Getting Healthy and Staying There
Most of my initial memories of yoga had to do with teasing people who practised it! The millions of YouTube videos and photos of yoga pros always looked elegant and soothing. Supremely fit masters always made it look easy. But when you saw a real person doing it, yoga was usually forced upon them by their weight or lack of fitness or some health problem.
Ungainly doesn't even begin to describe folks like this when they start yoga. So when my grandmother took it up because her knees were giving up, we cousins made it a family joke. When an older colleague was showing a couple of poses to someone at the office we nick-named it "aeroplane-aasana".
As they tried to contort themselves into yet another tangled pose while keeping track of when to inhale and exhale, we couldn't restrain our laughter and snide comments. But now, I have officially joined their ranks. A bad lower back and a battery of tests have taken me over to the other side.
I guess you don't heal in your 30s like you did in your 20s. I have to make several lifestyle changes just to keep myself within "normal" health parameters. The mantra for me is: eat right, sleep right, get enough sun and exercise. This basically means everything I do has to be upended, replanned and practised.
It has been 2 years since I stopped playing tennis and over 18 months since I did any reasonable physical activity. The simple-looking yoga poses now strain my sinews. I can never remember what to do with my breath or maintain posture 24x7. Every staple I ate for over 30 years is now in the "avoid if you can" list and most of the treats are in the "do not eat" list!
It looks like 2018 is going to be the year of making new habits, getting healthy, and staying there.
When I look at those in their 20s today, I get the feeling that there is a wider spread of mindsets and lifestyles compared to 10 years ago. Many are focused on their eating and fitness and several are completely off the rails and don't care.
10 years ago, there was no gym close to where I stay. Now there's one in every other street and they are all buzzing with activity. Hell, even my 2 year-old daughter goes to a "little-gym". So overall it seems fewer kids will laugh and more would probably join me now!