In fact we are doing it quite a bit of it daily without being aware and in no particular order – lifting groceries, babies and buckets of water, carrying ourselves up the stairs, etc.
BY NISAR GILANI
As the Anchor of Doctor on line program of Srinagar Doordarshan TV I am often asked “How do you stay so slim even at the age of 71. For the record yes I am “slim “ with a height of 6 feet, and 72 kg weight, in full dress and no visible fat -either.
To put an end to this constant question I am laying bare my ‘How I do not get ‘ Fat ‘ or ‘ obese ‘ secrets here. Most of my friends, former colleagues and even close relatives firmly believe that just because I have been moderating Health programme on Srinagar Television for the past 45 years, nonstop, I am sort of ‘fitness freak ‘who rises daily at day break and religiously makes tracks to the Gym. Far from it. I am about as lazy and as paralysed by inertia as the guy next door. But there is wee bit of difference. And that is, I follow a set of self-imposed rules. Yes they would amount much and help me not to ‘ fat.’ So here it goes. At ‘Fajar ‘ time, I come out of the bed, offer Namaz fallowed by a 30-40 minutes brisk walk, with no stretches, etc. Now here perhaps is the main difference between Me and my some friends who are struggling with their weight. My inertia only lasts as long as I am in bed.
Once I am out of home I rarely have to struggle to drum up energy to exercise. Frankly admitting I have never been to Gym, as I do exercise some thing in a different way. My lawn gives me all that I want. Pruning and shaping green trees in variety, compensate what a Golfer or a man in Gym will benefit after going harder or longer on the elliptical trainer or treadmill. I know how incredibly easy it is to fall into a routine that becomes, well routine. Walking at a speed of 6 km, than relax, finally taking a mini tree cutter to shape the lawn hedges.
I never wait for an experienced gardener to tell me how to maintain a sprawling lawn. I fallow my own ideas that mostly go well, and wrong at times. I believe that youngsters who just want to stay fit, it is simply of exercising all the muscles in the body.
In fact we are doing it quite a bit of it daily without being aware and in no particular order – lifting groceries, babies and buckets of water, carrying ourselves up the stairs, etc.
To tell you the fact the only reason I weight training is to do better in my other pursuits -Running, Bicycling, gardening. My thrills as I said do not come from Golf or Gym, rather I get them from lifting my own suitcase and denying coolies help, instead happily choosing to walk.
As I said earlier, I am no exercise freak. With small bites during the day and an early dinner, I only exert myself to the bare minimum necessary, that helps me in ‘non fat’ – slim category.
The writer is former Assistant Commissioner of Revenue Department.