One fine day as you are getting ready for office, you realize that trousers that once fitted you quite well now require you to pull your tummy in before you can buckle them on. Another day, again as you are getting ready for office, you realize that you have to struggle to draw your knees up so that you can comfortably put your socks and shoes on. On especially bad days, you have to literally be on your back so that you can put them on. You wonder what’s happening to you and you realize that you are expanding your horizons. To be specific, your tummy is expanding its horizons. But you can’t just stand there and do nothing. You have to take matters into your own hands. It’s time to take drastic measures. It’s time to don the costume again. It’s time to reach into your closet and retrieve your ill-used tracksuit. It’s time to go jogging.
So I decided to go jogging. The last time I made a similar decision, it lasted around ten minutes. I was still in Trivandrum, and it took me just 10 minutes to realize that I couldn’t put up the fight. The time was wrong – it was 6 AM. The place was wrong – the milkman, the old ammachis I passed by on the road, and the appachans sitting in their ‘sit outs’ or verandahs – all looked at me as I passed them by and gave me a weird look. And the ‘jogging track’ was all wrong too – past small houses, curious and restless dogs, an uphill path, and ending up in an alley. I didn’t even venture into thinking about jogging the next day.
But this time it was different. I found a friend who was willing to jog. We decided to jog in the evenings, and we even found a suitable place – a jogging-cum- walking track around a huge hospital compound nearby. And I even have an mp3 player to complete the picture.
The first day was predictably a disaster – we reached our venue and ended up walking for 10 minutes, decided we were tired, and returned exhausted. The next day, we jogged a third of the distance, walked the remaining two-thirds. And two days back, we jogged two-thirds.
There are plenty of people giving us company. Most of them walk around the track once or twice. That would take you a good 45 minutes at least. Half of them are women – yes, they still wear the all obscuring black abeya. Some of them leave their faces uncovered and cause more than momentary distraction. If their faces aren’t pretty enough to veer you off your track, then their perfumes are guaranteed to. Beneath their abeyas they wear jeans and sports shoes; some carry water bottles, others carry music players, and still others have their children in tow. There is a middle-aged man who wears sunglasses and walks around the track swinging his arms around like a windmill. And, believe it or not, there is one young lady who jogs in her abeya! I saw her on day two. She passed by me twice. I’d have wished that she was taking a second look at me but no, she was on her second round when I was walking the reminder of the track.
So have I stuck to this healthy resolution atleast? Going by the last two days I’d say no. But then yesterday was the second day of the weekend and I needed rest. And today was really a stressful day at work. You believe that, don’t you? I know you would.
So I decided to go jogging. The last time I made a similar decision, it lasted around ten minutes. I was still in Trivandrum, and it took me just 10 minutes to realize that I couldn’t put up the fight. The time was wrong – it was 6 AM. The place was wrong – the milkman, the old ammachis I passed by on the road, and the appachans sitting in their ‘sit outs’ or verandahs – all looked at me as I passed them by and gave me a weird look. And the ‘jogging track’ was all wrong too – past small houses, curious and restless dogs, an uphill path, and ending up in an alley. I didn’t even venture into thinking about jogging the next day.
But this time it was different. I found a friend who was willing to jog. We decided to jog in the evenings, and we even found a suitable place – a jogging-cum- walking track around a huge hospital compound nearby. And I even have an mp3 player to complete the picture.
The first day was predictably a disaster – we reached our venue and ended up walking for 10 minutes, decided we were tired, and returned exhausted. The next day, we jogged a third of the distance, walked the remaining two-thirds. And two days back, we jogged two-thirds.
There are plenty of people giving us company. Most of them walk around the track once or twice. That would take you a good 45 minutes at least. Half of them are women – yes, they still wear the all obscuring black abeya. Some of them leave their faces uncovered and cause more than momentary distraction. If their faces aren’t pretty enough to veer you off your track, then their perfumes are guaranteed to. Beneath their abeyas they wear jeans and sports shoes; some carry water bottles, others carry music players, and still others have their children in tow. There is a middle-aged man who wears sunglasses and walks around the track swinging his arms around like a windmill. And, believe it or not, there is one young lady who jogs in her abeya! I saw her on day two. She passed by me twice. I’d have wished that she was taking a second look at me but no, she was on her second round when I was walking the reminder of the track.
So have I stuck to this healthy resolution atleast? Going by the last two days I’d say no. But then yesterday was the second day of the weekend and I needed rest. And today was really a stressful day at work. You believe that, don’t you? I know you would.
12 comments:
ha haa...another attempt :-)
well....id say, even if u cant jog, atleast a real brisk walk could be useful, rather than a snail paced walk..and hey...did u know that for the past three days i have been doing close to 50 tummy crunches everyday? haa...25 in da morning and 25 before bed... really....lets see how long i can last. and yes, i think its high time we took notice of our expanding horizons.
And the exercise bug bites us all...........
But all I've done is buy myself a pair of shoes! Am now in the proceess of preparing myself to walk. It's all in the planning, you know.
Good luck with your walk/jogs, Shain. And Mac, with all that yum food you cook, I can understand the need for tum crunches.
haha nice post... btw, I came across ur blog from mac's.
PS: pl turn off this word verification... typing "utcwckn" isn't very convenient!
Nice idea, Shain!!! Even I was grappling with the idea of going for a jog on Marine Drive every morning. Was losing the battle tho!!! But, now, u have brought in reinforcements!!! Probably the battle will last a day longer!!!
how do u know what the women wear under their abeyas??...looks like its not just ur tummy that's expanding its horizons !!!
God..u make me look down at ma tummy..it has grown ..and looks like a lump of shit.
Cool to see you are putting up an effort..me also started joggin and I realised like you its so damn tough...
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nice post..
hope ya get some "second looks" and more imp lose that flesh:)
Atb
Hey! Don't you dare jog yourself too hard!!!
I can't even imagine a Shain without with his umbrella tummy...
@mac...lol I know who inspired u! ur so unbelieveable :)
@everyman..
I know what you mean...I tried the office gym one day. All gears intact, used the treadmill for 25 minutes, the cyclin thing for 10 minutes..nearly collapsed. Have stopped goin there ever since :)
Good luck to u!
@ All of you - I have not been going since Friday..Dont know whether it's good or bad, but it's the truth..
Just in case it will help my cause let me state that I have been very busy at work, and that the past 2 evenings have seen heavy winds and rains!! I swear I am not lyin!!! Check the weather forecast on BBC!!!
Hey, who said u r lying?? If the mercury can cross 40 degrees in Bombay, nething can happen!!!
Can you still se your feet without bending your back? ;-)
lol... whatever makes you happy! anyone who has tried to exercise would believe you! and by the way, just out of curiosity, its now june 3rd, are u jogging now? or are u still busy at work?
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