Traveling and sticking with a workout routine has always been a challenge.
Multiple stop business trips tend to be a tiring 'clusterfuck' of airports, taxi's, hotels and cocktails and rich meals, that never seen to lend me the time or the motivation to get off my fat ass and hit the gym.
I have diligently tried to book hotels with a decent gym, and spend at least an hour each day working out, but the temptations to enjoy some down time between hectic schedules tends to win, nine out of ten rounds.
Specially in the US, where I am almost always guaranteed of a continuous purge of 'Law and Order' re runs on TV, I tend to justify to myself the sheer luxury of laying in bed, snacks at hand and wallowing in a pool of duvets and pillows, with the yellow pages close at hand bringing any nations cuisine to my bedside, through a mere phone call.
The additional challenge of visiting LA, where my offspring pursue academia and one of my favourite cousins and her 'foodie' family reside, means the battle is generally lost before the lines are drawn up.
My sons both share my passion for good food, as do my Pasadena family. The lists of 'where to eat' are drawn up sooner than my long suffering travel agent has ticketed and re ticketed my trip through chops and changes in schedules.
Favourite restaurants such as Ink, Animal, Wokano, Guisados, Kogi, my favourite Hunan Mao Restaurant or the delight of my cousin Cherine's amazing culinary skills means that each meal is carefully mapped out and slotted into a an already packed schedule, making this particular stop on my travels, more akin to a gastronomic orgy that begins when I land and ends when I finally board a plane at LAX.
Even the crappy LAX lounge is no longer a safe haven from the calories, as Umami Burger has now opened in the departure terminal, making it a virtual 'quicksand' that sucks me into its greasy underbelly.
So, given that most times a typical trip would be four to five stops with no more than two days at each, me sticking to an workout routine is almost always a losing battle.
How does one, attempting to get back to some semblance of physical shape, tear their reluctant bodies and minds away from this temptation and get some form of physical activity in??? Most times... They don't. They give into the temptation and make a series of excuses as to why they can put off their workout till they are well rested and rooted in one location for more than two days.
The result of this attitude is an ever expanding wardrobe ( and by expanding i mean... waist and collar) and a rather portly appearance, akin to [as my sons Sharya and Sachin very aptly put it] a snowman.
This is a shock to my system. I had always been a model of good health.. well, at least on the surface, although my innards may have taken a fare beating due to the ingestions of various substances that could not have been on the WHO 'healthy' list. I was an athlete of many centuries ago, and a trainer of many of my high schools sports teams. I was the one that set the benchmark. Now.. even sitting on the bench was a chore.
To see my protruding belly and many chins sends me into a spiral of self loathing and frustration at my own weak resolve. This coupled with the fact that most Sri Lankan's have the uncouth and ill mannered response to most people they meet, of commenting on their weight, means I hear a lot of "myyyyyyyy. You have put on noh????'
I could never understand why most people who's physical appearance would not invoke poetry, would insist on commenting on others. Personally, i think it's just a lack of proper upbringing. Be that as it may, to me, it rises a chuckle inside as I can't agree with them more. I 'have put on noh'. So, how do I change this spiral.
I have always revelled in personal challenge. For my fortieth birthday I climbed Mt Kilimanjaro, an amazing experience the first time you do it and definitely not to be done a second time, as I did five years later. I trekked to Everest base Camp a few years ago and in 2011, raised money for a Cancer Hospital by walking 670km's from the South of Sri Lanka to the North. These, while giving me immense personal satisfaction hasn't resulted in long term health benefits.
Now, as my fiftieth birthday dawns, I am not satisfied by the mere achievement of climb, walk or in the the most recent case a bike ride. I want to get back to a physical state that will enable me to continue the activity I enjoy and I want to attempt to reverse the cycle of hard living and get back to some semblance of good health. Not just in appearance but in all my body 'KPI's as well.
I have got a complete set of test done, [the results of which have been dismal at best], and I have begun baby steps. Watching my crabs.. or sorry..carbs, reducing the rice and the white bread for starters. Well, maybe not reducing but certainly watching. I am trying as much as possible to at least get an hours walk in if i can't get out the gym or ride a bike.
My intention is to complete the ride in April and use that as the platform for my future physical development. The ride is 10 days of an average of 150km's per day, or 6-8 hours of riding per day. This will hopefully kick my sloth like metabolism awake and i hope to then, continue to maintain an aggressive workout and diet program that will get me to my health goals. This is a challenge that will be harder than the ride itself. I know myself, I love the 'bad' things in life too much.. and I fear that if i stop feeding these indulgences, it will make me a boring and uninteresting person. Not to others, but to myself.
Thus I seek the balance, between living well (in my case..probably a life of some excess), and enjoying good health. The pundits say it can't be done. Let me see if these so called pundits are right, or if that rule book is left to be re written. Can cuttlefish in hot butter sauce, Big Macs and Mint Chocolate Chip or Caramel and Sea Salt Ice Cream be a part of a healthy diet?? lets not forget good Scotch and Japanese Whiskey with the occasional 'smoke'. And oh... what would life be without bacon. Well... I am not ready to give up any of these. Am I doomed from the start? I hope not. The Buddha preached moderation as the path to success. Maybe I could find that happy medium, not sacrificing the things I love to achieve my goals. Just Maybe... I do live in hope.
On Wednesday my Doctor is going to read me the riot act. I know this as he has already done so via mail. On Thursday I arrive back in Sri Lanka, and the rest of my life begins.
Another false start?? another failed quest for good health?? Maybe so, but then again.... maybe not.
Multiple stop business trips tend to be a tiring 'clusterfuck' of airports, taxi's, hotels and cocktails and rich meals, that never seen to lend me the time or the motivation to get off my fat ass and hit the gym.
I have diligently tried to book hotels with a decent gym, and spend at least an hour each day working out, but the temptations to enjoy some down time between hectic schedules tends to win, nine out of ten rounds.
Specially in the US, where I am almost always guaranteed of a continuous purge of 'Law and Order' re runs on TV, I tend to justify to myself the sheer luxury of laying in bed, snacks at hand and wallowing in a pool of duvets and pillows, with the yellow pages close at hand bringing any nations cuisine to my bedside, through a mere phone call.
The additional challenge of visiting LA, where my offspring pursue academia and one of my favourite cousins and her 'foodie' family reside, means the battle is generally lost before the lines are drawn up.
My sons both share my passion for good food, as do my Pasadena family. The lists of 'where to eat' are drawn up sooner than my long suffering travel agent has ticketed and re ticketed my trip through chops and changes in schedules.
Favourite restaurants such as Ink, Animal, Wokano, Guisados, Kogi, my favourite Hunan Mao Restaurant or the delight of my cousin Cherine's amazing culinary skills means that each meal is carefully mapped out and slotted into a an already packed schedule, making this particular stop on my travels, more akin to a gastronomic orgy that begins when I land and ends when I finally board a plane at LAX.
Even the crappy LAX lounge is no longer a safe haven from the calories, as Umami Burger has now opened in the departure terminal, making it a virtual 'quicksand' that sucks me into its greasy underbelly.
So, given that most times a typical trip would be four to five stops with no more than two days at each, me sticking to an workout routine is almost always a losing battle.
How does one, attempting to get back to some semblance of physical shape, tear their reluctant bodies and minds away from this temptation and get some form of physical activity in??? Most times... They don't. They give into the temptation and make a series of excuses as to why they can put off their workout till they are well rested and rooted in one location for more than two days.
The result of this attitude is an ever expanding wardrobe ( and by expanding i mean... waist and collar) and a rather portly appearance, akin to [as my sons Sharya and Sachin very aptly put it] a snowman.
This is a shock to my system. I had always been a model of good health.. well, at least on the surface, although my innards may have taken a fare beating due to the ingestions of various substances that could not have been on the WHO 'healthy' list. I was an athlete of many centuries ago, and a trainer of many of my high schools sports teams. I was the one that set the benchmark. Now.. even sitting on the bench was a chore.
To see my protruding belly and many chins sends me into a spiral of self loathing and frustration at my own weak resolve. This coupled with the fact that most Sri Lankan's have the uncouth and ill mannered response to most people they meet, of commenting on their weight, means I hear a lot of "myyyyyyyy. You have put on noh????'
I could never understand why most people who's physical appearance would not invoke poetry, would insist on commenting on others. Personally, i think it's just a lack of proper upbringing. Be that as it may, to me, it rises a chuckle inside as I can't agree with them more. I 'have put on noh'. So, how do I change this spiral.
I have always revelled in personal challenge. For my fortieth birthday I climbed Mt Kilimanjaro, an amazing experience the first time you do it and definitely not to be done a second time, as I did five years later. I trekked to Everest base Camp a few years ago and in 2011, raised money for a Cancer Hospital by walking 670km's from the South of Sri Lanka to the North. These, while giving me immense personal satisfaction hasn't resulted in long term health benefits.
Now, as my fiftieth birthday dawns, I am not satisfied by the mere achievement of climb, walk or in the the most recent case a bike ride. I want to get back to a physical state that will enable me to continue the activity I enjoy and I want to attempt to reverse the cycle of hard living and get back to some semblance of good health. Not just in appearance but in all my body 'KPI's as well.
I have got a complete set of test done, [the results of which have been dismal at best], and I have begun baby steps. Watching my crabs.. or sorry..carbs, reducing the rice and the white bread for starters. Well, maybe not reducing but certainly watching. I am trying as much as possible to at least get an hours walk in if i can't get out the gym or ride a bike.
My intention is to complete the ride in April and use that as the platform for my future physical development. The ride is 10 days of an average of 150km's per day, or 6-8 hours of riding per day. This will hopefully kick my sloth like metabolism awake and i hope to then, continue to maintain an aggressive workout and diet program that will get me to my health goals. This is a challenge that will be harder than the ride itself. I know myself, I love the 'bad' things in life too much.. and I fear that if i stop feeding these indulgences, it will make me a boring and uninteresting person. Not to others, but to myself.
Thus I seek the balance, between living well (in my case..probably a life of some excess), and enjoying good health. The pundits say it can't be done. Let me see if these so called pundits are right, or if that rule book is left to be re written. Can cuttlefish in hot butter sauce, Big Macs and Mint Chocolate Chip or Caramel and Sea Salt Ice Cream be a part of a healthy diet?? lets not forget good Scotch and Japanese Whiskey with the occasional 'smoke'. And oh... what would life be without bacon. Well... I am not ready to give up any of these. Am I doomed from the start? I hope not. The Buddha preached moderation as the path to success. Maybe I could find that happy medium, not sacrificing the things I love to achieve my goals. Just Maybe... I do live in hope.
On Wednesday my Doctor is going to read me the riot act. I know this as he has already done so via mail. On Thursday I arrive back in Sri Lanka, and the rest of my life begins.
Another false start?? another failed quest for good health?? Maybe so, but then again.... maybe not.
