Too Busy to be Fit Now, will Wait for a Right Time

Suno Pedro ki Kahani...

 

This is not so old story and probably you would have read it before. It's about Pedro, a young man in his early 30ties staying in Mumbai. He was born in a middle-class family and stays with his mom and dad. He was an average student, but he played very good cricket in his school days. He used to spend a lot of time on the ground, due to which he was super fit.  His friends used to talk about his good physique and stamina on the ground. They used to say ki Pedro se acchi body kis ki bhi nahi and Pedro knew about it.

Gradually Pedro finished his school and joined a Commerce college. Just like any new thing takes time to settle, Pedro slowly adjusted to the new routine. He got busy with the lectures, but he did find time for cricket.

 

This continued for a few months but later as a load of academics took over, he would get time for cricket only on weekends. Still, he was doing fine with his fitness, not the one he used to be a couple of years back. His on and off playing time helped him a bit. He wanted to join a Gym, but he had no money for the same.

 

He graduated with good grades and secured admission in an MBA college. Life was different here, as everyone was running a race and eventually Pedro too joined it knowingly unknowingly.

Long schedules and assignments kept him glued to the desk and made him sedentary. Cricket was nowhere in sight and he started gaining weight, but he was too busy to even look at it. There was a basic gym in his college, but he had no time. The second year was tougher and busier. The focus was to get a good placement and for that everyone was trying their best and so was Pedro. Lectures, assignments, presentations, projects went round the clock and it did take a toll on Pedro’s health, he knew it was happening, but the focus to achieve more in his career didn't allow him to prioritize his health. And he did get a good placement and it was a moment of Joy for Pedro and his family. His family always struggled with money, so this good income job was something which Pedro strived for and he made it. But this glory came at the cost of his health. He had piled on 5-6 kgs more, but not just that, he had started experiencing pain in his lower back and knees. He realized that it was happening but this time he had the money, but no time to exercise.

 

A new job brought more responsibilities and Pedro started spending 10-12 hours at work. More time in office led to being more sedentary and eating more junk at irregular times. 

 

With his hard work, Pedro went up the corporate ladder, but it brought its own share of health issues. His increased weight started putting a lot of pressure on his knees and this further aggravated his lower back pain. Due to eating junk and at irregular times, his digestion went for a toss and he faced major acidity and bloating issues. He was not ignorant of this but somehow delayed taking action. His friends and family members told him a couple of times about taking care of his health, but he did not take it seriously. Due to the pressure from the family, he took a gym membership but was never regular to it. He did not go for more than 10 days and he never realized when his annual membership expired. Now when anyone pressed him for exercising, he would always cite the reason that he was so busy that he wasted the complete membership of the gym. With this attitude, he became further ignorant about his health. His day would start with tea and end with a heavy dinner at 11 and get to bed by 12-1 and this added to his health woes. His parents suggested that he at least go for walks, but he found some reason and avoided it. His colleagues started mocking him and this made me more adamant about taking any action on his health

But the way it is said that EK BAAR HI GHANTI BAJTI HAI AUR INSAN KO BADAL DETI HAI. The same thing happened with Pedro. One day while he was working, he got a cramp in his lower back, it was so severe that he was not able to get up from the chair. He had to be literally escorted on a stretcher directly to the hospital. The diagnosis report mentioned bulge to L3-L4, and it would require a good amount of care and time to recover. He was put on medicines and treatment for a week and then discharged. It was followed up with physiotherapy sessions to strengthen the back muscles

 

As a part of the treatment, he underwent few tests and the results were eye-opening for doctors and Pedro too. His sugar levels and cholesterol had skyrocketed, he had turned into a pre-diabetic. His doctor told him clearly that if he does not prioritize his health now, he would soon face serious issues. Now Pedro was worried, and he told the doctor that he will follow everything that they suggest. His doctor told him one straight thing: you need to lose weight. Before taking discharge from the hospital, he decided that enough is enough and now he will take care of his health.

 

Like it is said Bad experiences change a person completely, the same thing happened with Pedro. Now he started finding time for exercise and eating healthy food. Home-cooked food replaced his heavy lunches of Pizza and pasta. His normal snack time became his dinner time and his earlier dinner time was now his time to bed. When someone asked him if this change was easy, he said no it was not, but I had to do it for a better life. Within 3 months, he started seeing the benefits and his health parameters improved. Seeing the initial positive results gave him confidence and he vowed to never look back. Today Pedro is a healthy man, he exercises at least 20-30 mins a day, eats a balanced meal, goes to bed at 10.30. And still manages his professional commitments very well, indulges in a cheat meal once a week, and enjoys his healthy life to the core….

Few things to look at:

• What made a young fit Pedro become unfit as he grew up
• Was he so pressed up for a time, then he could not manage some time for his health?
• Was the race to the carrier so tempting, that he left his hobby (cricket) behind, something which kept him fit for long?
• Why did he wait for a tragedy to strike to change his attitude towards his own health?
• Post hospitalization, how did he start getting time for his fitness, when he used to be so busy before that?
• We need to understand the relationship between Time and Money
• He wanted to join a Gym, but he had no money for the same.
• but this time he had the money, but no time to exercise.

Ask these questions to yourself:

• Do we really wait for a Health check-up to tell us that it's high time to take control of our health?
• We would start exercising only when our Doctors mandate us to do it?
• Is it so difficult to find 20 mins for your own exercises?
• Is eating right a task?
• Does prioritizing health over work put us in a Non-productive zone?
• ARE WE SO BUSY?

There are so many Pedros in our society, how many of you can relate to his story? And if you could, what are you waiting for?

Put the right step forward and take control of your health by exercising and eating right. The start would be difficult, but if you push yourself and be consistent, the journey would be an Amazing one.

Get started Now.

You can always get back to us to initiate your healthy lifestyle. We have a simple 21 days fitness program, which helps you get started. 

Would you be completely fit in 21 days?  The answer is No, but these 21 days will help you build a habit of exercising and eating right, which forms the base of your Fit Lifestyle.

And once you start seeing results, following it becomes a Second Nature.

This story was to ignite a thought in your mind to look at your health with priority, and if it has done its job, then feel free to share it with someone you care about.

Thanks,
Fitness Messengers
http://fitnessmessengers.com/
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Disclaimer: Have used the name Pedro as illustration and it does not refer to any specific individual.