A little push.

That is all one needs to start. For me, I just need to get to the Gym and then I’ll be fine. I will complete my workout and feel happy that I did it. Have more energy throughout the day. Also feel sure that next day I’ll be there for more. Then when its time for work out the next day, I start to find umpteen reasons why I can’t go. Why do I need to be at the gym..why not home? Well, sometimes I do end up working out at home, but I prefer to be at the gym. There is an energy at the gym when you see the other people working out, some hard and some not so hard. Its very contagious. They inspire you to do your best. And if you have access to a gym like the one I go to, that’s inspiration enough.

Recently there was an article in the wall street journal on how a little nudge from either an alarm clock or a friend calling to work out together has made people workout more than they would normally. For me, surely the alarm clock is not the way to go, or wait, maybe, it could be!.. Imagine, being reminded everyday by a clock that you are not working out and after a while you will end up going to your workout at least due to the guilt factor. When I was young, my father had been my inspiration..he was the one who taught me to swim and the one who got me into yoga. The school did the next step by having a yoga drill at just the right age to test your flexibility. I was amazed at mine. There was no stopping after that. Now-a-days, My husband and kids are my inspiration. I want to stay active for them. The kids love to see us play active games with them. I try to put in a minimum of 4 hours of strenuous workout in a week.

We all know the importance of exercising. I wish it was easier done than said. Last year, Pavan was home in the winter…it was one of the best times we had in a long long time. I used to go to work out to the gym for 4 hours every day and pavan would go to his. An hour and a half of Yoga followed by swimming. Perfect!! Especially, the vinyasa yoga regime can get your heart rate so high and stretch you up well for the swim. The power yoga routine and the vinyasa routine, they have at the gym I go to, is awesome. By the time one finishs, we’ve done so many push ups, we don’t need to have a separate routine for weights. I’m still a long way from doing the 108 surya namaskars. That’s going to take a bit more than 1.5 hours to complete. Its' surely, something I’m going to work on this summer.

When it is time to swim, the feeling of the first lap in the water…the water is cool (about 81 deg, well below your body temp), have to just let my body loose and feel the water. Once that’s done, the water actually feels good. And by the time I’m thorough 25% of the workout, I can feel the difference in the temperature of my body. My body is way warmer than when I started. The cool water doesn’t feel cool enough. That’s the reason they keep the lap pools cooler than the other pools (therapy or kids pool). Then after about the first 20 laps…the body gets into this rhythm and feels like I can just continue going beyond the 55 laps that I do, except for the time factor. Another reason that pulls me to go to swim is the fresh feeling I come back with. Many times, that’s the reason I pulled myself to swim. Everybody has a nudge that pushes them to go and work out. What is yours?