GOYA: ReClaim Yourself
This blog is intended for participants of the 8th annual retreat of Chicago Booth alumni where I spoke to you all.
“YOU are the most important unit of the corporate world and also your family. Become your BEST FRIEND. Become your best version. Reclaim yourself.”
47 of you responded to my questionnaire about health in relation to my talk.
Most of you were of 40-49 years of age. You reached high up in professional life but your personal life and health are starting to fall apart. Lets work on first getting you to be your best. Rest will start making sense.
Current Fitness Levels: More than half of you admitted that your fitness levels were less than 5 on 10. Things need to change. Now.
How many minutes in a day do you exercise: you folks know that this isn’t necessarily true! In any case need you to be more active throughout the day.
Probably these numbers are true but not necessarily it’ll be the 13 who think they wouldn’t. 75% of us are going to die prematurely because of lifestyle diseases.
9 of you are already having some or the other chronic disease to tackle. Please get more active and you might just surprise yourself.
All who responded to the questionnaire agreed. Then let us get on with it. Let us get you to be your best.
To me this is the most important aspect. I look more for contentment in all spheres of life. For that all spheres of life are interconnected.
And rather than complicating things, let us simplify them. Simple is not sexy enough for most but is amazingly effective.
I was the founding Director of Sports at Ashoka University, an institution aspiring to create world leaders. My role, besides helping create state-of-the-art sports facilities, was to make sports and exercise to be an integral part of education, not just co-curricular. To make those budding entrepreneurs have a far longer shelf-life as today most are falling apart by their mid-thirties. Only if they can optimally take care of themselves, will they be able to do justice at a bigger level.
We need to balance out a lot of things in our lives. Without personal life, professional life is totally messed up. For that you need to be your best.
My intent while speaking at PIBAR was exactly the same. To help you become your best. So you can make a bigger change. The rest will automatically follow.
You are more than bones. You are supposed to move and think. Do that. And always smile.
Losing One Inch Waist & Gaining One Inch Height
We all would agree that our personality matters massively in life, whether in corporate or personal matters. Here is the one minute quick trip to address your waist and height.
No, there is no magic to this but your posture can help change things. The change will become permanent if your muscles are working better. Which will happen with regular basic exercises being done.
“Be Your Best Friend”
If running is your love, strength training is your mother-in-law. Whether you love her or not, you need to be in her good books to get your love.
Here are those basic exercises that can be done anywhere, anytime by anyone. They will help you become a better runner, if you so desire.
Heel Raises
Calf muscles are like your second heart. Optimally working calf muscles pump blood back to rest of the body.
Start with doing heel raises on both legs for a month. Gradually increase the number of repetitions. Do 3-5 sets throughout the day. In a month see if you can do single leg heel raises.
“Physiological Happiness: Let us become our psychological and physiological best. ”
Orange Squeeze
Courtesy the modern sedentary lifestyle that we all lead, our upper backs have become very weak and stiff. Besides poor posture, this soon leads to pains in shoulders, neck, elbows, hands and upper back.
Gradually increase the number of repetitions. Do 3-5 sets throughout the day.
“Magic doesn’t lie in the exercise, but in doing it regularly with a discipline. ”
Chair Squats
We all dread doing squats. Anyone who sits and gets up is actually doing squats without realising. We simply start with that. Quadriceps or front thigh muscles are massive. As soon as we get them up and moving, your body will become more fuel efficient. Start slow.
You don’t even have to go all the way down to touch the chair. If that hurts, start with going only half way down. Gradually increase the number of repetitions. Do 3-5 sets throughout the day.
There were some questions, which I have addressed below.
All along, we all have been lied to. It’s in not a race but a synchronised activity like the space shuttle. If at all, it’s a race against ourselves. We need to strive to become our best.
“Form follows function: In trying to be perfect, you’ll not end up going very far. Get started. Your form will improve as you keep at it. ”
Shoes are over-rated. First get moving. Then figure what shoes work for you. A good shoe is one that you don’t feel.
First step is the toughest. Get up, put on your shoes and get moving.
We’ll be putting together an event first Sunday of every month, starting from 5th January 2020 in Delhi. Please do share the word.
Always keep smiling. Even if it is fake. Soon enough others will start smiling back at you. And that would to your smile to come from your heart.
