Quo Vadis?

“How can you run 10 kms if you cannot walk 10kms?! ” This incredulous question that had a tinge of anger came from a veteran runner and triathlete of Chennai. He was sad about the demise of his friend and veteran runner who passed away recently. He was visibly upset at the way people were taking up running without thinking about the side effects. Recounting parts of the discussion with him below: If you are planning to run to become fit, lose weight or any other reason you must first start walking. Start by walking slowly then move to a brisk walk. A thumb rule is to be able to have a regular conversation with others during the brisk walk to understand the ideal desirable pace. If you are gasping too much then you should slow down. After consistently walking for two weeks at least the next step will be walk run where you walk for 4 minutes then run for 1 minute,  gradually the walking will reduce and the running will increase till the ideal balance of running 4 minutes and w

In moments of deep sadness you often wonder what could have been if? I heard of a fitness fan who ran and was also into core work outs who died recently after returning home at the end of work out session. IMHO large fitness groups are a recipe for disaster with mob mentality and one size fit all plans that lead an unsuspecting new comer the wrong way. Today many people are led by what they see others doing and enter into gruelling physical activity without considering if  they  can do likewise.With the rising incidence of heart attacks among younger, physically active people it is a cause of concern. One of the biggest takeaway that i have from my years of working in the life insurance field is the relative lack of self awareness of people about their health condition. People are not aware if they should indulge in high intensity activities to achieve their usual target of weight loss. The question is Should I?  and not Why can't I? Large informal groups l

#metoo should not have happened. It happened because finally women spoke up and yet they should not have been pushed to this. Our women have been subject to harassment of all kinds at all places and yet they soldier on. They do this because they are made of a tougher substance than the weak ones who attempt to harass them. Why do men harass women? I know that the safest excuse is the media and the movies, but movies reflect society. So without stepping into the chicken and egg conundrum let me say that children are moulded by their parents and by what they see their parents do. The other day when my father-in-law mouthed an expletive while travelling with the family it took me a lot of self-restraint not to react in the presence of my daughter but therein lies the danger. We do so many things not caring what the children in our family are seeing or hearing. Children growing up in homes where the father abuses or just disrespects the mother can never be expected to respect

Some time ago I had posted about the 30 day WCCG challenge , I completed that challenge successfully and intended to take it for another 20 days so that I will have a milestone and some bragging rights but I ended up 4 days short for a grand total of 46 days. While I am delighted that I exceeded the initial milestone I was a little disappointed on missing out the next one despite gamely holding on so far. The benefits of this activity were mentioned in the earlier post but I missed out the key reason for starting the challenge which I will share now. As with all weight loss plans I decided the first step would be to visit various gyms and get their quotes before signing up for one. We were almost convinced by one gym when we decided to step into the next one which appeared to be almost deserted. Then I was mind blown when the person at the front desk gave me a quote of 350000 for 6 months, I will repeat the number in words so that you are not confused – Rupees Three Hundre

Two is company, three is a crowd but not when you are the “crowd maker”. My walks in the Tower Park Annanagar have given me the chance to observe the many “crowd maker” who dot the park. If you are wondering who is a crowd maker (I made this up), it is that noble soul who offers his / her time and presence to make a couple not a couple. You know with the moral police breathing behind your backs some private time for couples in public places are hard to come by worse if the fear of getting caught by a family member or a relative who will ensure that a little bit of hell is unleashed in the homes of those who get caught. So there you have these noble souls who make the supreme sacrifice of saving their friends with their presence and making a twosome more than that; No! I did not mean a threesome, you dirty minds. How do you identify these crowd makers? Easy they look uncomfortable and bored sitting close but not close enough to hear but not hear the sweet nothings of the tw

The Monday morning traffic at the signal was shaken out of its slumber by the wail of an ambulance. As the traffic made way for the ambulance I was reminded of the time when I last rode in an ambulance.  It was in the last week of May this year when I rode in an ambulance when we were moving my dad from one hospital to another twice.   Despite the difficult time that I found myself in, I could not stop watching the drivers / support staff in the ambulance. These angels of mercy deserve a lot of our appreciation and our prayers for their roles which are seldom appreciated or thanked enough. It may appear that those driving an ambulance operate from a position of strength; you know a blaring siren, traffic making way sometimes assisted by the traffic cops and most decent people leaving the way clear for the ambulance. Reality is otherwise, the ambulance drivers put their lives at stake each time they go out on the roads in the mission of saving the ones in their care. I was fasc

Micheal Madana Kama Rajan is probably one of the most under rated film ever. If you think that this is an exaggeration, pause this post, go and watch the movie on Youtube. You can come back to me with your opinion. The chances of you not having seen this gem is almost nil if: -          You are fan of good comedy movies (&/) -          You are a fan of Kamal Hassan (&/) -          You are a fan of Kamal Hassan & Crazy Mohan movies So now that you have seen the movie let me celebrate with you one of the most enjoyable songs of the movie, a song that tells you many stories in one, a song that will bring a smile to your face, a song that will make you remember the movie all over again. You would have guessed the song already but before I proceed any further let me state a few disclaimers: 1.      I am not a big fan of Kamal Hassan, read on 2.      Point No 1 is because I always feel that he is over bearing with his prodigious talent and tends to overshadow every

On August 17, 2017 I took up a challenge by the Chennai Cyclists , Annanagar Chapter. I took up the challenge because I was desperate to get out of my extended spell of lethargy and do something about my shape which had started resembling a menhir of Obelix. The challenge was quite simple – a physical activity from walking, running, cycling, yoga, core workouts for a minimum of 30 minutes for 30 consecutive days. Today after Day 17 when I am sitting nursing a blistered feet after a brisk 3km walk after 9 pm I looked back at what I have rediscovered after a long time: -           You become disciplined: this is by far the first step to any fitness regimen. Self- discipline is the start of many good things that follows. It takes discipline to set a routine and stick at it -           You become aware of yourself: you are now aware of your heart beat, your breathing patterns and you discover yourself. You realize what a miracle it is to simply breathe -           You become

If you missed out the trolling of a journalist by fans of actor Vijay simply because she commented that she did not  like a film made over 7 years ago, then take my word, you are better off not watching any more of actor Vijay’s movies. The movie in question Suraa (meaning shark) is abysmal and the general consensus among people I know is that that it is so bad that watching it will give those without a migraine one and those who have migraine the agony of watching it relief from their migraine. What makes a terrible movie? Many things but this movie will be on the heap of other similar movies made by movie makers who wanted simply to milk the star value of the actor. Another movie from back then called Pudhiya Geethai also would give similar migraine effects to those brave enough to watch it, but for now let me say that there are movies and there are bad movies and every actor has his share of bad movies and it is part of their professional life. Suraa had everything

Recently I wrote a letter. No, it was not the official respected sir type, this was the simple humble dear type. You may remember before we started using WhatsApp, emails and social media to interact there was the option of writing to one another. Uncharitably called snail mail today the simple act of writing and posting letters is something many will never do. There is some magic in writing letters and words may not be enough to explain it. I had pen pals in school and they included some from overseas too. We kept in touch with a letter every fortnight or month and these letters kept us closer than the social media of today where despite knowing much we still did not know enough to reach out to the other. Those were the days when the unopened letters brought about a lot of excitement and expectation when they were received. Once read and usually savoured then starts the task of replying to the letter, a good habit that is rapidly on the decline. In this age of instant mes

There are brave people and there are brave people. It takes a particular kind of bravery to be called truly brave. It takes one kind of bravery to eve tease, rape, kill, plunder, lynch and destroy because one is in the company of many other similar brave persons It takes one kind of bravery to come into public life and hide from the same public behind several layers of security men It takes one kind of bravery to deprive the right of others because of the family background and positions held It takes one kind of bravery to do what is wrong because of the web of deceit and lies that has been spun by some for their ulterior motives It takes one kind of bravery to trample on those below oneself because of the person’s baggage of unearned but inherited privileges It takes one kind of bravery to turn a blind eye to all the wrongs that go on in one’s presence It takes one kind of bravery to stand up for what is right despite the world disagreeing It takes