Cycle Explorations

Being on the wrong side of the fifties brings more than silver glints to hair... And my knee suitably reminded me of this. That put paid to my dream trek to the Valley of Flowers or ambitious EBC. However as my Ortho Doc freely permitted cycling, I found new options opening up. 

Having spent up to five years in the North East, Assam had a special place in our lives . On Facebook, I had seen Bishwajit (Jitda) pedaling across this state. The curated routes of the Brahmaputra Cycling Expedition  were attractive and seemed doable to me. After Jitda cleared all my doubts, we decided to take the (metaphoric) plunge and signed up for the tour. 

Note: This is NOT a sponsored post.

Being a weekend cyclist meant I had to focus on daily cycling to be able to complete the tour. Even though the monsoon chose to stay longer in Pune, we managed to train. I got a good idea of my endurance, and even increased it to an extent. The more difficult part was in choosing the right clothing for our tour, saddle covers, compact packing (is there such a thing?????) and so on. 

Sigh.. it was easier to cycle...

Along side, I was researching plants that I was likely to see. I prepared notes, local names and created my own reference guide for the tour. This helped to some extent but since we had cell phone connectivity all through, I often referred to Flowers of India. My study was vital as we were planned to do a forest walk at Kakoijana (home to the endangered Golden Langur) and were visiting the Manas Wildlife Sanctuary (Manas is a world heritage site). As it happened, we made an unplanned visit to the Pobitora Sanctuary as well! 

We worked our way through the rain fury in Pune, packing travails and D day arrived. Armed with good wishes of friends and family we reached Guwahati and met our enthusiastic co cyclists! A diverse interesting group of all ages and backgrounds. The next week looked very promising.

I had to make 'friends' (and quickly) with 'my' cycle and it was reassuring to interact with the BCE team who adjusted cycles for all of us. The back up logistics support and the bus were superb and gave me confidence and helped overcome last minute doubts. 

Two Moons (Wordless Wednesdays)

 Summer mornings on the tekdi are wonderful. A cool breeze before the heat takes over and such a glorious vistas to please the mind and soul! 

Wall Flowers (Wordless Wednesday)

 These flowers catch my eyes on morning walks.. 

Click here to see what I see! 

F is for Fit

Hello! Welcome to my seventh attempt at the April AtoZ blogging challenge. My theme this year is Experiences of a first time grandmother! Some sweet some not so sweet moments and learnings! My posts are totally based on what I felt (may even border on rants) and are not meant to be a guide. 

I  am sure my thoughts may cause a deja vu to some of you especially someone who has hosted a newborn! I would love to hear from you!

Fitness. 
Is that a surprising topic from me? 
Well, grandmom has to be fit to look after her babies right? She is also managing her own household and job (if she is working), so staying fit is of utmost importance.

Its important to have strong, fully mobile and painfree knees.. As also to have a strong back and shoulders. Bending and straightening and lifting happens all the time and a catch or stiffness can really make things difficult. 

B is for Books

Hello! Welcome to my seventh attempt at the April AtoZ blogging challenge. My theme this year is Experiences of a first time grandmother! Some sweet some not so sweet moments and learnings! My posts are totally based on what I felt (may even border on rants) and are not meant to be a guide. 

Decades ago, I had referred to a book called Dr Spock's Baby and Child Care... 
It was invaluable especially as we had lived in remote places (to put your doubts at rest.. let me say we always had a Doctor at our base) and this was a huge help..

That's my decades old copy!

E is Exercise

Hello and Welcome to my sixth attempt at the AtoZ blogging challenge.
My theme this year is Caring for the Caregiver. My posts are based on my experience and are not meant to be a comprehensive guide on the subject. I would love to hear your experiences..
You can catch up with my previous posts here.
With each post, I am sharing a sketch that I have done as a means for stress busting.

Exercise.

Here I refer to physical activity for the care givers. Looking after a sick person is extremely demanding physically. It is vital for care givers to stay healthy and fit. Hence they must exercise regularly. He must continue to exercise at the usual health club. If care is being given at another place, then try to find a jogging track or garden close by where its possible to work out. If nothing, simply put on your walking shoes and walk briskly for at least an hour.

This not only gets the heart rate going, muscles working but also drives all morbid, sad thoughts out of the mind. Post work out, we become fresh and alert to continue the task in hand. 

Z for Zumba

Welcome! 
We are with the 2018 April AtoZ Blogging challenge and its my fifth attempt. For those who missed it, here is the link to my Theme Reveal post. Do the alphabets still stand for the same things we learnt about in Nursery school? 

Its day twenty six and the alphabet is Z. 
This will be last post for the series though I guess I may put up my Reflections later..

The list of things that I yen for should also include Zumba. Its an exercise form that is quite the rage in my city. From what I have read its a kind of dancercise but somehow I have not got down to signing up for a class. 

Alberto Perez created Zumba in the 1990s and it incorporates aerobic movements with dance accompanied by some fast paced high intensity music. This Wikipedia article states that there are 9 types of Zumba, of which the Gold program is meant for older people and beginners. I guess I fall in both categories so this should be the one for me...

O for Oxygen

Welcome! 

We are with the 2018 April AtoZ Blogging challenge and its my fifth attempt. For those who missed it, here is the link to my Theme Reveal post. Do the alphabets still stand for the same things we learnt about in Nursery school? 

Its day fifteen and the alphabet is O.

While in the first associations for O were with Ox, Orange .. today, I first associate O with Oxygen. Naturally you may think I am referring to the ever growing menace of pollution and poor air quality. But maybe that is more of a case of increase in 'bad' gases ...

So which oxygen am I referring to... ???

To get straight to the point, this post is about the oxygen or rather its depleting quantities at higher altitudes. Earlier it would have only affected mountaineers on expeditions to the high peaks but these days, more and more people choose to trek the mountains as a holiday of choice. This includes both young and those young at heart !! 

At elevations of over 10000 ft the effective amount of oxygen reduces. Some people get hit by what is called as Acute Mountain Sickness or HAPO which stands for High Altitude Pulmonary Oedema. It may begin with headache, fatigue, loss of appetite, feeling of uneasiness, vomitting and then worse. 

Ladakh 

X is for eXtreme, eXcellent, eXtraordinary

We are almost at the end of the April 2015 AtoZ Blogging Challenge and the letter X is almost always eXtra challenging!! I am writing about gardens in Pune and I think the tedkis (hills) of Pune some of which have reserve forests on the top are truly unique to this city. 
These tekdis offer all of the adjectives in the title of this post: 

eXtraordinary: Pune is blessed with two rivers and importantly also has many hills located right inside the city limits. They can justly be called as the lungs of the city! We have the Vetal Tekdi (which is the highest), Hanuman Tekdi (which has the Gokhale Smarak Stambh), Parvati temple which is atop the Parvati hill, the Parvati Pachgaon forest area, the Tukai Tekdi and Durga Tekdi. The changing landscape over the seasons is a visual treat!

Poster

eXcellent: the hills are excellent places to exercise - for a walk, jog or even train for long treks in the Himalayas. In fact, March and April are months when one commonly sees many walking up and down the hills with huge backpacks, as they gear up for their outings in June or July... The tekdis are also home to some indigenous tree species that are either uncommon or are simply not seen in the city. Some of the trees are Ganer (Cochlospermum religiosum ), Bartondi (Morinda pubescens), Salai (Boswellia serrata), many species of the Capparis Genus. Regular walkers very commonly sight Peacocks on their morning walks on the Vetal tekdi as also a variety of birds...  What bliss... 

Acacia sp

Alangium salvifolium

Gardenia turgida

Dichrostachys cinerea

Dolichondrone falcata

Evolvulus alsinoides

Flower of Watakaka volubilis

eXtreme: They are an example of extremes of human intervention. Some hillocks have been almost flattened as they have been razed to make way for buildings and concrete jungles all under the name of development. Simultaneously, other hills have been 'saved' by peoples movements and resistance to the same 'development'.  There are umpteen examples of organisations who have taken up 'greening' of the hills or who spend their Sunday mornings cleaning up the waste or folks who daily take up some water to water new plantations! 

 Morning walkers fill up such bottles and carry them up to water saplings to help them survive the harsh summer heat

The most surprising part of these tekdis is that despite their obvious presence, a large number of people are simply unaware of this wonderful natural beauty. I know of people who have lived over five decades in Pune and still have not gone to any of the our tekdis... 

The tekdis should be a must-visit place in the itinerary of every nature lover visiting Pune. 
Cheers!

PS: Location Map here. 

N is for Necklace Garden

The frequency of my visits to this part of Pune soared after I took up cycling and our favourite route is the 'Necklace'. Here Maps has marked this area as the Necklace area. Initially I assumed it was because of the semicircular road that traverses the area. Then I thought the reason was because this particular patch of road is the among the beautiful parts of the city - clean, green, hardly any traffic and so totally different from the hustle bustle that's now associated with Pune. Then I came across the Necklace Garden. 

G is for Gool Poonawala Garden

G was one alphabet where the garden recall was almost instantaneous. Not because I visit it often but have seen it often! Yet another site on my frequently used roads, only to be admired from the car but never visited. This blogging challenge got me to make a dedicated trip to the Gool Poonawala Garden located in Salisbury Park, Pune. 

This is basically set up as a jogging track. The oval track is surrounded by a wall of Silver Oak and Acacia trees. I spotted a colony of bats living in the Acacias. The centre of the park predictably has pretty lawns and some seating. I did not see anyone jogging but there were several walkers mostly senior citizens and ladies from nearby residential buildings. Possibly the demographic may be different at another time of the day.

Jogging Track

Plenty of seating

Look carefully and you will see the bats hanging on these trees

A couple of imposing Ficus benjamina's loom over the entrance and one is immediately on the track. Turn left or right to jog/walk around the entire site. The park is flanked by the road on one side, homes on two others, but the fourth side seems to be merging into a jungle of sorts that often crops up in land that is not 'developed'. There is a gazebo that would be ideal for folks to exercise when its raining. Its not very rich in terms of diversity or age of trees but then this garden is more about exercising/jogging rather than botany. Come here to work out, or Yoga or for Pranayama. 

A jungle of sorts is seen at one edge of the garden

An great initiative by the PMC for local residents. The Sachin  Tendulkar Jogging Track in Rajendra Nagar area is a similar but smaller garden that people of the area would surely be enjoying daily. 

Info:
Entry Ticket: Nil
Timing: 6AM to 10AM and 4PM to 8PM
Parking: Available and Free
Drinking Water: Available (hygiene and quality not checked)
Restrooms: Available (hygiene and quality not checked)
Location Map here. 

Zero... Size Zero

This is the final post for the April 2014 A to Z Blogathon. Its been a month of "exercising for fitness" and I was not really sure I would be able to complete the challenge and stay within the theme. Suddenly I had a gamut of ideas for blog posts which had nothing to do with my theme. They were banished to the 'drafts' and hopefully should be up soon. So keep visiting.

Thanks to all of you who have visited and commented here. Its been a pleasure knowing all of you and reading your thoughts. Do follow my blog on  GFC or on Twitter so we can stay updated on our posts.

 Stunning models in fashion magazines look beautiful, lean and toned and whatever I do I somehow never achieve that look. Obviously a lot of it is due to superb photography, make up etc but size matters as well. I had a painfully thin frame and never ever was it considered to be beautiful. Rather it was looked down upon.

In my time, fat was beautiful.

Some years ago, the so-called size zero became quite the craze in India when Kareena Kapoor (an actress in India's film industry) was down to this size for the 2008 film "Tashan."

So thin was in.

Later on I saw the movie "Bride Wars" when this dialogue about a wedding dress by Vera Wang has stayed with me till now: "You don’t alter Vera to fit you; you alter yourself to fit Vera."

I am not sure what dimensions qualify as size zero but I assume its something painfully thin as is evident in photos in the links above. Can one reach and stay in this size in a healthy manner? Obviously it would mean cutting down on food which will affect nutrition and energy levels. Will there be long term side effects? This is an eye opening article about models who go to all lengths to maintain the sizes required for their work.It involved eating less or not at all, sustaining oneself with drips but not much mention of exercise. The focus was only on the size and not on fitness. Fitness is not only size but involves overall strength, flexibility and endurance. Its the combination of these that makes a person fit.
But obviously the requirements of the fashion industry go beyond fitness. Appearances count.

So is it worth risking long term damage to our bodies to reach and stay at size zero? Thats a question we have to answer for ourselves.

Yes, I can

A common excuse for not exercising is lack of time. There is some project near its deadline or a team member is non productive or the boss is over demanding and so on. When work calls we Always find time... be it at 10 pm or 4 a m.

So why not get up an hour earlier, do a few Sun Salutations and then begin work? If its late then do some stretching exercises to help relax the muscles.

Its all a question of having the will to do it. In London I have seen folks jogging in parks in lunch hour. Initially i was quite amused but locals told me these executives use any free time in this manner to stay fit!!

If Yes, I can is your motto you will find the time to exercise And work.

No more excuses.

Make this your motto "Yes I can"

Cheers.

Disclaimer: All suggestions are general in nature. Readers are advised to exercise caution before implementing them and seek expert advise about what is suitable for their specific needs.

X is for e(X)citment!

Whatever be your workout it has gone exciting. You should look forward to every session and find it challenging and satisfying as well. Of course getting bored once in a while is OK but if you find that you have to drag yourself for exercise the something is amiss. Seriously.

Ask yourself:

• Are the exercises too difficult?
• Are the exercises monotonous?
• Is there excessive DOMS?
• Are the gym or accessory costs too high?
• Are your  exercise goals too ambitious?
• Is there a lack of camaraderie in the group?

The answers will help you overcome any hesitation and get you back to your workouts again.

Cheers!

Disclaimer: All suggestions are general in nature. Readers are advised to exercise caution before implementing them and seek expert advise about what is suitable for their specific needs. 

Variety is Essential

Doing the same exercises day in and day out can cause the muscles to 'get used to the tasks' and they are no longer 'challenged' by the workout. Hence we reach the so-called Exercise Plateau. Further just because we work out daily it doesn't mean we will be able to do any type of exercise easily. Example: I used to walk about 5kms daily yet when I started cycling I found I was unable to do more than 10 kms without getting tired and that too on a flat road.

Thus its important to add different types of workouts so our muscles are used to working differently and working with different muscles groups. These varying workouts can be spread over the period of a month. Practical examples: Walk backwards for a part of your route, jog sideways, cycle on a slope instead of the usual cycle track.

Here is an extract of a my Healthnotes column first published in the July 2009 issue of Windows & Aisles, the in flight magazine of Paramount Airways.

Upper Body

Whether one jogs or walks or swims regularly it is vital to include exercises for the upper body. By upper body I mean stretching and strengthening exercises for the shoulders, arms, upper back and neck. We use these muscles during all actions involving the arms, to maintain a correct posture of the spine and neck. Correct posture is important to avoid neck pain or upper back pain. Exercising these muscles is a must for those who spend hours in front of a computer.

So what are the exercises that must be done? Here goes:
For the shoulder girdle: Sit or stand comfortably with your head facing in front and chin tucked in. Carry out the following movements seven times each: Shrug shoulders; with palms crossed behind the head, move the elbows together in front and take them back; rotate the arms and shoulders clockwise and anticlockwise.

For the Arms: Free exercises like Push up, Plank, Triceps dips; machine led exercises like the Lat Pulldown, biceps curls and so on.

For the Neck: Chin tucks, Neck bends (sideways and front/backwards). Follow this and this link for a detailed explanation.

Travel right

The attractive ads and heavy discount offers tempt us daily via print and visual media to sign up for group tours/guided holidays. We had booked for one such tour, I began to have last minute cold feet, would the tour be too hectic, would I return tired instead of refreshed, would the change in weather/ food/ water suit me… With a bit of common sense and some planning we had a wonderful holiday.

I would like to share my ideas that made it possible and hopefully will help you continue your exercise during your holiday so you can enjoy every minute of it.


1. Closely study the itinerary of your tour. Usually the daily routine involved sitting in the bus for long stretches (anywhere between 2-5 hours), and walking also between 1-3 kms daily ( if not more). Now remember this walking is different from the routine walks which most of us undertake. On a tour one is usually also carrying along a handbag with miscellaneous objects like a water bottle, sunscreen, towel, a book maybe, purchases at the souvenir store, umbrella/ raincoat and some snacks/ medicines. All this can add up to 2 kgs not counting the camera whose weight varied depending on the type. Also at home we walk in cooler times of the day whereas here it could be at any time in the heat / cold or in the hills. So one needs to prepare for that. I ensured that I was walking 3 kms daily prior to commencement of the journey in order to acclimatize. If you are not used to walking then begin with 20minutes of walking and gradually increase.


2. Most cities in western countries have excellent roads and groups travel in high tech coaches. This minimises the effects of jerks and bumps. But what of the sitting posture itself? The spine stays continuously in a flexed (bent) position, the feet remain hanging and the neck faces severe torture if one takes a nap in a moving bus! Solution: Do proper stretches for the back at the end of every day. During the journey whenever the opportunity arises, just stand up and walk a few steps to relieve the spine.

Suryanamaskar (Sun Salutations)

This is the topic for which I had to shelve Streches to the Odds and Ends.
Sigh. Both so important and it was a tough choice.
But let me get on with this....

I had first learnt Surya Namaskar way back from my Dad, did them for some time and slowly forgot the specific steps. The general idea stayed with me. Its only recently that the importance of this exercise has again dawned on me.

It is a combination of 12 asanas (Yoga postures) to be done sequentially preferably in the morning at Sunrise. This link has excellent photos to describe how to do the Surya Namaskar.


The breathing technique is extremely important if you want to do these right else you will only end up getting breathless and give up. Thats what happened with me and I turned to my Father for guidance. Basically it boils down to breathing out when exerting or forward bending.

The Surya Namaskar is a tribute to the Sun so what better way to perform the salutations than by saying the names of the Sun. This is also a good way to count reps. Here is a list of the names of the Sun that my Father gave me. Its in Marathi but I will put those names in English for you. Its for 13 repetitions and those wanting to do more can just start over. I have pasted the paper on the wall where I exercise just in case I forget! 

Rest and Recuperation

I expect this is a post that should get me some brownie points and boost popularity with those who find excuses to not exercise. Yes, you are right in thinking that Rest IS important when exercising. 

Why? 

Simply because it gives time for the muscles to recuperate and for broken muscle fibres (they are broken down during when doing resistance training) to repair. Its this repair process that increases our BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) and makes the muscles stronger and bigger (over time). 

Obviously by rest I do not mean sleeping or becoming a couch potato. It simply means a day without your regular workout. For those who have specific fitness goals it can mean exercising a different group of muscles with a different workout or activity. There should be an interval of about six to eight hours between exercise sessions.Obviously I refer to those who exercise to stay fit not high performance athletes or those with specific health goals.

Besides rest as I have described above, one needs to get adequate sleep at night. It is the best healer for our body and mind. Overexercising can cause many problems and in this case more is not always better. 

So go ahead and take a break once a week in your workout. You've earned it.

Cheers!

Disclaimer: All suggestions are general in nature. Readers are advised to exercise caution before implementing them and seek expert advise about what is suitable for their specific needs. 

Quiz

This year, I am blogging about 'Exercising for Fitness' for the A to Z Blogathon. I do hope you have gained something from my posts.

You have? Then lets exercise those grey cells today?
:)

A sneak peak... Does muscle weigh more than fat?
Does maintaining fitness require a change in lifestyle?

For the correct answer, follow the link below... 

Exercise and Fitness Quiz on MedicineNet

Go on, dont hesitate, take this quiz...