How To Manage Through Small Empowering Changes

Have you ever read a book or a blog post and felt a profound sense of clarity—like you knew exactly what you needed to do—only to find yourself feeling paralyzed by the same old struggles hours or days later? Have you ever listened to advice and felt certain you could apply it, only to find your resolve weakening when you tried to do it on your own? Well this is something I went through and to be honest still do experience at times

I recall the experience of going through my hardest effort in trying to become nicotine free many years ago. After a long pep talk with myself, I’d feel confident that I could get past it and be committed to taking care of myself for my healing. Well, hours later I would invariably come across a situation where I would begin to get drawn back to my old habits.

While I’ve made major progress with some of my biggest demons, I still go through times when I’m inconsistent with the things that I know serve me well. In recent years, I’ve put a lot of effort into working on my own self development. However I still struggle to apply what I’ve learned at times. Since I want to continue making progress, I’ve put some thought into why it’s so hard to act on our knowledge and how we can overcome internal resistance for a lasting positive change.

Recognize the payoff in doing what you usually do:

We do things how we've always done them because there’s some type of pay off. This could be something we think we gain or at times something painful we think we can avoid. In some cases, this may be obvious, but we need to really dig beneath the surface to understand why we’re keeping ourselves stuck. When I used to get back to my smoking habit in spite of knowing how unhealthy it was for me and the people around me, it was usually because it gave me a sense of freedom. At other times I felt I could connect with people around me who were smokers themselves .When we understand the payoff we’re seeking and what we’re afraid of or trying to avoid then we’re better able to work with our own inner workings.

Acknowledge what you lose by doing what you always do:

Though there may be a payoff, clearly we’re also losing something else we wouldn't want to change. How will you be more uncomfortable for not making a change? What pain is this behavior causing you? Are you struggling financially because of it? Is it putting your health at risk and limiting your day-to-day joy? Are you feeling depressed, isolated, or lethargic? When you get to that situation, when you want to do what you always do, recognize the emotional payoff—the thinking from step 1. Then take a deep breath and remind yourself that the consequences of doing what you always do are worse.

Take every opportunity to practice, and take the pressure off:

Changing behavior is about consistency. The more often we do something, the more instinctive it will become—and the better we’ll get at it. Think about working at it as often as possible, not doing it perfectly (whatever “it” may be).

I recently read about an interesting study that involved two groups of students.

An instructor told the first group of students that they had to make one perfect vase and told the other group to make as many vases as possible without regard for how they turned out.

The group that made as many as possible ended up producing far superior work. This was because they weren't worried about perfection. They felt free to try new things and have fun with it. Through the process of pressure-free repetition, they naturally improved. This learning is invaluable if you ask me, not strive for perfection but just get on with it even if one fails many times. Think about applying what you know as a numbers game and strive to do it more often than not. If you mess up consider it as a learning experience and try again. In my case, when I feel the urge to light up a smoke, I remind myself, “If I light up now, I will be untrue to myself and I’ll feel bad about myself. Developing empowering habit may not come instinctively, but this is a great opportunity to practice.”

Change your inner voice:

We all tell ourselves stories about the things we can and can’t do. At times that can be paralyzing. The first step is recognizing our limiting thoughts, beliefs, and stories. The next part is replacing them with empowering ones. If you start thinking, “I can’t go out and meet new people”. “I never form any new relationships, so what’s the point?” replace that thought with, “I can meet new friends at any time if I’m open to it.”It may seem like lying to yourself if you generally don’t believe it. You’re not. You’re implanting  a new thought so that you can form a new belief structure.

We tend to find evidence to back up what we think we already know thanks to our sub-conscious mind which filters out stimuli that’s inconsistent with our belief. If you tell yourself something different and look for evidence to back it up, you will start to change that filter which will go a long way in tackling the internal resistance that keeps you from applying what you've learned. In this way you take what you know and transform it into something you fully believe.

Understand your triggers:

It’s easier to sustain a change if you anticipate challenges and plan a way to overcome them.For example, when I used to meet up with my buddies after my working hours I knew that I usually used to light up over a couple of beers and no matter how much & hard I tried, not to be tempted it was a challenge for me. If you’re struggling to get over say a breakup or a painful divorce , identify the things that keep you stuck—looking at old pictures, talking to mutual friends, or whatever. Then plan to avoid triggers that are avoidable and deal with unavoidable ones in a healthy way. If you’re having a hard time changing your diet recognize the things that tempt you to make unhealthy choices—having certain food in the house, or getting a large portion at a restaurant. Then plan to tackle those triggers by only buying healthy items and not getting the stuff into the house in the first place.

Whatever the case may be, knowing your triggers helps you work with them.

Track your progress:

Just as we don’t like losing things we value the most we don’t want to lose momentum. If you create some type of tracking system either a log in a journal or in a large calendar with stars for every improvement, you’ll create a psychological need to keep the streak going. We live in a world where we have more access than ever to information but it isn't knowledge that creates change. It also isn't wisdom or will. Change entails intention and consistent effort. Consistency doesn't mean perfection. It means trying over and over again, and learning something from every setback to create meaningful internal change.

When we create tiny shifts in our minds, we start seeing major shifts in our choices—and in our lives.

Am sure if you are reading this line and come so far in this Blog article  then you would have probably found something useful .Do share your thoughts or if you are facing your own challenge do reach out to me either on my mail coach@satishrao.in or on my Facebook Fan Page www.facebook.com/B.N.Satishrao. I would be glad to hear from you and see how best i can answer your query.

Kick Start Your Weight Loss Journey

Let me be honest with you that weight loss is not an easy thing to achieve but with persistent effort and focus it can be achieved. The journey too can be pretty exhilarating. My weight-loss efforts for the last couple of years have been hit-and-miss as I’ve struggled to find something that works for me. Of late I’ve been hitting upon some simple concepts that really work for me. Let me be honest again: even with the concepts below, weight loss isn’t going to be easy. However at least these tools will make it a little easier, simpler and they really do work as they have worked for me. I’ve lost about 10 Kgs in the last few months which isn’t rapid weight loss but is actually a very healthy rate of loss. I recommend gradual weight loss for everyone and after losing the unwanted body fat, I’m going to focus more on building a little muscle (something I’m doing now but not my main focus area at the moment).Let’s look at some of the things which have worked for me over the years and am sure will help you in your weight loss journey

  

Focus on gradual loss:

I have mentioned this above and it’s important. Too many people focus on trying to lose weight too quickly — 5 Kg in 1 month ,10 Kg in 2 months, etc. It’s not healthy and it doesn’t work because even if you are able to lose that much weight quickly, you haven’t learned sustainable eating habits that will last you a lifetime. The key is to figure out an eating pattern that will work for you for the rest of your life. If you focus on losing 1-2 Kgs per week, you will end up losing between 15 -20 Kgs per year. You have to be willing to wait for a year but as we can see a year goes by pretty fast these days.

Focus on nutrition:

Exercise is important. You have to do it and there are no two ways about it . It has wonderful benefits. If your focus is on weight loss the most important factor here is what you eat though, don’t ignore exercise by any means. If you focus on exercise and think you can eat whatever  & whenever you want, you’re wrong. You have to focus on nutrition (what and when you eat) and use exercise as a way to supplement the calorie burn to get your body looking how you want it to look .Both exercise and nutrition complement each other. If you ask me they are two faces of the same coin. You can’t just ignore one and focus more on the other.

Become aware of your hunger:

This is one of the key things I’ve learnt. Many times we are not conscious of how hungry we are. We ignore our bodies because we’re too busy thinking about other things. As a result we only eat when we’re famished and that’s not a good time to eat. I have noticed that with many of my clients they don’t make healthy eating decisions when they are super hungry. Your blood-sugar levels will be too low and your body just wants a quick sugar fix — a Samosa, some white bread or a Coke/Pepsi will be much more appealing than a salad/fruit or healthy sandwich with whole wheat bread. Learn to listen to your body and be aware of your hunger when it’s in its early stages. This is a key skill to weight loss something which you don’t read about often. Always use your body’s signals to learn to eat healthier.

Eat when you’re hungry, not famished:

When you first feel the hunger, that’s the time to eat. Don’t put it off until the hunger builds itself into an insatiable monster. When you start to get a little hungry eat a snack. You don’t need to eat a full-on meal … just some fruit, some Multi grain biscuits, maybe some low-fat dairy product (cheese,yogurt or cottage cheese), oatmeal, some nuts, dried fruit, etc. Just something to tide you over until you feel hungry again or can eat a bigger meal. Keep healthy snacks at your desk or in your car or wherever you go. I have always carried and still carry my bag with any of the above mentioned items. Even during my days of working in a regular job like the most of you I packed healthy snacks for the whole day before leaving home early in the morning.

Drink lots of water:

Drinking water throughout the day helps you to eat less. Water takes the place of food in your stomach. You’ll still need to eat but if you stay hydrated you’ll get hungry less. Most of the time people are actually thirsty and not so hungry. Keep a bottle of water with you at any point of time.

Keep healthy options available:

A good trick is to clear your fridge and cabinets of all unhealthy snacks and foods. Just dump them. Then plan some healthy breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks.Go shopping for the same. Bring healthy foods to work and wherever you go. Always have some fruits and nuts (not the Cadbury chocolate kind ) and other healthy options by your side. If you do this and eat when you’re hungry you’re unlikely eat the unhealthy stuff.

Maintain Log of what you eat:

This is the first thing I make my clients do when they sign up with me. This may sound difficult to those of you who hate to log stuff or who only do it for a couple days and then stop … but it’s really not that hard once you get used to it. The reason you need to log is because most people underestimate the amount of calories they’re taking in. They don’t think the sweet tea/coffee or the little snacks with it make any difference but they really do add up. Log everything that goes into your mouth, and you’ll really see how much you’re taking in. The act of maintaining a Log makes you more aware and that awareness with the mindfulness is what allows you to eat less and be healthier.

Be accountable:

Perhaps the greatest motivator of all is allowing others or your Own Wellness Coach to see your log. That’s why, I like using Google Docs. Whatever tool you use get a partner or a small group that monitors each other’s logs and you’ll be very motivated to eat well and exercise.The simple reason is that there is someone behind your back looking at what is going into your mouth. This one thing is that makes you consciously more disciplined. Believe me this works like magic.

Allow yourself one-two cheat meal a week:

A strict diet plan is a bad one. If you are severely restricting yourself and you feel deprived of good foods you won’t last long. Trust me, I’ve tried it many times. Instead relax a little bit, giving yourself a cheat meal or two each week. You could allow yourself to cheat a little on special occasions. It’s still the best if you can go for the healthier foods on special occasions but don’t be too strict. I always make my Sunday Lunch a cheat meal and usually eat out. I don’t bother much about what I’m eating as long as it is Vegetarian.

Forgive, and move on:

If you make a mistake or cheat more than you should, don’t give up or beat yourself up. This kind of negative thinking is why people don’t stay on diets for long. They binge and then go back to their unhealthy habits. Instead just forgive yourself for any indulgences and get back to your healthy eating plan. Look forward, not backward.

Get inspired:

Motivation is important … maybe the most important thing. Accountability (mentioned above) is the best motivator … but I’d put inspiration at a close second. Find others who are doing what you want to do. Read success stories, magazines, blogs and books. Put up a motivational poster … Do whatever it takes to get inspired. An easier option will be to follow me on my Face book page and share your success story with me and my friends. Don’t worry if too many do not respond. At least I will be there to cheer your every step towards your goals.

How To Live You Your Life Consciously

Do you ever feel that you’re drifting through life and not going where you want to go Or worse you don’t know how you got to where you are today?

Living consciously is about taking control of your life, about thinking about your decisions rather than making them without a thought, about having a life that we want rather than settling for the one that falls upon us. If you’re drifting through life or feel out of control then deciding to live consciously could be the most important thing for you right now.

Are you living unconsciously at the moment?

Ask yourself the following questions … if you find yourself saying yes to many of them, you might want to consider trying conscious living:

1. Are you in a job that you got into rather than something that you always wanted to do?

2. Are you doing things that are given to you rather than what you love to do?

3. Are you addicted to substance abuse and realise that it’s time to kick the habit?

4. Do you wish you could spend more time with your loved ones?

5. Do you find yourself overweight because you’ve been eating the food you’ve been eating for years and stuck in a rut of not exercising at all ?

6. Do you find yourself living from pay check to pay check or in debt, not knowing where your money goes by the end of the month?

7. Do you find yourself wasting your time doing things that aren’t important rather than focusing on completing the things that are very important?

8. Do you go through your days not thinking about what you want out of life and how to get it?

If you have answered “no” to all of these questions, you’re probably already living consciously and you don’t need this article at all. For those who would like to live more consciously, read on.

How to Live Life Consciously:

It’s not something that you can change overnight. Living consciously is a lifestyle change , a skill and an art. It’s not something that you do just once but a habit that you can form for the rest of your life.

It is deceptively simple: Be conscious and think about everything you do. Make conscious choices rather than doing things without thinking.

It sounds simple, but it’s amazing how few people actually do this. It’s easier to live life on autopilot and do what we always do because that’s what we’re used to doing. It’s easier that way even if our lives are difficult and filled with remorse at the end of the day.

It’s not easy to changes our lives, to break out of our routines and to begin to live the lives that we always wanted.

It takes more than wilful effort energy and constant course correction to think about our choices.

Some of the things which have worked for me over the years are:

Review how you spend your time:

Until we do a time audit and keep a log of our day, even if it’s just for a few days , we don’t really know how we spend our time. If we do audit our time it can surprise you and throw some glaring results. If we know how we’re spending our time now we can make conscious decisions to change how we spend our time in the future. You will be just as surprised as i was when you realize how much time you do spend every day in unproductive and useless things when you check on the time spent.

Make reflecting on your life a regular routine:

You could keep a journal or maybe make reflecting of your day part of your evening routine. You could also have a weekly session with a Coach where you review your life or take some time away from the office to reflect on everything … It’s important that you give things some thought. What this does to me is I that i get an immediate feedback as to how my day has gone by. I still do have my diaries which reflect the days spent in my corporate life.

Consider your impact on your world:

How does what you do and act impact your immediate family? How does it impact your friends and well-wishers? How does it impact the society and your environment you live in ? Your life has an impact whether you think about it or not. I am not sure but being conscious of how your decisions affects first your family and then others around you is extremely important.

Explore yourself:

Take some time to think about what kind of a person you are. What are your values? Whether you are living your life according to those values. How you treat people and most importantly treat yourself. Think about this: what do you want people to say about you when you die? I am typing this as I began to know that Morgan freeman has passed away and what a life he has lived for all of us to emulate. Believe me even couple of minutes spent in a day exploring yourself will do wonders in the long run.

Consider the real costs of the things in your life:

Our life is filled with lots of things which we never intended to have and for many probably they could not afford. The point is here to ensure to have things which are really important and not go on a buying spree to hoard things. This also causes visual stress. Sort through all of this, take time to throw it away, recycle or donate it. If having the stuff is not worth at all, then get rid of it.

During these trying times it is imperative that you make use of things, focus on what is more important and ensure that you and your family are shielded from the economic uncertainty staring at us .I believe that times like this should bring in the best in all of us. We should not rant about how things have gone bad and add more to the misery to what we are already facing.

I do hope that I have managed to put across my message “Why Living Consciously” is absolutely important. If you do find this article of some learning, do share it amongst your contacts and as always would love to hear from you either on my mail id coach@satishrao.in or on my Fan Page www.facebook.com/B.N.Satishrao.

Simple Ways To Live A Stress Free Life

What caught my attention this week was an article in a leading publication about How healthy is India Inc? Not surprisingly it stated that stress is the number one Killer amongst people working in India Inc and it has reached an all time high due to the extreme poor lifestyle habits of most of the executives working in companies across India.

Lets accept that Stress is indeed a major problem for many people and helping the cause  more is a stressful job,chaotic home life and bills to worry about. Bad habits such as unhealthy eating, drinking and smoking will only add to the mountain of stress.

If your life is full of stress, like mine once was not long ago, there are some simple things you can do to get your life to a more manageable level.

Now, both of us do know that your life will probably never be stress-free. I don’t think that’s desirable, even if it is possible, because stress is something that challenges and helps us grow. However, it should always be only at a reasonable level. When stress gets out of control , it causes us to be unhappy, unhealthy and in a worst case scenario may lead to depression(which is incidentally the Number 1 problem identified in executive health check-ups as per latest research updates)

It wasn’t that long ago when I was working long hours in a very stressful job with little time for myself or my family. I was smoking, eating unhealthy foods and not exercising at all. I was unhappy and stressed out most the time. Added to this I could barely sleep for 4-5 hours.Sounds familiar well i would not have survived  for too long ,if not some drastic change in my lifestyle and i did make  some drastic changes. I quit my job. I simplified my life. I quit smoking and started exercising and eating healthier. I began to eliminate my debt. I learnt on the way that some simple habits when applied on a daily consistent basis can really transform the way you live in a positive way. That is why you see the Tag Line in my Web site is – “Helping Transform Lives”.

How did I do all of this? One simple thing at a time. I didn’t do a major re haul of my life. I changed one habit in a month or two and gradually over the course of a year or two changed a lot of things in my life.

I won’t guarantee that all of these will work for you. They worked for me but each person is different. Pick and choose the ones that will work best for you, and give them a try. Remember prevention is always better than cure.

One thing at a time: This is the simplest and best way to start reducing your stress and you can start this today right now. Focus as much as possible on doing one thing at a time. Clear your desk of distractions. Pick something to work on. Need to write a report? Do only that. Remove distractions such as phones and email notifications while you’re working on that report. If you’re going to do email, do only that. This takes practice and you’ll get urges to do other things since Multitasking is the norm now . Just keep practicing and you’ll get better at it. When I was working on a report or at times chairing meetings I used to focus only on that and nothing else. It worked for me and I do not see any reason why it should not for you.

Simplify your schedule: A hectic schedule is a major cause of high stress. Simplify by reducing the number of commitments in your life to “just the bare essential ones”. Learn to say NO to the rest and slowly get out of commitments that aren’t beneficial to you. Schedule only a few important things each day and put enough space between them. Get out of meetings when they aren’t absolutely essential. Leave the room for some “you time “even if it is for a couple of minutes and this will take your mind away from the discussion in the Board/conference room for a small amount of time. I realised that it does make a big difference at the end of the day when you do walk out of the Exit door.

Get moving: Do something each day to be active – walk, swim, play a sport, go for a run or do yoga. It doesn’t have to be gruelling but just enough to reduce stress. Just move. If you park yourself for too long in your comfortable chair you not only tend to put on more weight but also be more like a “horse with blinders” by being fixated with only the issue in front of you. Most of the times when I walked around at work, I used to get some brilliant solutions for pressing issues which used to try its best to stress me out.

Develop one healthy habit this month: Other than getting active, improving your overall health will help with the stress drastically. Do it one habit at a time. Eat fruits and veggies for snacks. . Quit smoking and drinking . Cook something healthy for breakfast or dinner. Drink water instead of soft drinks and most importantly eat on time and less quantity.

Do something calming: What calms you down? for me it was playing some nice background music. By playing very light music in the background(of course it should never disturb your co-worker), it calms one’s mind. I am not sure but music is the one thing I have noticed which tends to have a soothing and calming effect even with plants and animals. Well what is important here is to try and identify what positive activity calms you down. Try and do it for a couple of times in a day.

Simplify your finances: Finances can be a drain on your energy and a major stressor. If that’s true with you, figure out ways to simplify things. Automate savings, bill and debt payments. Spend less on shopping (at malls or even online) Find ways to have fun that doesn’t involve spending money at all. You will be amazed with the things you can do right now by not spending anything at all.

Declutter: This is a favorite of mine. I like to take 20-30 minutes and just go through a room to get rid of stuff that I don’t use or need anymore. I look around at anything that’s cluttering up a room and get rid of it or find a better place for it. When I’m done I have a nice and peaceful environment for work, play, and a living. Do this a little bit at a time — it can be one of your “fun activities”. Sometimes I use the same principal of decluttering things in my mind by the same logic and it works magically.

Be early: I will admit that it’s hard to be early in this traffic and road conditions. However, being late can be very stressful. Try to leave earlier by getting ready earlier or by scheduling more space between events. Things always take longer than normal. Therefore schedule some buffer time: extra time to get ready, to commute and to do errands before you need to attend a meeting or a scheduled appointment. If you reach early, always remember to carry some reading material(no not on the smart phone or the iPad). Read a book or a magazine as it is always soothing and calming to turn physical pages.

How do you manage to keep stress at a bare minimum? Have you developed some tricks up your sleeve. Do share your thoughts with me and my readers in the comment section below  or on my Face book Fan page https://www.facebook.com/B.N.Satishrao

And by the way, if you or someone whom you do know is going through Life being stressed, living an unhealthy life and most importantly looking for the keys to change over, then  am sure you know which direction you can point them towards.

The Art Of Leading Teams At A Subconscious Level.

When I interact with the top of the line leaders of today, One thing which strikes me is, even the most experienced and revered Leaders have difficulty in leading teams. Surprisingly at times they turn inwards to beget the solution which is not possible at a conscious level.

Even Though, leaders tapping into their sub conscious level to find the answer to pressing issues is uncommon, I have come across instances where Leaders make use of the power of the Sub conscious mind to Lead teams consistently and diligently. They might not regularly practice the same but when they realise during coaching that the Sub conscious mind is far more powerful than the conscious mind and that they would be a different Leader in connecting with their teams, they do not sound surprised.

What additional skill sets, Leaders of tomorrow need to develop over and above what they presently have to handle complex teams? These are some of the perennial questions which arise during leadership Coaching. Even though the frame work of coaching is for the client to always come out with his own Solution, at times I begin to wonder when I rerun the conversation in my mind as to “would there be a better way to handle this particular situation”.

Some of the Leaders of tomorrow are already working on tapping the power of the Sub-conscious mind to manifest future events and I strongly believe that developing a keen interest in metaphysics and working on a certain skill set will do a world of good to the leaders of tomorrow. What is it that some of the best of the Leaders of tomorrow are empowering themselves with that is helping them navigate this complex situation is something we will try and decipher below.

The foremost amongst all this is working on the Sub-conscious mind which is what some of the Leaders irrespective of the genre or industry are working on, which is yielding rich dividends. when I try and get to know as to how these future Leaders are tapping on to their Subconscious level the answer comes back to meditation and it is with this alone some of them have found the doorway to the subconscious mind. Again it is a fundamental belief in that Coaching Industry that all the solutions for a human being are within himself/herself and one just needs the cues to access it. Regular practice of meditation has not only opened the doors of the subconscious mind, it has also made the Leaders become more compassionate and forthcoming with their teams. This according to me has played a huge role in reaching out to teams and connecting with them at a different level altogether.

Secondly manifesting and future pacing(imagine doing something in the future) practiced by a few leaders have made things possible which was at one time difficult to fathom. Over a period of time most of the Leaders have worked on this, usually by the trial and error method. They start seeing things in their minds eye – situations and incidents which are paving the way for the growth of the organisation and the industry on the whole. When these practices come to the forefront, it is heartening to know that the some of the Leaders are working on the metaphysical development which is at an early stage of evolution in the Indian context according to me. I am sure that more and more future leaders mentored by this philosophy will eventually make it one of the best practices in the industry to come.

With India being the cradle of civilisation and metaphysics for many generations, it is prudent that Leadership takes note that the Leaders of yesteryear were also handling people and people management is the key which is getting complicated day by day.

I would like to conclude that blending cutting edge HR practices with metaphysics will make future Leaders potent and help them have a powerful weapon in their corporate armoury which I am sure is what the doctor has ordered.

One question which I am asked more often than not is that can this concept be used closer to us at our own home or in our personal relationships. Absolutely! A Leader can also be a Husband/wife/son or even a person in relationship. I believe it is possible since we are interacting with humans, but only in a different environment and context. When I discuss the same with some of my clients about working on their relationship issues by tapping into their sub-conscious mind they initially have apprehensions. They are not aware as to what one can do by working with their sub-conscious mind. Gradually over a period of time they are as surprised as me when I initially tried to shift from the conscious level to the sub-conscious level. Since most of the issues we are facing comes from the sub-conscious level I will guarantee you that by working on that one area, you will ensure that you will find more answer to issues which you are unable to analyse at a conscious level.

Even though this article does focus on the work environment I always did believe that the logic can be used by any individual in any context. I do hope that you will connect with me and my thoughts expressed in this article. I will be glad to receive your feedback or any suggestions you have with respect to this article or if you are looking at any particular topic which might be useful to others  do reach out to me on my mail id coach@satishrao.in or on my Face book Fan page www.facebook.com/B.N.Satishrao.

Are You A Weekend Warrior?

When I recently met up with group of school mates, what caught my attention was that one of them was saying that she had become a weekend warrior. Being inquisitive, with respect to anything, which challenges my mind I asked her what she meant by being a weekend warrior. She said that through the week she worked for 8-10 hours a day and travelled to and fro from work for another 2-3 hours. This is not surprising with the traffic conditions in Bangalore and in most parts of India. She said that she has managed to keep herself fit by working out for a couple of hours only during the weekend and that’s what she meant by being a weekend warrior.

Well in the kind of work routine she is in and maybe many others who are in the same boat as she is, it’s definitely not a bad idea operating on the logic that something is better than nothing. But on a more serious note I would definitely not advocate anybody on looking at being a weekend warrior with respect to reaching your optimum fitness goals. To answer the question – what is a weekend warrior in terms of exercise, following is the answer. A weekend warrior is a person who basically sits around like a couch potato all week at work/home only to get a burst of enthusiasm to exercise on the weekends. Is being a weekend warrior a good thing though? Well, like anything else, it has its good sides and its bad sides.

The Good:

The good thing about exercising only on the weekends is that it’s better than not exercising at all. After all, something is better than nothing. Unfortunately, though, that’s about the only good thing I can think of right now.

The Bad:

There are several bad sides to exercising only on weekends. Foremost which comes to my mind is that your body likes to do things in moderation. In other words, you need recovery time between workout sessions and you need to exercise different muscles on different days. If you’re only exercising two days a week and those two days are back to back, that creates tremendous stress on your body.

Another problem with the weekend warrior exercise plan is that it’s just not enough time to accomplish much. If you want to lose weight, for example, you should be exercising at the least 3 or 4 days a week. Twice a week after being sedentary at an office desk or in front of a computer all day is not going to cut through. A lot of the work you do on the weekend can be reversed throughout the following week because you aren’t active enough and you may also be eating a poor diet.

Then there’s the biggest hurdle of physiological problem with only exercising on the weekends. You have an entire week to think about the upcoming weekend. You’re mentally setting yourself up to put off your routine because you have “better things to do” on the weekends. If you do actually follow through with your exercise plan on the weekend, you’re likely to go into it expecting to fail. If you have the “Oh my gosh, I am too out of shape for this!” attitude, it’s going to make it even harder to be productive at the gym or running track.

The Ugly:

Unfortunately, those aren’t the only bad sides to only exercising on weekends. It gets even uglier than that. For starters, because you’ve been sedentary all week, your muscles aren’t really prepared to work. So, you’re likely to tire out faster and find yourself wanting to back things up to do shorter routines that are much easier. A proper exercise program done several times a week, on the other hand, should give you more strength and endurance in the long run.

The really ugly problem with being a weekend warrior, though, is that your body is just not going to be ready to exercise. So, even if you do a proper warm up routine, you’re going to be much more prone to injuries. Sprained ankles, knee problems, tennis elbow and torn rotator cuffs are just a few of the potential injuries you could be facing. Your odds of getting those injuries as a weekend warrior are also greater because many weekend warrior exercisers insist on doing harder or longer routines than they should, in order to try to compensate for not exercising all week.

Turning Things Around:

Obviously, being a weekend warrior exerciser is not the only option though. There’s a definite down side to it. Luckily, though, there are ways to avoid falling into this trap. The first thing to realize is that you can get some exercise every day no matter how busy your days/nights are. It may not be an exercise routine as in a training manual, but that doesn’t mean it’s not exercise at all.

For example, let’s say that you work in an office building. You might have the option to take an elevator or take stairs. Taking the stairs even twice a day can give you a bit more exercise. Also, if you live nearby to where you work, try walking or getting down couple of stops before your area of work. If it is safe, cycle to work if the traffic or weather permits. Another way to get more exercise at work which always worked for me is to walk around without being stuck in a chair for more than an hour or two. Even standing and working for 10 minutes for every hour of work will make a huge difference for someone who is in an 8-10 hour shift. Believe me, these small changes I made in my work life did add up substantially to my overall fitness. I do follow most of this even today in spite of me working on my own.

For The Busy Bee:

Ideally, you should plan to exercise at least three – four days a week for a set amount of time. Some people find that things seem to pop up on them all the time though. For people who are extremely busy even managing 2 days during the week and of course 2 days in the weekend ensures you are on the road to the wellness highway in no time.

Finally, remember that you need to stay motivated to exercise. That means making it fun. If you look at exercise as a fun thing then I guarantee that you will make it a habit. For some people it may be exercising while watching TV. For some it may mean exercising outside. For many it means being able to spend time with friends. Having one or more exercise buddies can really help to keep you motivated. See what works for you and do it, because I have realised that at the end of the day what makes one happy is how healthy you are from inside out. So I would challenge you to step out of your comfort zone and make this new exercise habit an empowering one.

As always do reach out to me on coach@satishrao.in or on my Face book Fan page www.facebook.com/B.N.Satishrao. And share your experiences or learning from my thoughts.