Postmortem Of A Wrong Jump - Beyond Technicalities

Ever since my right ankle got injured, I felt that it’s a serious time for me to get back to the incident and analyze it historically. Kyaa kare…Once an analyst…Alwaaaays an analyst…he he he…research then becomes religion.

It’s a time for me to introspect as to what went wrong? And how can I avoid it in future?

I already mentioned in my previous blogs that my technique went wrong. But simply blaming the technique is not just sufficient. Of course, it forms the primary reason for my ankle injury. But there are other secondary factors too, which resulted in this miss-happening.

I have also mentioned earlier that my entire weight of 61 Kgs came on my right ankle while I landed on the slanting surface of the ground. It’s too much of a weight on an ankle which is made up of bones, muscles and ligaments, which are not strong enough presently to bear the shock. Oh yes! Shock should be the exact word which caused me an ankle injury.

The historical visualization of the incident revealed that my bulkiness (overweight), weaker bones & muscles, poor concentration, the lack of ankle sleeves and the absence of appropriate shock absorbing shoes are the secondary factors which attributed towards a plaster on my right leg. I seriously need to work on each of them…before I get back to action…

I was already on a weight reduction mode prior to this injury. To be in the range of an ideal Body Mass Index (BMI), I must weigh around 52 Kgs. I must work hard to shed those extra kilos of weight on my body so that elevation and landing becomes easier for me. Reduced weight will not apply too much of pressure on my Tibia & Fibula bones, my calf muscles and my ankle ligaments.

I spent countless number of hours doing research on how to make my knees and ankles stronger than what I currently have. YouTube proved to be a useful site citing best of the best videos through which I now know, how to make my lower body parts stronger.

Intake of proteins and calcium is very essential for me to build stronger muscles and bones. So I had to increase the quantity of Soya food and Skimmed Milk as a part of my daily meals. A liter of skimmed milk and two plates of soya food now form an integral part of my daily diet. Personally I don’t really support consuming protein powders and calcium pills. So my research on foods containing proteins and calcium in an adequate quantity is still continued…

Martial Art is all about concentration. That’s what my Sensai Virendra Lautkar used to preach me during my childhood. Somehow, I lost my grip on this aspect also. I now understand its true requirement as a martial artist. I did not waste even a single day to start Anapanasati, a technique that forms an integral part of Buddha’s Vipasyana way of Zen meditation. May be later on in life, I would attend a ten day camp of Vipasyana at Igatpuri, MP to understand its nitty-gritty’s.

I already possess shin guard with me. But my search for ankle, elbow and knee guards and sleeves is still in progress…may be once I get rid of this plaster thing, I would extend my boundaries from Gurgaon to Delhi searching them. After all proper security and precautionary measures are very important, especially when one indulges himself into extreme sports like Parkour. Real life situation would be entirely different. I will not wear these things when an application of Parkour would be required in a practical scenario…however, during practice sessions, I must not ignore them simply considering myself an undefeatable hero. We must not forget to respect the importance of taking precautions…

After seeing the above promo of Adidas Bounce series, featuring Parkour techniques, you must have been convinced about owning a proper shock absorbing shoe, especially when you are a traceur (Parkour practitioners). My online research on shock absorbing shoes revealed that XUVIA from Puma is the best Parkour shoe. However, it’s non-availability in the Indian markets disappointed me a lot. I spoke to three different Puma dealers about it, but none of them could manage to get it for me. Then I moved on to other sports brands like Nike, Adidas, Converse, Spaulding and Speedo…Fortunately, I managed to learn about Nike Shox…a technologically fit shoe for absorbing ankle shocks. I ended up searching and then buying “Nike Shox R4 Espionage” from a Nike Store near my place.

I found it very comfortable, especially on the rear side of my foot…where the ankle is located…but still, I felt something missing in my shoe…may be a heavy grip…so I continued with my research on appropriate Parkour shoes…

While watching a video on YouTube, I learnt that shocks would not only be generated on my ankle, but also on my toes…Most of the times, as a correct technique I would be using my toes to land on the ground…so quite often, my toes would also be exposed to shocks. Unfortunately, my shoe from Nike Shox R4 Espionage series can not provide me enough protection on my toes…so my search for a good grip along with toe & ankle protection continued. Again, countless number of hours were spent online to search an appropriate shoe…I successfully managed to narrow down my option of getting Adidas Bounce Series. Although, I was not so very satisfied with its gripping aspect, I had no other options but to settle for it, especially in a country which is completely ignorant to Parkour and its accessories. I carefully picked up Adidas Microbounce FH 08 series from an Adidas Store situated in a nearby mall.

Of course both the shoes costed me a hell on my pocket, but in the name of precaution, I am even ready to flip down my wallet on my martial art needs. Must tell you…my search for Puma XUVIA is still on…he he he…

I already mentioned earlier…right? Once an analyst…Alwaaaays an analyst…he he he…research then becomes religion.

The Plaster Story...

Pehla pehla plaster hai…pehli pehli baar hai…

Jaanke bhi anjanaa…kaisa mera pair hai…ho ho ho

So guys and gals, get ready for the ultimate action of the year. For the first time in life, I am experiencing something, which I never did earlier. I am on a road never traveled before. Yesterday, when I visited Apollo Clinic in Sector 14, Dr Sanjay Kapoor got me a plaster on my right leg, after his diagnosis. The plaster will last for three weeks. And I was advised to take bed-rest for three to five days and then probably I can start moving. According to Dr. Kapoor, there is a tear in the ligament of my right ankle. To heal it properly, I must put on the plaster and be on it for next three weeks.

Since I could not drive my car, I took a rickshaw while coming back home. While returning, I got a call from a colleague, Vishal stating that our monthly research work which was supposed to start on Friday, actually got proponed by a day and has started yesterday itself. Hooooooooooo…emergency time…for any Bond to get in action…isn’t it? He he he…Although I was advised bed rest, I decided to go to the office. Not even once was I confused about it. As Martial Arts / Parkour is my personal choice of life. And it should never affect my professional life. I like it keeping them separate. So I called Mohit & Sumit (my team members) and asked them to pick me up from my place at 7:00 PM.

Just imagine the amount of attention that a person gets if he wears a plaster and cripple around in his office. He he he...

The moment my team members saw me in this new avatar, they were zapped. “Ye kyaa hai sirji…?” Few of them sympathized – “Sirji aap sachmuch me sanki ho…plaster chadhne ke baad log bedrest karte hai…chutti lete hai, aur aap fir bhi langdaate hue office aa gaye?...ghar jao sirji…aaram karo”

And I heard few of them kanafoosing “Sala kutta kameena, tootne footne ke baad bhi office aa gayaa…ise kehte hai jawaani ke jhatke…lagtaa hai, marke hi peechha chhodegaa”…he he he…

I was mentally prepared for getting both, lionized and demonized. I am a combination of both and since past few years people typecast me in the same role. He he he…

Everyone who knew me approached me. Now that’s something very obvious. But iskaa kyaa kare, that those who don’t know me also came forward to ask about my lucky leg. And after a while I was so irritated by the same kind of questions and answers that I decided to hide my leg under the desk. And then I started quality checking the work of my team members. Sumit, Shailly and Mohit were there for me to bring my daily doses of juice which kept me energized throughout the day. I am glad I saved one external error by identifying it and charging it internally to the concerned analyst so that it gets rectified on time. The satisfaction that I got from doing my work un-interruptedly is way too above than what I would have got resting at home. I worked till 3.30 AM in the night and then Puneet dropped me home. Thanks to fate for keeping few good people around me without whom, living an un-interrupted life is next to impossible.

Back at home, I just could not sleep during the night. Well, you are right…due to the severity of pain in my leg. But that wasn’t just the only reason. He he he…Actually I was worried about my weight which can again get increased due to lack of exercise and physical workouts for three complete weeks. Oh God! Itni mushkil se 8 kilo wazan kum kiyaa thaa…sab bedaa garak naa ho jaye…So while I was resting on bed, I was actually planning how to cut on my already reduced calorie intake. I also decided to keep continuing few exercises that would not involve leg movements and can still burn more and more of my calories. Of course I can’t run and jump. But atleast I can practice few hundreds of punches, blocks, carats along with pushups, crunches and squats. It’s only that I have to increase the number of repetitions so that more and more of my calories burn and I still continue to maintain my weight, if not loosing it more.

With this thought, I slept a little only to here my reminder alarm already preset for 5.00 AM for my martial arts class…which today, I was about to miss as I had to pick my Mom from the railway station. Yesterday she boarded the train from Nagpur.

And when I woke up at about 12:00 AM today, first thing I did was to execute my entire fitness plan that I had in my mind the last night.

I did 100 repetitions of pushups, crunches, squats and practiced few punches along with blocks and carats. That ways, I am quite satisfied with what I have imbibed within myself in the past three months. Thanks to Gunjan Sharma, my instructor who always mentioned that – kamzoriya sabhi me hai…but hame use haavi nahi hone dena chaahiye…

Let’s see – how early can I join back my martial arts classes…which has become an inevitable part of my life.

The Right Injuiry Of My Right Ankle...

The anatomy of a human body is just very simple – that’s what I had in my mind when I used to study it as a subject during my intermediate education.

And then time went by…and I never ever thought about my body till past few months. My eyesight just got weaker year by year and I never cared for it. I lost most of my hair ever since I came here in Gurgaon but I never thought about it. Since past three years, I was growing tout to such an extent, that three months ago, I realized I was on the higher range of overweight people’s Body Mass Index (BMI). Plus a constant wrist pain since childhood never stopped till now, even though the doctor said it will vanish with my growing age. My overall stamina went to zero levels. I inadvertently moved to a sedentary lifestyle and lived with it for more than four years. How the hell will I understand the anatomy and the functions/dysfunctions of my own body with such a laxity in my attitude towards it?

Since past few weeks I developed some kind of pain in my legs, especially after jumping for a while during my Parkour practice. To be precise, muscles around the Tibia bone in both of my legs were the exact area of pain. Gunjan (my instructor) always mentioned that it will go off, if I practice sitting in Vajrasana every day. May be, those muscles need a bit more stretch and the Tibia bone needs few more ounces of calcium to be stronger. That’s still fine…coz I was still able to continue with my daily routine with all those pain in my legs…

Three months ago, I made a personal choice to live healthy thereby discarding a sedentary lifestyle. And for which, I understand that I will have to bear those initial pain which my body would cause me, to seek my childhood passion of martial arts.

And in these three months, there were few occasion when I got wounded during my practice. But theek hai…itnaa to chaltaa hi hai yaaro…

Yesterday, while jumping from a high elevation, I someone landed on a slanting ground, wrongly. And that too; only on my right ankle. Oh God! How the hell did I make this mistake? The entire 61 Kgs of my body weight was on my right ankle for a second and that’s what, went completely wrong during my execution of this jump.

Gunjan repeatedly gave us instructions that we must land on our toe balls. However, this particular landing got me on my ankles. Landing on our toe balls is technically a correct way that we must incorporate while jumping from a decent height. However, despite of knowing this fact, I don’t really understand why my mind could not catch this. Earlier as well, there were few instances when I landed wrongly on my ankles.

While looking at my photographs, I learnt that my legs go open ended while I am in air. However, Gunjan also suggested me to purposefully make a close ended leg jump (knees should be closer to each other). That ways, I would generate a better chance of landing on my toes…and not on my ankles. Again, I would say that my mind actually failed to grasp the lessons taught by Gunjan. And this particular jump actually injured me to such an extent that I was not able to stand immediately after its wrong delivery. Only I can understand how badly I was injured. Post this jump, I could not continue with my martial arts practice too. And when I returned home, I applied Volini over the affected part and slept a while. However, due to continuous severe pain in my ankles; I could not even sleep properly.

It was about 4:00 PM in the evening when I saw my right leg (area around my ankle) completely swollen. Plus the amount of pain just got double than what I was feeling in the morning. I was literally immovable. I had to reach to my office at 5.00 PM. But my injured leg did not allow me mentally to get up and make myself up for the office. Since I did not have any important work in my office, I somehow decided to take a leave and rest at home. I was feeling defeated, mentally.

While exchanging few SMS with Arunima, my batch-mate at my martial art classes, I was checking my cell phone. I somehow saw a received call from Dheeraj who reports to me in my office. Those who don’t know Dheeraj, I must say that he is one of the most brilliant team members that we have in our team. His ability to grasp things quickly has many a times fetched him rewards. He is the only one in the team to receive employee of the year award. Now try this one…he is worstly affected by Polio since his childhood. And still manages to move from his home to office, everyday using his calipers. He might also feel the pain, but still manages to emerge as a winner in his real life. Now that’s what gave me a kick…a motivation sufficient enough to move on in life…even with an injured ankle, just like Dheeraj does every day.

With all the pains, I gathered courage in my mind, and gradually woke up from my bed to prepare my regular Soya Dinner…I made myself up for office and headed towards it. Mohit was already there to receive me at the office gate where I reached by a rickshaw. Thanks to have supportive team members like him who escorted me till the second floor in my cubicle. Moreover, Sumit, took care of myself for the entire day in my office, right from bringing my doses of fruit juice to getting a rickshaw for me while returning home.

Today, I have scheduled an appointment with an orthopedic doctor in Appollo…just to check if there is an internal injury or not…I don’t really know what the result would come out to be…but this blog is about documenting few lessons that I learnt since yesterday…

• Pay careful attention to what your coach is instructing…
• While executing difficult tasks, just remember - It’s all in our mind, but we must respect our body as well.
• Just when we are about to break (by getting mentally defeated), think of those who never broke because of their deficiencies…
• And above all – if you want to learn swimming, why to get bothered by water strokes…(if I have to learn JKD and Parkour, why to get bothered by injuries and obstacles, because they are integral part of learning too)

Indeed, the injury in my right ankle is right enough…to give me sufficient insights to go beyond what we call it as – understanding human anatomy. I consider it as my first reward of JKD practice. Let me post this blog and visit a Nike store to get a shock absorbing shoe and a pair of ankle sleeves, as I will never ever cease my practice…

JEET KUNE DO weds PARKOUR...

There are many things that we bring in to our life un-necessarily. And we can not avoid them.

If we get a packet of milk, what are we actually targeting? Milk of-course…isn’t it? And after consuming it, what do we do with that packet which contained milk? We just throw it away. But does that mean that the packet was completely useless. No. It had a purpose – to carry the milk in it for the consumers.

That’s exactly what my point is. There are various things that we incorporate in our daily lives, because they help us in achieving what we aspire for. Few of them, later become obsolete and hence we just discard them. We don’t carry them along with us, for the whole life. Failed love affairs are also the examples of it. Most of us just move on with life, thereby leaving their previous lover.

Life is a mixed bag of good & bad things. It is a combination of few of our strengths and rest of our weaknesses. It carries successes along with our failures too. And most of our actions are useful, whereas others are just not beneficial.

And we don’t really need a specialist to come and tell us to grab good things, carry your strengths, live on your successes and absorb what is useful. That’s sheer common sense. Isn’t it? And that’s what Jeet Kune Do (JKD) teaches us – to use our common sense…. It has one simple premise – Absorb what is useful.

Unfortunately, Jeet Kune Do is being taught by many Martial Art Centers as an Art or as a form. Just because JKD was invented by Bruce Lee, who later became an iconic figure in the world of martial arts, many money minting folks laced up their shoes to teach JKD as forms. However, JKD is formless…

Unlike other martial arts, it does not have a set pattern/technique of attacking, defending, grappling and moving. And there is a reason to it…JKD is not a form, but a psychology. It’s a state of mind which can never be judged merely by efficient delivery of punches and kicks. There is more to it…

Imagine, a person trains himself in Kung Fu…but in a real life situation, he is supposed to jump from a 10 feet wall for his defense. That’s the only alternative he has got. Is jumping from a 10 feet wall, that very easy? No…it’s not…until we break that mental block from within and learn its technical know how. What’s the use of an art which fails to protect us in such situations? The forms which Kung Fu possesses are mostly useless when we face a real life combat situation. And why just Kung Fu, there are other martial arts too, which become useless somewhere or the other. A Taekwondo specialist would always use flying kicks but would never know how to kick lower parts of his opponent. Where as an Aikido specialist would just use his palms/wrist to knock his opponent but would fail when his palm/wrist gets injured.

There are N number of forms, punches, kicks, blocks and carats which do not hold good in one or the other situation. Here we need to use our common sense and deliver only those actions which would hold good. Otherwise, we are just wasting our time and energy which can be fruitfully utilized by creating other situations.

One must know almost everything to be a super human to deliver every action with finesse. However, almost all martial arts are not so very complete by their nature. One must learn atleast five to seven different martial arts so as to combine them to chalk out his own way of actions. Absorb what is useful in a particular martial art and then use it aptly where ever you can. Every human body is different. And based on the strengths and weaknesses of each human body including his own, the JKD specialist analyzes and delivers his movements. So no…it’s not just attacking an opponent in a set technique of punching, but to use brain efficiently and quickly along with his body to deliver an action that suites the most, in a particular situation. It’s just that the action which is derived from various martial arts needs to be well versed with full dexterity.

Presently, I know nothing in the field of martial arts. However, I have that passion in me to be a JKD expert, right from my childhood. But before re-venturing into it, I must achieve a (long-lost) fitness level where in I can learn various martial arts and derive my own strategically researched way of movements. I am extremely desirous and have my plans to learn Muay Thai, Aikido, Taekwondo, Ninjutsu, Shotokaan, Gojuriu, Win Chun and may be Kung Fu & Gymnastics, so that I can absorb what is useful to me in each particular art and then use them in my own JKD style which would be my customized version of movements. I do not intend to be a trainer or an instructor but would definitely dedicate my life to explore martial arts to the fullest.

Lately, I have been associated with Parkour. The photographs featuring in this blog is a combination of martial arts and Parkour that we learn from Mr. Gunjan Sharma (the lean guy with black and white T-shirt). As per Gunjan, Parkour is both a discipline with the aim of moving from one point to another as smoothly, efficiently and quickly as possible using principally the abilities of the human body, but is also built on a philosophical premise, perhaps more similar to martial arts than to a sport such as gymnastics. Parkour's focus is on how any obstacle is dealt with, whether the obstacle is either physical or mental.

If martial art is to fight…then Parkour is to flight. Parkour practitioners move not only as rapidly as they can, but also in the most direct and efficient way possible. Efficiency also involves avoiding injuries, both short and long term, part of why Parkour’s unofficial motto is – TO BE AND TO LAST. Those who are skilled at this activity normally have an extremely keen Spatial Awareness.

There might be few situations where in one has to run for his self defense. Now Running can never be straight when it comes to reality. There are several obstacles that come by when we are running. Like a dead end, or a car/truck, a building, a pool and so on and so froth. Parkour teaches me how to overcome these obstacles by clearing the mental block, using spatial judgment and developing expertise on technicalities of jumping and climbing in a real life environment.

Right from twisting/curling our body in air to rolling it while landing, Parkour has numerous action movements that help in moving efficiently and freely. If cat walk is something to walk on horizontal pipes, then flips are plain elevated jumps which have more variety to it…like side flips, back flips and front flips. And vaults and somersaults make it so exciting that one can not control himself from doing Parkour instead of just walking plainly. He he he…

Of course, after mastering Parkour to a satisfactory level, I would analyze how few Parkour specific actions benefit me in the long run. Subsequently, they would be a part of my JKD style.

Run Buddy Run…

Zindagi ek daud hai…daud, daud ye daud jeetni hai tujhko…

Quite unheard…right? But this is one song that used to listen during my college days…a song featuring Sunil Shetty as a crippled father…trying hard to convince his stubborn son…that life is a race…and you have to, have to win this race…

During those days, I used to wonder what athletes do to win races. Practice and just practice, was the only answer that I used to get. But that was too small an answer for me.

Even during my martial arts training during my childhood, my martial arts trainer never instructed me to run or to jog. However, when I joined, Prahar, I was asked to jog for about a kilometer daily. And I used to hate a lot as I could never manage it during my entire Prahar training. Since the training was of few weeks, I never learnt the inside outs of running. I did everything that Nana Patekar has shown in his movie “Prahar”, but never jogged.

During my college days, I totally forgot the art of physical workouts. And corporate world has its own version of races…he he he…Rat Race…I am not denying that fact that I was never into it…infact, I was the front runner here. But then it has nothing to do with the actual running…

When I joined my JKD Classes on 1^st of April 2009, my sensai instructed me to jog for about 50 meters, and believe me, I felt as if I am in a hell. Those 50 meters of jogging made me understand where my stamina level was…It was a self discovery that my stamina was just nothing…and nothing means nothing…my bulky & disfigured body structure and my age added toppings on the top of it. And I was very disappointed.

Spending countless number of hours on Youtube, watching people do Parkour and free running is an easy task. But when it actually came to executing it by my self, I learnt that I was nowhere even close to them. When I was asked to jump from a certain height, I used to fear a lot. I could not deliver an effective kick. I used to see few older people laughing loud as a part of their yoga exercises, in the same park. Many a times, I used to get conscious as if they were laughing at me. He he he…

My Sensai Gunjan Sharma and fellow mates in my JKD classes are very helpful and supportive. They always gave me a moral support whenever I was left behind. It was only because of them, that I persevered and continued with my classes and practice. Gradually, I learnt that I must reduce my weight and should be slim and trim to be an effective martial artist. I devised my own diet plan and followed it strictly. Presently, I am on a zero oil food, consuming boiled / stemmed / roasted vegetables along with good number of fruit juice and skimmed milk. Negligible carbohydrates and high proteins form my diet these days.

Based on my strengths and weaknesses, I myself devised my plan of diet (mentioned below) that I have to follow strictly for few months.

Morning - 8.30 AM

• During Exercise - Consume Lime Water
• After exercise - Papaya - 1 plate
• Sprouts - 1 plate (Peas, Pulses, Almonds, Onion, Tomato, Cucumber, Lemon, Salt, Black Pepper)
• 1 Glass of Mixed Fruit Juice

Noon - 2.30 PM

• Boiled / Stemmed / Roasted Vegetables - 1 plate
• 1 Cup Boiled Dal
• Brown Bread - 2 Slices
• 2 Slices of Fruit

Evening - 4.30 PM

• 1 Glass of Skimmed Milk / Dahi

Night - 9.00 PM

• Neutrela Nuggets / granules - 1 Plate
• 6 Glasses of Mixed Fruit Juice (each glass every one and a half hours)

A strict no to tea, coffee, oil, maggie and other junk foods which I used to love a lot.

Plus under the able tutelage of my Sensai, my workouts also made me perspire a lot. Every week, I spend three days in my martial arts classes and other three days in a park near to my place for 2 hours each day. It rebuilt my confidence level. In past two and a half moths, I have lost close to six kilograms of weight. I set daily targets for myself when I practice alone in the park near to my residence, which I keep on increasing day by day. At home also, in the evening, I do regular push ups (5 rounds of 20 repetitions) and crunches (4 rounds of 50 repetitions)

Today, I continuously jogged ten rounds of the park which is approximately 250 meters in circumference. It really feels great to have built stamina with which, I can run close to two and a half kilometers, non-stop. I have personally experienced that redefining ourselves takes a lot of pain and hard work. One has to be mentally strong during such endurance trainings. Fascination is good, but devotion plays an important role. It all starts and end in our mind, but one has to respect his body as well. I feel it as a new beginning.

To be an effective Parkour practitioner, I should first learn to run…then to jump and then to set myself free…

My next two months target is to reach a level where in I should jog from my place till Mahipalpur, nonstop. It seems impossible to me right now…but then running 50 meters was also the same for me two and a half months ago. So I am gamed for it…

I now understand tits and bits of an abstract word called – practice. And I know it’s nothing when compared to the experiences of people whom I now consider my benchmark.

Toning For Fitness

So now I am completely on the roadmap of making myself fit through a psychology called Jeet Kune Do (JKD)

It all started on April 01^st 2009 which was the first day of my JKD training. Before that, I was dumb & lame, fitness wise. Ever since I left my school, I hardly did any exercise. College days passed by…and when I came here to Gurgaon for work, I could not realize how time moved and I gradually became fat, just like an air balloon. Especially when I went to Germany and US, I had to survive on all the fatty foods that those people eat. Since I never burnt them through physical workout, it just got added to my body and disfigured me completely. Even though I was back to my country, my belly continued to grow. So I jokingly started referring to my belly as – Daulat, jitna badhe utna achha. He he he…how silly was I…actually, it was nothing but an excuse to support my lethargic attitude towards fitness.

Just check out my belly in the photograph below, which were clicked on 21^st and 22^nd February 2009 respectively.

Finally on March 31, 2009, after listening to an ISB Hyderabad lecture on Youtube, I decided to move towards my true north (see one of my blog below). Subsequently, I started chasing my childhood passion for Martial Arts, especially JKD. Since April 01^st 2009, I started my JKD training with many problems. Due to my body full of fats, I realized that I will not be able to execute technical aspects of JKD realistically. And believe me, for the first two weeks, I was highly frustrated as my body used to pain a lot and I used to sleep more and more due to exertion. Those days I was preparing for my exam and so exertion was becoming a hindrance for my studies. So I took a break of about ten days to concentrate on my studies. And after my exams, I re-started my training with full rigor.

During my interaction with Shailly in my office, I learnt her technique of reducing fats. She revealed that she used to follow a diet pattern along with some gymnasium exercises and reduced about 10 Kgs in 2 months. It was then when I realized that even our juniors can motivate us by their deeds. I spent countless number of hours on Youtube and Internet to check out how to loose fats. I learnt that even celebrities like Sonam Kapoor and Adnan Sami were overweight and lost 30 Kgs and 100 Kgs respectively. Hooooooooo…quite shameful for me…isn’t it?

I weighted myself on 4^th April, 2009 to learn that I was of 68 Kgs. I calculated my Body Mass Index (BMI) which placed me in a category called – overweight. Subsequently, I was awakened…and then started a mental & physical journey towards toning myself for a human like body. Since that day, I used to follow the below mentioned diet plan…

After training – a full plate of Papaya along with sprouts including peas, almonds & pulses and cabbage soup flavored with boiled tomatoes, spinach and black pepper.

Noon – 2 chapattis with some cooked vegetables & dal

Night - 2 chapattis with some cooked vegetables

6 glasses of fresh Mixed Fruit juice (sweet lime, pineapple, Pomegranate) along with 1 glass of Mango Juice during the entire day.

I gave up rice completely. Many a times, I used to feel like eating more…kyaa kare? Mom cooks very delicious food…but then, sticking to our diet plan is more of a mental attitude. I considered myself in a testing time and continued with my diet plan strictly.

My exercise regime is very exhaustive. Right from crunches to push ups, from stretching to breathing, the entire warm up exerts me a lot. And the technical aspects of JKD including punches, carats, blocks, kicks along with few parkour techniques are enough to burn those extra fats in my body. Moreover, during my childhood days, my Sensai Virendra Lautkar taught dynamic tension – an art through which one can create physical tension in our own body which burns those extra fats and makes our body rock solid. So I started practicing dynamic tension at home itself.

In just 40 days, I can feel the difference. I have lost 3 Kgs since then. Today, I am more energetic than I used to be earlier. Though after my training, I feel like sleeping more and more…due to exertion, but when I wake up, I feel completely energized for the entire day. I can feel the strength within myself. Even my team members in my office have started complementing me for reducing the curvature of my belly. My friends tell me that I am growing slimmer day by day. My Mom tells me that I am looking younger than what I used to look 2 months ago. Yesterday my Sensai Gunjan Sharma told me that I have been progressing well in terms of reducing fats.

I don't aspire heavy muscles like Arnold or Sylvester...but I do posses a desire to make myself light, toned and rock solid with all those cuts and curves visible on my body. Bruce Lee is still a God to me...And JKD is a path to find God within...It's just the beginning...I have to dwel myself deep into the JKD psycology with timely introspection & analysis through meditation, so as to make myself a true martial.

Fitness is a lifelong journey which I never intend to stop…I have learnt my lesson - Working is good as it leads us to good life. But Workout should not be ignored, as it leads us to a healthy life.

Take Off - Chasing Childhood JKD Passion

Chasing childhood passion is not at all easy for me. Jeet Kune Do (JKD), a customized martial art technique invented by Bruce Lee was something that I used to practise during my ninth standard. However, in past seventeen years, I completely forgot the art of defending ourself realistically. When I used to practice it during my childhood, I was completely fit. I used to posses a well toned body, with all the cuts quite visible on my hands and abdomen. Those were the days when I got trained by my sensai, Virendra Lautkar.

Today will be the second day I will undergo my training for Jeet Kune Do, yesterday being the first one. Now my coach is Gunjan Sharma. Just see his orkut profile, and get mesmerized by his action photographs. On my first day, which was on April 01, 2009, he taught me some warm up and stretching exercises. He was going on and on and on and was not even stopping…he he he…and I was like, “poora ka poora JKD aaj hi seekhungaa kya?...”he he he…

Boss, the place where I take my training is quite far from my residence. It is near about 7 to 10 Kilometers and I really find it difficult to commute. Seems, after my exam, the first things first that I must do is to bring my car from Nagpur.

I attended only one day of my training and believe me, I could not even sit properly on Gunjan’s motorbike as my legs, thighs and waist were paining severely. It was an overdose for me when I did some stretching exercises. Thanks to the fact that most of the forms & stances that I learnt today came very naturally to me due to my previous exposure to martial arts. However, doing those exercises at once and that too for so long was too tiring for me. I realized that my stamina is way too less and within no time, I got exhausted.

The moment I reached home, I just felt flat on my bed. I applied half the tube of the pain killing ointment Volini on my legs, hip and thighs. My biceps were completely motionless. And the next time I sought consciousness, I realized I already slept for seven long hours. It was five in the evening that I gathered some courage to get up from my bed.

Chasing childhood passion, that too at this age is really very difficult. And I started my JKD training on a very special day…first of April…he he he…the day when we make fool of others…he he he…

Seems, I made fool of myself…he he he

But then, no matter, how hard will the training be, it will give me strength…to be tough and to gather myself physically and mentally too…

So I am gamed for it…

Oh! Its 5.10 AM right now…let me post this blog and make myself up for today’s JKD training…