It’s February — How’s your fitness resolution going?

Says Amit: “I had set a realistic goal to run the Tata Mumbai Marathon 2020 almost 12 months before the event and running with around 90 kg of bodyweight was my major concern. Hence I took up this resolution to lose weight and also ran my first Full Marathon injury free. The only thing that kept me going and motivated was the regular sessions with Bombay Running Crew. From 90 kg to 75 kg, from 2019 to 2020, it has been a wonderful journey. This year the resolution is to continue what was followed last year and learn from my mistakes.”

Diya Nayar, 36, a Senior Communications and Marketing Manager at Eight Roads Ventures India and Southeast Asia, had always decided to lose weight at the start of every year

“The key word here is ‘to lose ‘which seems perfectly normal, because most us have emerged from the party-laden month of December and we find ourselves in January a few kg overweight. So, the loss of fat, seems like a good choice to make at the time. But what I have learnt over the years and more so after I started running more conscientiously is that, losing weight should never be the goal. We all know size zero isn’t healthy and skinny doesn’t imply strong. Go with something that is realistic, sustainable and you can commit to fully,” she said.

She has made a few resolutions this year; some personal, some professional. But the one that she is most committed to is ‘to be a better and stronger athlete”.

“Being involved in a sport, and for me that is running, makes you a better professional and it definitely makes you a happier human being. Think about the rush of dopamine (happy hormone) when you’re doing all those speed workouts, or you’ve just nailed that Sunday long run,” Nayar noted.

When I asked about the most common reason why someone quits, she says, “We’re all gung-ho in January and then the weeks pass by and suddenly it’s March and the very fancy gym membership seems to go unused. But that’s human -- life takes over. We all start off with good intentions but when you have work deadlines and personal commitments; taking time out for yourself seems to slip down in the pecking order. We have all been there; so have I, but not anymore.”

It’s all very well to have a goal on January 1, but how do you keep yourself motivated through the year?

“What has worked for me as a runner is to pick my goal races for the year and sign up for them. For example, I’ve just finished running the half marathon at Tata Mumbai Marathon and I have another two races in February. Personally, smaller goals are more gratifying and with running you’re able to use each race to tweak your performance and set a new benchmark for yourself,” she pointed out.

According to Nayar, joining a group or a club or finding a buddy who shares a common goal would help. “On those rainy, cold and dark mornings when you really don’t want to get out of bed, your friends will be sure to call you. In 2016, when I joined the Nike+ Run Club in Mumbai as a pacer, little did I know my life was about to change. We’ve built a community of runners who try to be a little better than they were the last. I’ve made some incredible friends, met some phenomenal athletes and been part of a journey where we’ve witnessed some incredible feats of determination and will power. I still have a long way to go. But this is a start,” she said.

A 37-year-old music teacher, singer and songwriter, Meron’s new year resolution is to be a better version of him than last year and also to clock a half Marathon in one hour 40 minutes. Interestingly, he is yet to break a resolution when it comes to fitness.

“One thing that really keeps me going is the thought that I want to grow old healthy and strong, not weak and feeble. Though sport has been a part of my life, running happened only in 2017. The only time I’d run a 3k was when I attended a badminton camp as a kid. I played football very religiously with my friends in Mumbai but once they all moved out for various reasons, running was my saviour. Initially, it was tough, I could barely run more than 1km at a stretch, but persistence and self-motivation helped me in my journey. Also, I wanted to inspire and motivate others, especially those who are returning from injury,” he stated.

Slowly and steadily, he pushed himself and has completed his first marathon 42.195 km in TMM 2020. He gives credit to the Bombay Running Crew who played a major role in his progress and motivation.

Neeti Mahadevan, 26, a Chartered Accountant, works with a leading private sector bank.

She has had several New Year resolutions over the years until 2019. She took up serious running and joined the Bombay Running Crew in March 2019 to improve her running form and endurance. Despite her working hours, she looks forward to the early morning runs which uplift her mood altogether.

Since 2020 as a year sounded interesting, she thought she would cover 2020 km through the year. So 2020 in 2020 is her resolution for this year.

 

So what was missing in the previous resolutions that made her quit? “It was only when I started with a nutrition programme that helped me lose weight and I realised how important it was to incorporate mindful exercise to my routine. Also running made me realise the potential of my mind that pushes my body forward. Fitness resolutions have been skipped/ broken in the past due to poor nutrition and/or lack of proper guidance on exercise,” she said.

The BR crew keeps her motivated especially when she meets people who’re older and who take out time for some form of physical activity. “More than just weight loss, running is something I want to see myself doing on a continuous basis. I love running long distances with the crew every Sunday and I look forward for the post run feelings which are unparalleled,” said Mahadevan.

A 28-year-old communications professional, Roy had struggled to abide by resolutions in the past. Now he tries to achieve three-to-six month short-term goals. Besides being short-term and immediate, they keep him excited enough to accomplish them and also push him towards it. His current focus or ‘resolution’ is to do a workout, whether a run or a gym session, at least four-five days a week for the next four months. His aim is to comfortably do a weighted squat with his bodyweight and secondly, develop his aerobic running base to run stronger injury free.

It wasn’t until 2015 that he was serious about his overall fitness goals. “This was the year when I got my first job, moved to a new city, started staying away from family; which meant starting to run a house, take care of myself, whilst learning to also manage, navigate the corporate world. I not only stopped all physical activity, I ended up gaining weight, and quite often had a feeling of breathlessness,” he said.

“My resolution then was driven by external factors. I was aiming for a pre-conceived fitness image that I had. It was rather what everyone else’s aims were, and not my fitness goal. I never realised it then, that fitness is unique to each individual and is a sum of several parts”.

When asked about what is it that keeps him going, he says: “I have had an on-off relationship with fitness. It wasn’t until December 2018 that I accidently came across running. Along with my work colleagues, I had registered for the Dream Run at Tata Mumbai Marathon 2019. I hadn’t participated in any run events before this and to prepare for it, I started running in November / December 2018. I had moved to Mumbai only a few months before that, and fortunately I found out about Bombay Running Crew. I can confidently say if the crew hadn’t been there I probably wouldn’t have gone beyond the first run. The whole atmosphere of being with a group kept me motivated and committed. That was important because I had no clue about running form, nutrition, running shoes, stretches, or run events. And this year at Tata Mumbai Marathon 2020, I ran my First Marathon and finished it in less than 3 hour 30 minutes. The Bombay Running Crew played a crucial role in this journey in helping me to go from Dream Run (5.99 km) to marathon in a year’s time. In the latter half of 2019 I shifted from Mumbai, and BR is definitely one of the things I miss today. I came across this quote somewhere and it captures the essence of me continuing to go after it each day.

“You pile up enough tomorrows, and you'll find you are left with nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays. I don't know about you, but I'd like to make today worth remembering.”

The 26-year-old consultant pledges to stay injury free and become more consistent with running.

He used to compete in track and field events in school, specifically the 100, 200 and 400m races and despite no training plan he never injured himself, which is quite surprising: It was an all-out effort during the athletic heat trials. Fast forward to 2018 he made the switch to long-distance running and paid a heavy penalty by applying the same ‘no training plan’ strategy to the 5K, 10K and half-marathon races.

What made him give up and come back stronger? He says: “Low confidence post injury resulted in no exercise or running for 6 months in 2019 and I was inconsistent even after I got back to it. It wasn’t till a couple of friends that I made through the Bombay Running sessions, who also encouraged me to tag along for a run and I was back at it. This year I plan to build on not only the running aspect of the sport, but the strength and core conditioning aspect as well to reduce injuries and ensure that I’m not on the sidelines often”.

What keeps him motivated and loyal to running? “In 2017, I was quite scared of putting on weight quickly because of a lack of exercise and long work hours, which would’ve added to the problem. I decided to take up running as all I needed was a good pair of running shoes. As a consultant, you scout for the root cause of a problem and suggest or implement a solution for a client. What if I treated myself as client? Can I achieve my fitness goals? Definitely!” he said.

Borkar never expected running to turn from a detoxing activity to a sport that he is fond of now. “I have been grateful to the Bombay Running crew and to all my friends because of whom I fell in love with running. Recently, my workplace started a run club and I’m beyond excited to hit the roads running with my work buddies as well. This gives me an opportunity to maintain consistency with running and given me my headspace,” he added.