The Cacophony of Fitness Fads
I have been trying to shed a few kilos for a decade now to reach my ideal BMI- but haven’t lost a single inch from my waistline! So now I have changed my target - to not gain weight or add any more inches to my already plump figure. So what is fitness? We are constantly bombarded with images of muscular hunks with 6 packs and washboard abs. Thin women with svelte figures, hollow cheeks (some bordering on gaunt), toned abs and hips make up our feeds. So starts the journey of fitness fads … We join gyms with much enthusiasm and get inspired by the young guys and gals pumping iron and sweating on treadmills. We start bragging about how many calories we have burnt. After a few weeks, the initial adrenaline rush gives way to a sense of complacency. And we start making excuses – “Kal raat to neend theek se nahi aayi”; “Aaj break le leti hu – kal zyada weights kar lungi” … Finally going to the gym becomes a pain and we just trudge along to “wasool” the yearly membership fees. Now co...