Almost all of us, who hit the gym, have an objective. Many work out for hours hoping for an elusive ‘six pack’ abs, while some strive towards weight loss. But only a select few go to become a fit. Let me tell you what my trainer says, ‘Work out to be fit, not to impress someone or with the sole objective of losing weight’. When we work out only with the purpose of losing weight, we fix a target of reaching a certain (weight) goal for ourselves and stop working out as soon as we achieve it. Also, there are many other ways of losing weight, like starving yourself to death.
To me, one should work out to get fit. Because being fit matters…!!!! The results of being fit starts manifesting itself not only in our body but in our life as well. Weight loss is just a byproduct-being fit and healthy should be the sole motive of working out. At cross train I got exactly that. A good mix of body exercises, weights and yoga makes it a completely ideal place to work out. The motto is simple, Get Fit and take control of your body. Many a times, we have abs, beefy muscles but rarely are we able to control our body. At Crosstrain, I not only learned to take control of my body but also learned that my body, when pushed can achieve great heights. The question here is, have I achieved it? The answer is no. As fitness is not something you achieve in a day and move on to another target tomorrow. It’s a continuous process. It’s for life and vice versa.
Before, I was like the epitome of laziness. My Saturdays and Sundays were mostly spent watching TV, sleeping and simply lazing around. It took Pranab Pegu, (henceforth addressed as Pranabda) my coach, friend and brother more than a year to get me moving. I still remember the first day when Pranabda took me to one of his weekend group workouts in Noida, on a chilly winter morning. After two rounds of running and about 10 odd pushups, I could continue no more. . Instead, I started playing cricket with a kid in the field rather than working out with the group.
Come today, almost a year later, I have completed almost two months of working out with Pranabda. And I feel amazing. Though I have not lost significant weight (losing weight was never my objective) I can feel my training working on my body. I am getting fitter and happier by each passing day. According to my wife, I (otherwise a grumpy person) am also becoming more positive, confident and happier. And these are pretty awesome reasons for me to continue working out.
So, it brings me back to my blog title. For me, it is and will always be, Screw Weight Loss, I won’t be happy until I am able to bench press a Bear…!!!
(The author of this blog works in a 9-5 job in an International Trade Union Organization. When not implementing trade union projects or interacting with workers, he works out at Crosstrain Assault.)