How I Stayed Young and You Can Too

In the name of God, it was not like, one fine morning, I woke up & decided, “I want to remain young forever” &, went about making a list of things to do to stay young. In all honesty, it just happened! This post is a look-back at my life where I explore, what according to me, must have gone right.

I’ve realized that my negatives have actually turned out to be my positives! Here are some:

Walking: I can’t ride/drive. So I invariably use my feet & have walked miles & miles. Unlike Sathya who takes out a vehicle even to go to the shop right next door!

Water: I dehydrate easily. I might forget to take the marker to my training classes but not my bottle of water. And we all know water is an elixir.

Height: At 5’2” I am elfin. Shorter, slimmer people tend (mark that) to look younger. So my short stature gives people the impression that I’m young.

Smoking/drinking: I can’t stand the smell of beer/cigarettes. I don’t drink/ smoke. Never have!

Pregnancy: The time in a woman’s life when she gains weight & then struggles to shed it off. In my case, my mother had passed away, & my MIL didn’t care, so what was actually a traumatic experience emotionally, turned out (in retrospect) to be a boon otherwise. With no one to pamper & spoil me silly, no loving persuasions of “You must now eat for 2”, no overload of ghee/butter/sweets; I simply ate like I did before pregnancy - I ate for one person. Though I touched 63 kg by the ninth month, it was a weight that was normal & expected. Later on, though I didn’t once bend my body for post-pregnancy work-outs, there really was not much fat to be burned anyways.

(Note: Those who’ve excellent maternal/family care should thank God that they are receiving so much love. You’re blessed, I say. Just strike a balance though!)

Food: I don’t over-eat, I stop when I know I have to (ok, unless it is the ‘prasada’ that is given during Sathyanarayana Pooja). I listen to my body closely & can easily say, ‘No’ or ‘Enough’. Men are hopeless at this. They associate (well, rightly so!) food with love, & so when their dear mom or darling wife serves, they just can’t’ stop at 2 helpings & eventually end up with a paunch you can place tea cups on!

My lack of craze for pasta, pizza, pani-puri, chocolates, sweets, cold drinks has done me a world of good! My definition of good food is very simple: rice, sambar (curry), sabzi (vegetable side-dish) & if there’s fish fry, I’m on cloud nine!

Exercise: I hate it. And jogging. And walking. I hate anything that makes me break into a sweat! I’ve moved my limbs only twice with the express intent to be fit. But I’m fit because I’m active & the activity comes from playing. I play, easily & a lot, with children. You must give it a shot! After all, not many have the access or inclination for a gym membership. And show your middle finger to those who smirk, “Look at her, at this age, playing like a kid”

And now some positives:

My amazing gene-pool. That’s half the battle won.

My awesome metabolism. I can digest an elephant in a couple of hours! That’s how good it is.

I believe that age is just a number.

I love easy. I cry easy. I heal easy. Just like little children. Result? You stay young at heart because sometimes taking yourself too seriously does nothing but add carcinogens to your body.

Marriage is not just about buying grocery & gold. It is about intimacy & yet many let their physical longing for each other take a beating. Sometimes, that’s all the exercise you need!

Clothes play a big role in making us look old or young. ‘Dress according to your age’ is nonsense advice. How do we really know how old someone is? Who carries their birth certificate around their necks? So people’s perception of your age is just that – a perception. The right advice then is ‘dress according to your body type’. And whoever says 35 makes me ineligible to wear certain outfits, I’d say to them, GTH (go to hell). The only reason not to wear something is the awareness that it may not look good on you. And remember, whether branded or street wear, if it doesn’t suit YOU, it just ain’t worth it.

Thank God (I’m actually prostrating here), I’ve never been on any kind of medication. Many people gain weight simply because of the side-effects of medicines.

Oh, a parting tip: eat smaller portions. How? Switch to a smaller plate!!