‘Home’ is a concept I never truly understood. While growing up, my family constantly moved from one place to another due to my dad’s government job, I never had a place to call home. The shuttling didn’t stop even after I got married. First, within India, then, finally in Philippines for 5 years. Needless to mention, living in so many places does have its own advantages. It helps you grow and appreciate other cultures, but it never really lets you experience homecoming. No matter how good life got, I never felt like a part of something bigger. At a subconscious level, I was unable to forge deep friendships or get involved in a community because I always knew I was there only for a relatively shorter duration. Continue Reading
Working out should not be viewed as an ancillary part of your day, but rather a necessity. Spending 4-5 hours in a week on your physical health is as important as eating, sleeping and breathing. Viewing exercise as a non-negotiable part of your day is really the trick to getting it done. Whether you choose to workout in a gym, do group sessions, combine running and yoga or strength training, the key is to start. But there are some things you need to take care of, especially if you plan to exercise outdoors –
Watch the temperature
Check the weather forecasts and heat alerts or cold waves before your workout so you know what to expect once you head outdoors. Continue Reading
For the last year or so I have felt like I have been cheating. Ignoring my first love – running and completely obsessing over my second – CrossFit. People have tried to guilt me into going back into running and I miss it terribly as well. There are two primary reasons that I haven’t been able to take it on again. The first is my chronic knee injury and the second is my unabashed love for strength training. In our country the only thing we ask of our women is to be thin. Diet, walk even run but stay thin. Well, as a long distance or any kind of runner I can assure you that is the easiest and most certain road to enduring injuries. I wish someone had told me this. Continue Reading
A year after we had moved back to Delhi, I had a bit of an emergency in the middle of the night and needed to go to the hospital. I get hives, and if the attack is serious and you don’t get a shot in time or medical attention, it can lead to choking. I didn’t want it to become much worse.
But I was torn between leaving the 6-year-old Kabir at home with the maid and making my way to the hospital or waking him up and taking him with me while I got my treatment (what if it became worse? or something happened to me? What would he do then?). In the end, I decided against taking him and didn’t even wake him up. Continue Reading
The last three years have brought more change in my life than all the ones preceding them. Things became even more unhinged when I lost mom the year before last. She was the stabilizing factor not just in my life but also the anchor for my entire family. I now feel sometimes that we are adrift and rudderless. That’s not to say that all is bleak. I have also experienced more success in the last three years than I ever have. I have been lucky enough to have been out of work for almost ten and come back and create a decent hold in my field in a short span. Continue Reading
