63: 2020- A year of reflection, rejuvenation and reignite

365 days of physical fitness for 30-45 mins every day. 7 kgs lost.

It all started with one small team activity at work on coming out of our comfort zone and doing that for seven days. I decided to take that challenge and start physical fitness (30-45 mins) for seven days…At the end of seven days, I was proud to share with my team about my win. I also shared in a couple of other large forums about this small win and activity which I was proud of. This ensured that I continue my fitness regime for a couple of days more. I started with 500 Skips (Jumps), Stretches, Breathing and Meditation.

When I shared with another colleague about the regime, she further added that she had achieved 5 sets of 500 skips the same day. She pushed me further out of my comfort zone, and I tried inching up my skips from 500 to 1000 first and then slowly increased up to 2000+ skips every day. In the interim, there was a competition in our society for maximum skips in 5 mins (This was during the complete lockdown – April 2020). I won second place for the same with 780 skips in 5 mins. This win pushed me further on continuing my skips and fitness regime on daily basis. 

Other things that motivated me in the first 30 days were my brother and his fitness regime. It was not just his fitness regime but also his diet. I saw a radical change in him and that pushed me further to focus both on diet and fitness regime. Thanks to my wife and her support, I could follow a stricter diet (I reduced my intake to 70% of full capacity, less fried stuff, more fruits, and salads)

Over a period, with 2000+ skips on daily basis, I started having pain in my ankle and I had to reduce my skips/jumps. At one point I could not do more than 100 at a stretch due to the pain. Hence, I had to look for an alternate form of activity and again thanks to my wife who is also a fitness freak, I saw her doing 100 Surya Namaskar in a day and I started doing that with 10 initially and today I do 60+ Surya Namaskar everyday morning along with other stretches. After a gap of few months, I started doing just 500 skips again along with 60 Surya Namaskar and my ankle is fine now.

This was fine as I was working from home. The real test was when we as a family went on a staycation for three days and I could still manage to follow my regime in the morning. I started my official travel a couple of days back to Delhi and Bangalore. I ensured I carried my workout shoes and clothes along and continued to do my activities while away from home.

The only break I had was for 15 days when I was hit with COVID in December 2020. I started on 20 March and I complete 365 days on 5th April.

My five key takeaways

–         Start with small goals.

I started with 500 skips a day along with few stretches and breathing activities for 7 days and now when I look back 365 days, I could not have achieved this if I had started with 365 days back of my mind or do 2000 skips in a day or do 60 Surya Namaskar in a day.  

–         Share your wins with people around.

Start celebrating your small wins by sharing with people (friends, family, and workplace). This kept me accountable to myself and kept motivating me to be consistent with my efforts.

–         Surround yourself with people around your goal (Motivation and Inspiration)

When you share with more people around you, you automatically find connected with like-minded people on the same goal who keep pushing you by sharing their wins and the process which is working for them. Based on sharing’s by people around, I also started playing motivational videos during my workout in the last few months, which makes my workout even more energetic. This also helped me to push me out of my comfort zone and stretched my own potential.

–         Agility: Listen to yourself and keep adapting to the body, climate, and situations

Keeping oneself flexible for the path towards the goal is so important. I knew physical fitness was important for me and my body hence it was not 2000 skips but about fitness. Hence when I developed pain in my ankle, I changed the path and started with another activity that helped me towards the same goal. I listened to my body. When It was raining heavily outside, I would ensure I would do indoors and not miss it. If I am traveling, I would carry it out in a hotel room or at the fitness center. Sometimes when I am tired from late-night work or pleasure, I do my workout whatever time I wake up. Anytime from 6 am to 8 am. I have also done in evenings if something needs my time and presence in the early mornings. 

–         Have fun while doing it. 

I thoroughly enjoy my workout every day. It is so much fun and I do not feel it is painful. I look up to my sessions every day. I enjoy the morning rising sun. 

I know it is just the beginning and If I can do it even you can do it!! Please share your action points from above.