Look at the numbers: 140-96-130-240-85. For most, these may just be numerals, but for me at 45-plus, these changed the way I lived and perhaps changed for ever. The first two numbers put in perspective my blood pressure, the third (fasting blood sugar) is devastation for a sweet-toothed person like me, the fourth shuts down my eating with gay abandon in restaurants (cholesterol as it is technically called-sic).
If all these four numbers can be described as borderline, the last number means that I am a bottom-heavy person (pot belly seems a little rude!). My employer gives me a free medical check-up and I thought why waste it!
But the revelations were a shocker mainly because I failed to see what was coming. Of late, the hip size of my pants increased by a couple of inches and the groove of the belt had changed. Part of the blame can be attributed to the lack of a full-size mirror at my home.
For me, mirrors are only to do your hair and to clean the stubs in a fast and furious morning ritual. I used to mock at my wife standing in front of full-size mirrors while on shopping. But, with hindsight, I realise that I have not been able to recognise myself in these full-size mirrors, mistaking the grotesque size for somebody else!
The medical reports were a slap in my face, a blot on my ego and a big dent in my hopes of a decent food. Curfew was in force at home. I could not enter the kitchen without an accompanying person, the fridge was out of bounds and Tupperware was out, neatly packed for daily lunch.
My wife furiously ‘googled' for remedies and repercussions. The obvious repercussion was the walls of the arteries could be clogged and no plumber can help the blood flow. She was in a state of trauma after surfing through the Net and I had to convince her that I would take care of my health. I promised her to do the remedies, as per her wish.
For all my promise, I did not know what was in store for me. The alarm was set for 5 a.m. I was to go for a walk in the park clocking 4 km in 45 minutes. If I can jog, all the more better. For me, it was still midnight — my body was ready in track suit and jogging shoes, my mind still wandering near Mars and beyond.
The wake-up call came from my wife, complaining that I was not worried about the family. The door opened into darkness as I stepped out in cool fresh air. On foot, I was afraid of stray dogs and loneliness. While driving none of these matters, but while walking all nightmares crop up. I started towards the park rather stealthily and wanted to walk in obscurity. What I saw, instead, was a park so crowded that walking 4 km in 45 minutes was impossible. The narrow pathway was littered with people, walking/jogging/hopping/stretching and, after some time, I started looking for traffic signals to cross intersections. The key takeaway was that I had company.
With hindsight, I thought ‘why this kola-veri kola-veri while eating' and ‘why this kola-veri kola-veri while walking/jogging.' I hope my discipline does not wane and my determination does not melt away. Instead I hope my cholesterol melts away and my waistline thins out.
Happy exercising for a healthy body.
