Love yourself enough to get up and take the fitness challenge

I enjoy sport — cricket, badminton, tennis or auto racing, if sitting in the comforts of my sofa while cheering on my favourite sport stars’ moments count.

It is difficult not to love sport when the television is perpetually tuned on to one or the other sports channels where experts are delineating the technical details of a match with a discussion of the same by the in-house experts — the husband and Sid leaving me  tongue-tied.

It is not entirely my fault for you see I can rattle off about ten names of engineers under one minute that only the maternal side of my family has contributed to the world, but I would be left jogging my memory for hours to pick up at least one blood relative who has attempted any sort of sport, let alone excel in one.

Let’s just say that we chose a book over a cricket bat or a racket!

I am not much of a talker, but not one to be left tongue-tied either, so I have sat through Sid’s tennis classes and the husband’s badminton tournaments with my most trusted mate — Google, who has been throwing light on facts like the tennis court measures 36 by 78 feet while the badminton court is smaller measuring 20 by 44 feet.

I am yet to put a racket to a ball or a shuttlecock but at least I know the technical difference.

I have understood that sport is not all about the scores and strategies for it teaches you character. Sport teaches you to play by the rules, to accept your defeat and move on after you have learnt from your mistakes and stay grounded as you enjoy basking in the glory of victory.

Sport is a life teacher!

I must admit that it took me a couple of days to appreciate the goodness of exercise for during the first few days even the endorphins didn’t help.

The children were both delighted and mildly traumatised watching me limping about and attempting to lift a painfully sore arm to toss food in the general direction of my mouth.

It took all of a week’s persistence in keeping it up to enjoy the benefits of an exercise routine and be treated to a good dose of endorphins that cleared away cobwebs that had strayed in through the day.

Love yourself enough to pull up your socks and take up the challenge. Together we can turn fitness into a way of life, one step at a time!

Good morning!

This is an extract from the publication in the ‘Off the Cuff’ section of the Gulf News For the full write-up please click here. This was written for the Dubai Fitness Challenge that runs from October 19, 2018 to November 17, 2018, that challenges every Dubai resident to engage in physical activity of their choice for 30 minutes of in a day for 30 days.

 Have a wonderful Sunday!

 

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Beyond The Game

Erin Martucci could feel her body relaxing at the sight of the serene landscape. The gushing waterfall is music to her ears. And just as she begins to lose herself amongst nature’s bounty, her gynecologist pulls her headset off, dragging her back to the ‘real’ confines of the hospital room with doctors preparing for the birth of her first child.

Muhammad is Acrophobic (fear for heights). His pulse races, his heart thuds against his chest, he clutches on to his sides as the realization that the world is dropping below his feet hits him. His head begins to swim, his vision blurs and the familiar feeling of nausea sets in. He pulls out his headgear and is relieved to find himself back into the safe confines of his living room.

Marlene feels a sense of doom as she is thrown out from her home onto the streets and then herded like cattle amongst helpless people into an unknown journey that seems harrowing and hopeless – the exact feeling that Elise Ogle, manager of Homeless projects, want his volunteers to feel – to empathize and change the way people think and act about the homeless.

From distracting women in labor without epidurals to conquering the worst fears- Virtual Reality is beyond gaming as it finds a strong foothold in the ‘real’ world. Be it the #BeFearless Project, Project Homeless or Google’s Expedition program – a journey that spans from  Great Barrier Reef all the way to Mars – a feel of a virtually real experience is just a headset away!

I wonder if VR will find its use in the judicial system where rapists can be sentenced to a virtual session of being raped?

VR could come in handy for some political superpowers to experience what it feels like to be an audience to their hilarious debates, atrocious speeches, and impromptu decisions – or better still -getting to be a virtual citizen of the country that is ruled by them!

What do you think?