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Anushka Sinha

Books by great authors might also be used as dumbbells to add to your strength and core body conditioning.

Try sitting consciously for an hour, then get up and walk for around 15 minutes. Observe what happens. Our brain works better, is more productive and creative. The simple act of standing can improve muscle tone, boost our metabolism, lower our stress levels, improve mood and reduce minor aches and pains.

For me, it is not a matter of the kilometers run nor the fact of not being able to do some of the exercises, but more about having a thought of getting up every day in the morning and going for a consistent commitment, consciously wanting to sweat, learning to take risks, working on anger and stress levels, fearlessness and changing my own mindset towards a positive attitude to life. It is about the energy level I must be able to exude, while giving back throughout the day.

The first step to exercising is your decision to do it. This brings us to ask ourselves the question, why do we really need to exercise? As we all know, exercise is definitely the key to a stronger, fitter and great looking body, but I have better reasons:

  1. The brain rewards with happiness hormones: Sweat makes the brain release feel-good hormones, dopamine and endorphins into the blood, that help regulate emotions and cognitive abilities.
  2. Cells divide and reproduce from older cells, neurons can’t: While processing thoughts and coordinating actions, our brain loses around 3000 neurons a day. For a long time, it was believed that once you lose a neuron, it has gone forever. But Neurogenesis has proved that new neurons are indeed birthed in the brain. And the only known way for this to happen is through exercise. Thus exercise can make our brain younger and keeps it from ageing. Our need to move is imprinted in our genetics.
  3. Health and economic crisis: Exercise provides immunity, strength and thus good health for ourselves, savings for our family and more energy to give back to the society at large.

How to create the habit? The points above are just a strong why to impress the wonderful you. Even in the lockdown period, I am privileged to be part of a family where I have been able to continue my exercise regime. The hallowed portals of our house, Prantik-71, have flat white-marble flooring which is great for easy running due to no elevation. The garden is surrounded by wooden flooring that helps perform high intensity interval training workouts, spot jogs etc., for greater time intervals due to less pressure put on the knees. Books by great authors might also be used as dumbbells to add to your strength and core body conditioning. And the best part, good stretching and self-resistance exercises, like the suryanamaskara do not need any equipment. Stretching and strength training, as a part of exercise results in sweet pain, that causes tearing and re-wiring of tougher and more robust fibres and muscles in our body and is responsible for the ‘build’ of our body. This also eliminates major knee and joint pains.

So it’s nothing fancy, just a pair of shoes to get yourself started. I was really lazy at the start of it. I only had energy to go to office, come back and sleep again. Joining a like-minded group of people at Secure who have real passion for running and fitness has helped me a lot, for which I am thankful to the very active Team IT, Vikram, Mohit and Deepak. Nothing could have been more wonderful a feather in the cap of our fitness culture, than to see the Chief of People, Services, Infrastructure and Design & Communications himself coming forth with his own participation in the marathon events. We do not know about your body, but as a member of Team IT, I owe a huge shout out to all Semsites for exercising your patience and trust in us, in these hours of crisis. We are truly indebted. This is my way of exercising, what’s yours?