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YES to Enthusiasm! NO to Burnout !

"Today I did 76 push-ups in one go." "I want to become a Black-cat Commando." "Sir, I want to be a cage fighter." I hear these kinds of statements often from newbies. My reaction is a smile with raised eyebrows, which I hope is seen as a subtle gesture of wisdom from a grand old master in a 70s kungfu movie!   ðŸ˜€ Actually, I am calculating "Will he drop off on the day 3 or day 7!" Point 1  Intense training is for professional athletes preparing for a specific event, at the cost of other aspects of life like job, relationships, travel and beer sessions with buddies. That is a zone which can become very lonely and inward. Are you aware and prepared for that?! Point 2  Is your body genetically suitable, your diet sufficient, you have financial resources to sustain that long dark tunnel which you have to walk alone, for 2 or 3 years?! Have you even thought through this? To have a productive life, avoiding physical and emotional

Will you be BRILLIANT or STUPID in a situation?

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Moving out of COMFORT ZONE Most of us with average intelligence, adequate skills can perform consistently at a socially acceptable satisfactory standard. When that comfort zone is yanked away suddenly, confusing chaos and numbing shock slice through our senses into our inner core like a vicious stab of molten metal. We have seen how people react in this crisis situation. Some become blubbering idiots. Some go into comatose shock. Some go in a blinding rage. Only some are calm and objective. So we infer, many are STUPID in a crisis. Only a few can be BRILLIANT under stress. Performance under STRESS The scenario training with realistic visualization and familiarity building repetitions play a critical role in conditioning body and mind to function in a semi-automated state. This neuro-muscular zone of reaction cannot be achieved in short term. The experienced trainer will not hand hold the trainee but force him to learn by constantly pushing their complacency thr

"Don't f$#@*%g glorify violence". - 3 reasons why

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This is what I clarify upfront to those who step into my Chennai KravMaga self-defence class. 1. Violence is NOT an intelligent solution to your problems. In fact in most of the occasions violence worsens the problem more vehemently, beyond repair. So always start addressing issues with civilized, polite tactics. As someone observed  "Most of the issues in this world is not due to the content of the argument, but more due to the tone of the argument."   2. World respects the Brain, while it only fears the Brawn As MGR advised the masses in one of Tamil movie song  " Stop sharpening the Knife. Start sharpening your Mind."  Too much of quality time spent on physical pursuits is a sign of misplaced priorities. Unless your profession depends on physical attributes don't spend more than 3 hours a week on physical past-times. Focus on the attributes which will make you a better professional or spend fun time with folks. 3. Violence is a double edged sword

The Love-Hate relationship with Police -Some thoughts on Police Commemoration Day, 21 October

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400 to 500 policemen become martyrs every year in India, in their line of duty. Today is the day we have to recall their ultimate sacrifice and spend a few moments pondering about the role of police in our lives. What is their role? Hero or Villain Last year while in conversation with DGP about the deteriorating relationship of public and police, I told him " While driving to your office I saw posters of 5 different movies. In 3 of those the hero was a police officer! So, obviously there seems to be a grudging admiration for the men in khaki which is more visible in movies than on the streets!" The reason for this anomaly could be because the occasional interaction with a policeman for the public happens only when they are stopped for traffic crimes or when they become victims of a crime. Obviously, the common man never interacts with a policeman when life is smooth and normal; so, his mental association of police is "Oh my God, Problem"! Sheep-Dog Syn

10 WAYS "SUSTAINABLE FITNESS" IS BETTER FOR YOU - Sustainable Fitness - Part 03

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The STARTING LEVEL FITNESS of the individual is taken into account. This is critical, since the road map to fitness becomes more realistic. Also factor in the body types (refer earlier article for body types) MEASURABLE OBJECTIVES are fixed with phased TIMELINES, factoring in individual idiosyncrasies - like pre-existing issues Please remember that whatever goes up fast can also come down faster.. So, phase your milestones so that you are running your race but not someone else's . The PHYSICAL EXERCISES are VARIED to impact various fitness parameters - Cardio-vascular, Structural strength, Flexibility, Agility and Balance. This will prevent Physical Stress and Mental Monotony. Also, prioritize your schedule to customize for your objectives. The key variables are the INTENSITY and the FREQUENCY. INJURY PREVENTION is the guiding principle. Please remember Injuries can be major setbacks - sometimes for months . I know many who haven't resumed their exercises after an inj

3 REASONS - WHY FOLKS IN FITNESS GET INJURED OR BURNT OUT? -Sustainable Fitness Part 2

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3 Reasons - Muddled Objective, Peer Pressure and Instructor Apathy. Muddled Objective 1.The first and main issue is the folks' "MUDDLED OBJECTIVE " in pursuing their passion. Most start their fitness regimen to lose weight and reduce flab. But this clarity gets muddled once they start seeing the initial positive results. They assume the graph of growth will keep on going upwards perpetually and they shift their gear to over-drive. They get obsessed and start training as if they are preparing for Olympics! Peer Pressure 2. The second issue is "PEER PRESSURE". Most folks join a gym or fitness program after hearing raving testimonials from their friends. They immediately jump and get swept off their feet as a neo-convert. Their anxiety is to fill their Facebook timeline with massive deadlifts, running marathons and doing box-jumps, without giving adequate time and effort to condition their body, which had languished in hedonistic abuse for two decad

2 Reasons Why People Drop Out of Fitness - Sustainable Fitness Part 01

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In the last few years, there is a visible surge in folks taking interest in fitness, which is commendable. But, I see many of them, especially those above 40, unable to sustain their fitness schedule after the initial euphoria. The two main causes are STRESS-INJURIES sustained in their practice and the BURNOUT at both physical and emotional level. The injuries and burnout happen due to the unsustainable intensity of workouts and concentration in one nature of exercise activity monotonously, day after day. The tragedy is, some even end up in a worse shape than they started with! This got me worried, as I had also taken up fitness seriously only when I was 45, twelve years back. After years of analysing and researching on the subject, I understood this unsustainability can be rectified with some simple common-sense implementations. For convenience sake I call it 'SUSTAINABLE FITNESS', which is the concept of pursuing your passion in a phased manner without