A fitness journey simplified!

"Hi! I'm Amita!" A bubbly, vivacious lady introduced herself to me at a party. "I follow your blogs- really enjoy reading them!"

Pleasantly surprised and somewhat flattered that she knew me, not just by name but also my work, this first meeting struck a chord.

A few months later, my husband Viren and I got our routine blood tests worked up. We'd crossed into our thirties and thought of checking on the engine that was keeping our machine running! We'd joined the gym recently and were super confident that all would be great. Much to our dismay, it wasn't! My sugars were borderline, and his lipid profile was deranged. With strong family histories of a lot of chronic illnesses, lifestyle modification was the key. I obviously knew that as a doctor (who had been preaching it to hundreds of patients!)

But let's rewind back to a few months before this. Having attained new highs on the weighing scale, both of us had already introduced a few changes to our lifestyle. Intermittent fasting, a gym membership, no carbs for dinner- we were following all fads that had worked previously for us, or for people we trusted and believed in; all that carried merit as I read about it through the eyes of a medical professional.

Had it worked? Well, somewhat- but we were still struggling. 

Here's a little secret about doctors- we make the worst patients! Well, we obviously know our stuff, but we sometimes tend to get over- confident on topics related to the human body, even those that may be beyond our realm of specialisation.

Hence, when Viren announced that he'd be seeking an appointment with Amita, I (somewhat begrudgingly) agreed to go along- mainly because I needed to understand as the lady of the house about micromanagement in the kitchen pertaining to his dietary changes, but refused to avail of her services for me. "I'm on the right track," I told him. "I don't need a dietician."

Viren's a wise guy! He didn't say a word, but nevertheless, we both ended up at Amita's office one afternoon. This time, we spent almost three hours with her. She meticulously sought all the details she needed to work up a plan to suit Viren- small details about his daily routine, likes and dislikes, work patterns, sleep patterns, activity levels and so on.

Little questions she asked- for instance, how long a litre of oil lasts for our family, left me impressed. So far, all the 'dieticians' I'd come across, would just chalk out a (terribly difficult) diet plan involving a lot of additional work, without bothering about the existing food habits and patterns of the family- which obviously entailed the plan to be abandoned halfway and fail miserably! (Obviously, nobody likes to be drinking tasteless smoothies or meal replacement powders when the rest of the family was enjoying misal pav!)

Halfway into the meeting, I announced that I'd also like her to chalk out a plan for me. (Viren's "I told you so" came later- on our drive back home!) She took down my details as well, and promised to send us our diet plans the subsequent week.

"In the meanwhile, I want you to concentrate only on one thing," she said. "Mindful eating."

'उदरं भरणं नोहे' is something we've been taught since we were kids.

In all our hurry to rush through life, meet deadlines, achieve targets, fit in 36 hours in a 24- hour day, we often forget to implement these lines!

'What is this life, if full of care?

We have no time to stand and stare!'

Amita trained us to incorporate W.H. Davies in our life- 'stand and stare', rather 'sit and eat'. Meals were no longer hurried to finish off in five minutes. We started sitting at the dinner table longer, eating slowly, mindfully, enjoying each morsel. Phones were kept away, conversations flowed. We learnt to listen to our bodies, stop eating when they told us they were full.

Amita created a whatsapp group for our diet plan. A week later, she sent us our plans. She also incorporated good workouts for us. Keeping with the trends of fitness apps, she recommended the good ones- with the exercise regimes she chose for us. Also, her recommendations were based on personal experience- she's used all these apps herself! (To the extent that when I complained a glitch in one of the apps to her down the line, she got to the bottom of it and reported it- got it sorted!)

I tend to travel for work. Those are the times when I eat wrong, binge, and basically indulge in a lot of 'unhealthy' stuff. Amita had an answer for everything! She told me what snacks I should be carrying with me if I feel the need to binge. She taught me what I should order in room service when I travel solo. She sent me workouts that I could easily perform in the hotel room. She educated me about airport food and what I could safely opt for, without compromising either on hygiene or health. They were such simple but effective tips that you ended up thinking- 'why didn't I ever think of this?!'

I've never been an exercise person! Even as a child, I was a bookworm who would finish off a fat novel a day, but cringe at the thought of 'going out to play'. Amita gradually introduced us to different exercises- encouraged us to try out what worked the best for us... And thanks to her, I discovered a newfound love for jogging! The high, the endorphin and adrenaline rush after finishing each run, the satisfaction of the beads of sweat drenching you as you egg yourself on to be a better version of your own self- all this soon became an integral part of my routine! A person like me, who'd initially huff and puff after 200 metres of running, achieved new milestones- my first 5k, first 7.5k... and the quote 'When was the last time you did something for the first time?' attained a new place in my life.

Amita has a believable, workable answer for all questions you may throw her way. She is one person who never takes 'no' for an answer!

Was switching over to the fitness plan she suggested challenging? Yes, definitely! Change of any kind is always met with resistance. But what makes her different is that her job doesn't end after giving you the diet plan- she's there with you through the journey! Whatever challenges you may face, she helps you work around them. She gives alternatives, teaches you how you can plan and prep ahead, manage leftovers- and even with a gynaecologist's busy schedule, I learnt how to manage the 'healthy eating' game. I learnt how to balance each meal, be it an elaborate spread, or a one- dish meal, with the right proportion of nutrients.

Did I know of it before? Of course I did! But was I implementing it? No- because it all seemed to be too much of an effort, for choosy eaters. It's simpler to just eat what you like, even if it means compromising on a few essential nutrients.

But what's simple isn't necessarily right!

So does 'being on a diet' mean eating roti- subzi- dal- chaawal everyday? Giving up on all that you love?

Of course not!

I'm also a food blogger on the side- and both Viren and I enjoy trying out new cuisines, eating out, exploring new restaurants. Amita encouraged me to keep up with this hobby- by educating me on how to eat at tastings, how to order intelligently while eating out, and also by sharing a variety of recipes to make everyday meals interesting! 

Yes, today, Viren and I celebrated the loss of 5.5 kilos each in just over a month and a half, by having a pizza lunch- wherein we made everything, including the ricotta cheese, at home, from scratch (Again, thanks to recipes shared by Amita).

There's of course, still 'miles to go before I sleep', but boy, am I glad I met this lady! 

As Confucius rightly quoted, 'Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance'.

An investment in knowledge certainly pays the best interest- and Amita is one who believes in disseminating, sharing her wisdom and touching lives in more ways than one could imagine.

I walked in through her door as a client. But just in a few months, I've found a mentor, a teacher, a guide, a friend, a confidante, and above all, someone I immensely respect for her scientifically backed knowledge.

In my own self, I've noticed a lot of changes as well. I'm fitter, leaner, with an increased endurance, a better immunity. I've started understanding my body better- stopped overeating completely. Both Viren and I are being complimented by friends and well- wishers on looking younger and healthier. We feel younger and healthier! Even with the lockdown and limited resources, we can make the best out of available ingredients and put together a healthy meal on the table. We've learnt to be more or less consistent with exercise as well.

I'm sure if we got our blood tests repeated now, we'd have come a long way along the path of improvement.

In the end, I think that's what matters... Because you need to 'live' life, and not just exist!

A Cocoa-wesome journey!

This is a story about love... A story about a couple with huge hearts who gave a new dimension to this life... 

This is the story of Cocoa...

It all began over a month ago. It was an early Tuesday morning, and I was busy getting ready for work- my thoughts pre-occupied with the patients we'd be operating on that day. My phone rang. It was Viren, my husband. He was on a morning walk with Caesar, our two- year old Labrador retriever. My pulse quickened. What had Caesar been upto now?! I really didn't have time right now for this!

"Manasi, there's a tiny pup here. He's followed us home," Viren began as soon as I answered, "He was being chased by the strays across the street. Caesar took a liking to him and he's now in the parking lot with us. He looks ill. I don't think he'd survive on the streets!" 

"Alright, get him home!" I said.

Minutes later, Caesar barged in through the front door, looking mighty pleased with himself. He wagged his tail, gave me a lick and walked back towards his Dad, who was gingerly carrying a small brown bundle in his hands.

The tiny little thing was shivering. We wrapped him in a rag and he cuddled up to Viren. He lapped up all the water and dog food we gave him.

We took a closer look at him- his hair was in patches, his skin was raw and itchy. He was covered in mud. He was all skin-and-bones- a scrawny little thing! But he had the most beautiful gray eyes- quite akin to Puneri Peth- dwelling Brahmins! 

Later in the day, Viren took him to our Vet. He was diagnosed to have scabies. He was contagious, not just to us, but most importantly to Caesar. My father-in-law was recovering from a recent cardiac bypass surgery and had a borderline immune system. We had to isolate the pup. The treatment for this disease was long- drawn, and required a lot of patience. 

We began his medicines and confined him to our balcony. The day after we dewormed him, he passed 8 long coiled worms- I was amazed at how this tiny stomach could've held such nasty worms! His poop then was the colour of cement. 

He loved to sleep in the basket we prepared for him, lined with cosy towels. Caesar and he would look at each other through the glass doors often! We named him Cocoa- because of his lovely brown hue, and his 'Koknastha' eyes! He slowly began to regain his appetite, and his poop too, normalised.

He was adorable! Loved to cuddle... He had been neglected for so long that he welcomed any sort of human touch! But we had to be very careful while handling him. It was heartbreaking to isolate him, especially when Caesar is such an integral part of our existence that we can't even think of leaving him out of anything we do! Both Viren and I have grown up with pet dogs, and treat them even more as family than perhaps we'd treat humans!

But a few days later, I received a text from one of Viren's oldest friends- Hrishikesh. "Are you planning on putting Cocoa up for adoption?" My heart leapt! Hrishi and his wife Pronita were eager to adopt Cocoa, and we couldn't be happier! They visited us one night to meet Cocoa and loved him! Cocoa loved them too, much to Caesar's anxiety! But we decided to continue to foster and treat Cocoa until they could sort things out at their place and be ready to welcome him home.

A few days later, I met Pronita again. "We've got Cocoa a new feeding bowl," she began excitedly, "And also toys!" I could see the shine in her eyes, and I knew that we couldn't have hoped for better parents for the little one!

And then one fine afternoon, Hrishi and Pronita took Cocoa to his forever home! He settled in immediately. They have a huge garden, where he'd love to bask in the sun and roll in the mud. He was very playful and energetic. He'd spend hours playing with Pronita. He was teething, and would snap at things. He'd love destroying coconut shells- spend all his energy on it! Pronita and Hrishi would send us pictures, and we'd feel a warmth in our hearts, to see him doing so well.

A few days ago, we visited him- for the first time since he was adopted. He recognized me at once- spent a good five minutes talking to me in a high- pitched voice, before he proceeded with running amok in the garden! He couldn't contain his excitement!

He had put on weight. He'd grown bigger, healthier. His fur had all grown back. His eyes had become a bit darker, but had the same playfulness and love when they looked up at you! He was the same cuddly wiggly baby!

We saw Pronita and Hrishi in their roles as new parents- fussing over him, talking about his antics, feeding him his dinner. We saw Cocoa's excitement when Hrishi's parents came home- he almost tripped over himself while running out to welcome them at top speed! And we saw how happy they all were to be a 'complete' family!

And boy, were we glad!

Glad and proud... That we knew this incredible couple who could've easily 'bought' a healthy, bred pedigree dog, but who chose a sick Indie instead. Glad that there are people like them who choose to love and be loved by someone like Cocoa. Glad that they chose to ignore snide comments on why they brought home a sick dog, from the same people who now recognize their home as 'Cocoa's house'! Glad that Cocoa has found the most beautiful home, where he's loved beyond measure. And glad that lives transformed for the better, just because they chose what they felt was right!

The writer is an animal lover and a young dynamic Obstetrician, Gynaecologist and Infertility specialist practicing in Pune.