February 12, 2014
Thangachi’s Corner: Staying in Shape
Updated every other Wednesday, “Thangachi’s Corner” is a bi-monthly feature that discusses relatable topics and issues relevant to the Canadian Tamil youth of today. For more information about this feature or to suggest a topic, feel free to e-mail us at blogs@ctya.org!
Written By: Keerthana Raveendran
There are some of us who work a strict exercise regimen. We schedule daily workouts in between school or work and feel energized all day long. We are constantly eating healthy foods as a result and feel antsy when we’re not able to get our daily fix of an elevated heart rate.
There are some of us who are fairly conscious of the importance of an active way of life. We don’t quite get in a daily workout, but we go on regular runs, or engage in the occasional visit to the gym. Perhaps there are phases in our lives in which we are particularly devoted to exercise, but we always end up settling into a moderate cycle of physical activity.
And then there are some of us who wait until the Olympics hit every few years before we realize that we’re totally out of shape.
Yep. Enough said.
Active exercise, on top of a nutritious diet is a vital part of a healthy lifestyle. While we become accustomed to attending Phys. Ed classes as children during elementary school, it becomes harder to maintain the same level of activity once we reach adulthood. After all, other priorities always seem to interfere. Still, it’s imperative to maintain regular sessions of exercise throughout the week, and this can be accomplished in a variety of different ways:
1) A regular trip to the gym. Get yourself a subscription to your local gym. It costs an arm and a foot, so take the fact that your wallet is getting significantly lighter as motivation to put the subscription to good use by working out regularly. Professional gyms are stocked with great exercise equipment that you may not have at home, and if it’s any incentive, some of the treadmills may be connected to televisions—hello, multitasking.
2) The use of workout videos. Not all of us can afford a regular subscription to the gym. We may neither have the funds, the time or the regular means of transportation, so regular trips to the gym are rather impractical. No fear, welcome to the age of Internet—workout videos can be readily found online. Whether you choose to follow a Beachbody program such as Insanity or P90x, or my favourite, Fitness Blender, workout videos provide a means to learn new workout techniques within the home.
3) An enrollment in fitness classes. Perhaps you are not the sort of person who can work out alone. Studies show that people are more likely to stay physically active when they share workout goals with another individual. In this light, it may be beneficial to enroll in fitness classes. This can be of a various sort—dance, pilates, yoga, or even a form of martial arts. The goal then becomes to not only maintain a healthy, physical lifestyle, but to do so while learning a new skill—two birds with one stone!
4) Participation in sports. Sports are a great way to stay active. Not only are they played in groups, but they engage a ton of muscle groups and are a fun way to increase the heart rate. You can either get a couple of friends together and set up regular games, or join a community center’s sports team and meet new people in the process. Either way, it’s a sneaky way of getting in your regular bout of physical activity!
5) A regular jog routine. Perhaps you are a solitary exerciser. If that’s the case, a daily jog may be just the thing for you. You can go for a morning run or an evening one, but fill up a light water bottle, plug in your headphones and just get going. Solitary jogs can be relaxing if you run at the right time and place—they’re a great opportunity to work through problems in your head and serve to loosen up the muscles before or after a tough day. If you feel you need a goal to work towards, you can even train yourself for a marathon!
While not many of us are going to end up at the Olympics, we can all benefit from physical activity in our daily schedules. Coupled with a healthy diet, exercise serves to control weight, combat health conditions and diseases, improve mood, boost energy, and promote better sleep.
And while you may feel lazy before a workout and come up with a gazillion reasons not to exercise, you are almost guaranteed to feel accomplished and pleased with yourself afterward.
Thank you, endorphins.
About the Author:
Keerthana Raveendran, known by her flock as Thangachi, is an aspiring author whose motivation to write usually kicks in when she’s supposed to be occupied elsewhere. She is an avid procrastinator who sees potential novel ideas as movies in her head. Maybe one of these days they’ll make it onto the page. Thangachi is currently a Masters student studying English at York University.
Read More by Keerthana!
“Vanakkam: More than Just a Word”
“Your Dose of New Year’s Optimism”
Tags: Speak Out
