Healthy body, healthy mind!

“To keep the body in good health is a duty…otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” – Buddha

Sometimes we are so caught up in the rigmarole of life, that we tend to neglect the well-being of our body and mind. It is ironic that we earn to sustain ourselves and yet we are too “busy” to find time to have a proper meal regularly. In an attempt to get better, I started a regime of regular exercise and proper diet.

I had a vested interest in trying to get better – to be in the “healthy weight” bracket of BMI as per my height and to age gracefully (having read that women tend to “surface” all their fat once they hit 30). It will take longer to know whether I will be able age gracefully, but for the first time ever I am healthy and the feeling has been liberating. It is quite an achievement for me and the thought that people no longer ask me why I am ridiculously thin is liberating.

Having said all that a word of caution regarding exercising – it is crucial that we know our limitations and learn to respect our body. I pushed myself too hard injuring myself in the process. Due to the excessive pressure I put on myself (something my body has not been used to) I injured my patella and illiotibial band and have a few months of recovery constituting physiotherapy and regular orthopedic visits.

Although exercise and diet are a starting point, being physically and mentally fit required much more effort. I made a lot of changes to my life to achieve the change:

• Regular exercises (jogging, walking, cycling, hiking etc)
• Food in-take (variety of food, quantity, frequency etc)
• Eradicate clutter in life (although I am not a minimalistic, overtime I have drastically reduced my “possessions”)
• Time for family and friends
• Tryst with advaitam (non-duality)

I can positively say that a combination of all these factors have helped me become more content in life – I do not always get what I expect, but over time I have learnt to be content with what I receive. As cheeky as it sounds, regardless of all the injuries we will be prone to, we have to make an effort to do our best to protect our body and mind.

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