Your Body, Your Temple

IF YOU ARE NOT THE BEST VERSION OF YOURSELF, WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR TIME AND EFFORT?
The human body is an amazingly intricate and deep ecosystem revolving around the mind. It is controlled by the mind, yet retains its power to influence it strongly. Much has been written about this connect, but the symbiosis plays out on a daily basis in much more mundane ways than one realises.

It takes relatively little to upset the intricate working of the complex mechanism that is the body. What we often forget is that it does not take much to ensure a reasonable homeostasis and provide inputs to keep it working smoothly. We often think the effort is larger than what it actually is, preventing us from taking the first steps. What we don’t do is think about the ways we abuse the body on a daily basis, yet we endlessly ponder over taking necessary steps to keep it healthy, constantly carving out escape routes.

Being healthy and fit should first be understood — it is the ability to live a complete life and be able to perform all actions fluidly, free from discomfort, pain and disease. The body should be strong enough to cope and repair itself effectively as and when the need arises. Wear and tear is normal and happens at the cellular level on a daily basis. Sure, there will be occasions when this deviation is larger or more serious. But in each case, the body should intuitively be a facilitator and friend, not an inhibitor or foe. This is true across age groups and fitness levels. From elite athletes to common people, this reality is constant and efforts should be taken for this. All other ideas of “fitness” are derivatives of this, to be built upon later.

“Health” is a comprehensive concept that requires all components to perform in sync to give a certain end result. A weak link is a weak chain. Period. The body degenerates if it is not tended to properly. Efficiency of movement is lost. Use it or lose it. The number of people battling chronic pain, discomfort and lifestyle diseases is enormous and a stark reminder of this adage. The fact that this is afflicting people at younger ages is frightening.

We have all fallen ill at some time or the other. What has that felt like? Our first desire is to get well before doing anything. The drive to work or even do daily chores takes a beating. The mind becomes preoccupied with the unhealthy body. Physical recovery is instantly accompanied by a happier frame of mind.

The silver lining is that the body is all it needs. It can be challenged on a daily basis in a number of ways to make it stronger and healthier. And the solutions are easier than you imagine. You need to first decide that you are in charge. And recognise that you need to give yourself time to break old patterns, adopt new ones, and stick with them till they become a habit. Take small but sure steps. Build progressions realistically. Recognise that a body not used to being challenged will resist. But it will bend and yield if you persist. And then it will be yours to plough. The mind and body trained together become a powerful force, encouraging each other.

What separates the doers from wishers is this realisation and then the dedication to getting the best of themselves, for themselves. We are a function of this truth. Ignore it and no matter what you think, you are not doing justice to yourself and therefore not delivering your best to the world. All it takes is a little to start, then a little more to keep going, and then it does not take long to break barriers.

If you are not at your best, what are you doing with your time and effort? What is worth more than a healthy body and mind? Movement is fundamental to everyone. By choosing to shun it we are going against our essence. Irrespective of age and the ageing process, the body demands movement. The nature and intensity of movement may change, but its need does not. The more we treat the body as a sum of its parts and accept that each part has an important role to play, the better we age and defy pain and illness. That alone is reason enough to adopt activity.

Everything in life takes a thought and then a push. So it is with the pursuit of health. Look for solutions that will help you break the inertia. Reach out to those who are already on the journey. Discipline needs to be inculcated, it does not happen overnight. Set short, medium and long-term goals with a time frame. Don’t wait for next week or month to start.

Today is good, even if half of it is over. Make a full commitment, not a part-promise. And ask yourself, if some people can do it, why can’t you? Seek whatever help you need to get going. It does not have to be a lonely, difficult and suffocating journey. It could land up being the best chapter of your life with new friends and new sources of inspiration along the way.

The writer is exercise and rehab specialist, corporate wellness coach, and foot and gait analyst.

http://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/vani-pahwa-on-achieving-a-healthy-body-and-mind/article8081719.ece