemist, I strongly suggest you to read it. Many a times this happen, we are thinking of doing something but we procrastinate. Then there are those moments when we decide to do something and we immediately do it. Almost like an impulse! Never lose these impulsive moments. These moments will eventually make you who you truly are. So whatever you are doing right now, other than reading this blog, put that aside. Go to Flipkart.com (or any other site from which you purchase books) and place an order for Alchemist. Believe me; you will bless me for my advice.
P.S- I have yet not started the exercise. I bought my shoes, nice pair of Reebok Shoes. I guess that is also a way for let the SOU know that I intend to lose weight. I care for my fitness. I am going to commit to exercise, sensible diet and sensible life style.
SOU likes efficient people who take good care of themselves. These are the people who decreases the tension of SOU and therefore these are the people whom SOU will facilitate in the long run. I want to be one of those people. I will be one of those people.

Home Maker's Diary- Fat to Fit

Monday, January 16, 2012
I don’t know my exact weight but I must be something like 90 kgs. I am really close to hitting the century, smiley. I know this smiley is a fake. I also know that most of the women who are reading this blog right now know that this smiley is a fake. Though the date on the page says 16th January, it is 15th January. Mrityunjay and I had moved to Bangalore a year back. It has been exactly a year. In this one year, I made Agrima, smiley. That is the biggest achievement of my life and this time the smiley is NOT a fake. I am truly happy about the fact that I am a mother. I am truly happy that my daughter is so beautiful, touch wood.
But I am not happy about the fact that I weigh more than 90 kgs. There are lots of books in the market written by celebrity Yoga instructors and dieticians which tell women how to lose weight. Many of them are interesting and informative books; then what is the purpose of my blog? Why am I writing a blog on losing weight when I don’t know anything about losing weight? I am writing this blog because I DON’T KNOW ANYTHING. I am about to embark a journey, just like many of the women who are reading this blog would do. I don’t know anything about weight loss but I know that I have lived in my body for last 30 years. I know that I know my body better than any other person knows. I know that if a doctor would insert a pin in my finger, I would be the only person on the planet earth who would be able to feel the pain. In other words, I have this strong faith that if there is any person who is able to help me get back in shape, it is me.
The idea of this blog is not new. I had first thought of writing the blog about 2 years back when I was in Pune. I had gained some 15 kgs weight post my marriage. Thanks to following factor-
• Laziness to cook at home→ eating outside→ weight gain
I had decided to write this blog after a rough encounter with the front desk receptionist of a major gym. I called her. She spoke to me so harshly that I hardly felt like going to that gym. I have also experienced that if you are not ready to pay handsomely or if you are not extraordinarily good looking, your gym experiences are going to leave you with a bitter taste in your mouth. The instructor would NOT be interested in explaining you anything. His one eye would be on the hot chick on the treadmill. I want to take things in my hand. I want to write a blog which can tell people that if they are really interested, they can actually lose weight. But the most important thing is, at the end of the journey, you should be able to know more about your body than that stupid instructor was ever capable of knowing.
This time, I know I will write this blog. If anyone wants to find any formula to lose weight by reading this blog, I am not sure if you are reading the right blog; because as of now, I DON’T KNOW ANYTHING. But I know that in next the course of next year, I will be able to get back in shape and regain my self confidence along with my self-image. I am going to learn and I am going to jot down my learning on the following pages. If I would be able to help anyone, it would be my pleasure.
What did I do today?
I just meditated for 10 minutes. I believe that everything starts in the mind of a person. So I visualized myself walking in our compound.

Artist's Way

Tuesday, January 17, 2012
I was reading this book “Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron. There was this “Time Travel” exercise in “recovering sense of integrity” chapter. Describe yourself at eighty. What did you do after fifty that you enjoyed? Be very specific.
I asked this question to Mrityunjay. He told “I will sell a company and make multi-million dollars.” He asked the same question to me. I said “I will buy a charter plane and travel the world.” No wonder he changed his mind :). Why am I saying this? It is because I have nothing else to say. I have not started exercise. I am doing meditation but that is pretty much it. I should have started exercise.