Exercise

Waheguru ji ka khalsa waheguru ji ki fateh!

Today I went to get my books from Kwantlen(college). I could not believe that the students were so obese. The majority of the females were considerably overweight. I don't remember seeing that many obese people in high school. But high school was four years ago...

When I went to India in 1992, all the people there were really fit. The only people that were a little "fat" were the the very old women that could not walk. One thing that came into play for the Punjabi people was the natural environment of the state. Just the fresh air that they breathe did wonders to their body. The other thing was the water that they drank. Water levels were significantly higher than they are now. The quality of the water was excellent. One thing that made people fit in Punjab was the lifestyle of the villages where the houses were big and to do usual tasks like drinking water and going to the bathroom required walking a fair distance. So at the end it the day all that exercise would all add up and the result was a fit Punjabi person.

However for the past 10 years things have changed dramatically. Cereal, chocolate candy, gum, chips, pop, and other junk food has infiltrated into the Punjabi household. Extravagant things like pizza and cake have become routine on Punjabi dining tables. As people have moved away from the traditional foods and turned to western ones, the typical person has been affected greatly.

Hypertension(blood pressure), strokes, heart attacks, and cardiovascular diseases have shot through the roof. If you asked a Punjabi 15 years ago what a heart attack was, they would stare at you. These problems were unheard of back then.

Another thing that has changed is that the labor force in Punjab today does not consist of what it used to. Today all the farmers son's are sitting around doing nothing, while the laborers are from other states like Bihar.

obesity is a global trend, first it happened in North America, then in Europe, then in Japan and China and more recently it has happened in India.

Most of the people I know are not fit. I too feel like I am a little overweight. Not a lot but noticeable overweight. I try to exercise regularly throughout the week. My weight has remained constant for the past 4-5 years.

I have been exercising since I was around 16 years old. I went to the local gym for over a year. But then I got weights at home. It was at that time that I found a passion for running. And I started running quite regularly. Then I started to play hockey with my friends, about twice a week. I was doing loads of exercise, and the right kinds of exercise but I was not losing any weight. It seemed strange at the time but now I have learned to live with the few extra pounds.

Now I have a new passion, or obsession ignited within me. One that wants me to loose those 10 pounds no matter what the cost. So I go running with a friend every day and do mat exercises and pushups.

This passion for fitness was inspired by a line in Shri Guru Granth Sahib Jee. The line was "Nanak so prabh simariaae is dehi ko pal" which means: remember god and nurture this body that has been given to you.

No wonder Guru Sahib used to get the singhs to wrestle each other and play war games.

I think that everyone should take care of their body, because when you grow older health is the only thing that will help you out. Besides healthcare and prescription costs are going up. Keep yourself fit!........

Waheguru ji ka khalsa waheguru ji ki fateh!