How I Lost It… The Sedentary Lifestyle

“It’s high time you do something about yourself,” said my mother. “People will never believe that you were a sportswoman if you tell them that.” This was last December.

“What is wrong with this pair of jeans,” I said to myself. This was in the first week of January this year. It seemed my favourite pair of blues had a mind of it’s own and at that point of time, it didn’t want to fit me right.

Later that month, panting, I managed to get into the last metro. I had to run from the top of the stairs with a very good chance I could fall and slip thanks to the soles of the flimsy slippers. “Since when did I start to pant after a run?” was my question to myself as the metro made its way forward.

And that’s when it hit me. I was literally living in denial. And I had been living in denial for some years now. It was easier to tell myself wearing loose fitting clothes was the in-thing than to take care of myself.

The motivation was to get back my fitness level, to start with a morning routine which did not only include re-runs of Castle and Homeland.

I don’t believe in crash courses nor do I believe in taking the easy way out. I had to start from the very beginning. Since right eating consists about 90% of a good healthy system, it meant no more binge eating or late night pizza deliveries. I love cooking (as evident by my recipe posts) and thus began a healthier approach. Less oil, more of proteins and cutting out empty carbohydrates. Who said healthy eating is bland? I love that I can create new recipes just thinking outside the box. The biggest boon — eating a good healthy breakfast, which I used to skip on most days.

Who can say no this homemade shammi kebabs with stir fried veggies for a healthy supper?

Then started morning jogs and runs. If you have been out of it for some years, it’s not fun in the beginning. Not by a long shot. Let’s just say the aches and pains gave me motivation to continue. A simple yoga and core work out (thankfully that is still strong because of millions of sit ups and push-ups behind me during my formative years) can work wonders. Just try it.

I began to feel healthier and stronger within a couple of weeks. Losing weight was never the goal but to get to a healthier, active lifestyle was. Of course that I was buying dresses two sizes smaller put a smile on my face. But the biggest smile came when my mother saw me after some months and said: “Now, you’re beginning to look like the athlete you were.”

There is still a long way to go before I can achieve the fitness level I used to have but hey, I’m getting there.

Entry for: How I Lost It blog contest on http://www.worldofmoms.com

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