I have been working on Internet & Mobile technologies for more than 17 years. That means I’m on my workstation 10-12 hours everyday. Human body is not designed to sit long hours, stare at screens of various sizes 72??? to 4“ and keep hitting the keyboard. Recently, when I showed off my workstation to my friends on Whatsapp one of them who is in the Armed Forces commented “I have No Workstation, However my work takes me to stations???. I believe that’s the kind of lifestyle Human Body is designed for.
Set!
By end of 2013, 15 years of abuse had started showing on my body, I was unhealthy and weighed 98 Kilos.
Then things changed and I Hacked my Health in 18 months. By August 2015 I ran My First Timed Half Marathon.
It’s almost a year now after my first timed Half Marathon (September 05, 2015), I weigh on an average 67- 69 Kg and have ran distances of 21 KM or more 34 times with my personal best of 1:53:46 for 21 Km.
I’m just a beginner in the world of distance running and have miles to go. This blog is a summary of how I got admission into the school of Health and Endurance. How I hacked my health.
Go!
1. It all Starts with a Challenge.
I was living a happy life throwing my weight around everyone/ everything (literally). Parking assistants and security guards never messed up with me- I thought, they think I was a mini Hulk!
And then it happened, on a vacation in December 2013, my wife Shweta @Shwetalakhimpur (who had been practicing yoga for 6 months) challenged me to Supta Vajrasana (Reclined Thunderbolt Pose). I could never get into the asana and ended up feeling Dizzy! That is the moment I realized I was no Hulk, I was Bulk.
Lot has been said about Body Shaming lately, however, I believe, If you care for someone it’s your moral obligation to challenge.
2. You are what you Eat.
Until 2013 my meal plan was simple. Big Breakfast ( 3 Alu/ Paneer Parathas), Bigger Indian Lunch and Biggest Indian Dinner. I felt starved if I did not have 3 whiskeys, Tandoori Platter, Dal Makhani and 2 Rotis Friday evening.
Changing food habit was not simple. In the first few months I added Maggi Masala to salads and fruits to make it taste like ‘food’. However, the hack worked, I stayed the course.
Today my staple is salad. Thanks to stores and startups like Natures Basket, Green Tokri, Olive Plato it is much easier to eat healthy.
3. You are your Sleep.
Since I started competitive education (read Class 7) the goal was to put in long hours at desk or staring at the idoit box. By the time I started working I was sleeping on an average 4 hours a day.
Today I sleep 7 Hours on average, have clocked 10 hours+ and we have not had cable TV at home for 3 years.
4. Know your Path.
It is super important to know your path. For example “ 5KG weight loss in 1 month??? or “join a Running Group” does not work for me. These are super awesome ways however, not for me. For 2 reasons-
I have never believed in “Instant”, apart from “Maggi”
My work week is full of meeting people and working with teams, I want My Time.
For me the inspirations to hack my health has been the Internet and people who do not want to meet me. There’s tons of information, inspiration available. Seek and you shall get! For me Darth Vader, Yoda and Buddha are all heroes, You decide your path.
5. Get the right Gear
Indians are “Jugaadu??? and our priorities are misplaced when it come to health. For example, typical Indian male would have 3-5 shoes for office however, one shoe for Walking, Running, Gym, Cycling, hiking and every other sport. We pay for health insurance but do not spend on health. I was no different. However, after 2013 I have made serious investments on my health that includes:
- Trek 4300 with 2 sets of tyres for Road and Mountain.
- Thule Bike Carrier
- Fitbit Flex and Fitbit Surge
- Hiking Boots
- Inov8 Shoes
- ++
Talking Of Inov8, I recently retired a pair. Here’s my Thank you to my partner.
Next on my list is Garmin Fenix 2 Performance Bundle. However, currently it is over budget. I’m accepting donation, inbox me, if you are interested 🙂
6. Track your Progress and Reward yourself.
For my profession I live by data and applied the same to Health. I tracked every Yoga session, Cycling Trip and Run. Looked at fat burn in each workout and over a period developed a plan for myself. A plan that works.
I have also developed a reward program for myself. Here’s 2 hack you may want try
Weighfies– When my weight reach south of 90s I was very happy and clicked a photo of the weighing scale to remember the date, after that day I clicked photo of the weighing scale every time I lost a kilo. So now I have a collection on my Google Photos called Weighfies!
BOLT– It’s tough on your body to cycle for 6 hours or run for 3 hours so you have to have a system to Reward yourself. Gatorade is my Reward! In India you get 3 flavors of Gatorade (Orange, Yellow and Blue- called BOLT). At the end of the exercise I give Reward myself BOLT if I achieve the target, if I miss the target it’s Yellow and if I’m way off it’s Orange. That’s my order of taste preference and also makes me feel like Usain Bolt for a few Hours 🙂
7. When the going Gets tough, forget your goal, think of the next milestone.
I started this journey I had set the weight target of 80Kgs- 18 Kg weight loss in 12 months. Losing first few Kgs was simple- essentially water in you body/ fat. However, the journey from 95- 90 was arduous and never ending. It took me 4 months to shred next 2 kgs. The math did not seem to work, at that rate I needed 2 years to get to 80.
I went back to my learnings from my profession- The Lean Startup Methodology. I reset my goals. Now my goal was Lose 3 KG in the next 4 months- Or 25% better result than than last sprint.
8. You will be Embarrassed, do not give up, find solution.
After my first 2 15KM runs my Fluorescent Yellow T- Shirt was all red. I realized my Nipple was bleeding. Now anything to do with their own nipple is embarrassing for men. I had almost decided to give up running and go back to cycling.
I did not want to go to a doctor with this problem so I put soframycin on my nipples and spent the weekend search the web. Turns out it is a very common problem with runners and could happen is warm or cold climate. It is called Runners Nipple. Primary reason- your T- Shirt rubbing against the nipple. Solution- wear fitting singlets ( I was wearing XL shirts from Bulk days when my frame was M) and applying Vaseline before the run. Ordered 2 medium running Singlets and a large box of Vaseline. Problem solved.
Pro Tip: Wear only Black Singlets! You never Know 🙂
9. Listen to your body
In my opinion fitness is about your personal best and not competing with others. Non- runners have this notion that running is about reaching the finish line before others. That is not what health and endurance is about, specially if you are above 30. It is about improving “personal best”– podium finish will happen some day. Listen to you body and feel the rhythm.
10. Do not believe your body.
This is corollary to 9. You should listen to your body, however, you body has this trick to cheat you and conserve energy. Push your body and it will do more.
In my cycling trips and runs there are days when my body tricks me and I’m left with a lot of energy after the finish line. I feel horrible on those days and keep thinking I could have gone further or faster.“If life is a walk from womb to tomb your handicap out of womb and bruises at tomb do not matter. Do your best and Hack your Health” Closing Remarks from Rio 2016 :))