Obsessed with Size Zero!!

i know i have dealt with something similar recently but this seems to be all over the place. We are undoubtedly a generation obsessed with weight loss and acquiring that perfect figure. We talk about the goodness of diet food at dinner tables, have switched to low fat and sugar free options and hang on to any and every advice we hear that can help us reach our goal. We are ready to take on any form of physical activity to beat us back into shape. Aerobics, Power Yoga, Gym, Yoga, Sports or simply hour-long walks. Anything at all. 

Like i said it is everywhere and try as much as you like, you cannot escape the truth staring in your face - you don't have that perfect figure. Switch on the television and you are likely to find fitness programs on every third channel. Pick up the newspaper and you will more often than not run into articles related to health and slimming tips. How many glasses of water, helpings of fruits and vegetables, minutes/hours of physical activity- it's all there for you to follow. Even aunties will tell you how they try to beat those extra inches (only 'try'). Chatting up with Mrs. Sharma while waiting for the school bus to arrive, in kitty parties, at Yoga classes, at all-women family get- togethers or simply while sweating it out in the local park in saree and sneakers! There is no dearth of information we are inundated with. 

You decide to turn away from all that and catch up with a quite movie to make you feel better. But you are sure to be haunted by the size zero figures and six-pack abs on screen to add to your torment. And your thoughts move back to the dream of achieving slim thighs and a slender waist someday! And every woman who aspires to make it to size zero dreams of flaunting a John Abraham as her man. And every man who yearns for the six-pack body fantasises of Kareena Kapoor for a spouse. (no wonder matrimonial columns even today demand 'slim and beautiful' girl) We might not reach our ideal situation but over the years the desire remains buried somewhere deep down in our hearts. 

i wonder if this craze of losing weight and looking better is not because of cosmetic reasons. The way lifestyle related diseases threaten us, it's not easy to ignore our health. It's worth the time and effort to look good and also be able to keep diseases at bay. On the flip side we might choose to accept that Indian figures are not meant to be as slender as they are in the West. We are broad and we look beautiful that way. Eating in moderation and enjoying the life we've been given could be such a better approach to being happy and healthy! 

As for me i promise not to make my blog a commentary of health obsessions of people! 

30 is the new 60

This is the best time to be born on earth! Even the original creator of the world couldn’t have dreamt of such variety! Mankind has beaten him in all departments of innovation and creativity. We’ve decoded the DNA, found ways to modify our food, figured out each calorie in every morsel that goes into our mouth, unveiled the mysteries of nature to manipulate it to the best of our interests, found cures for every ailment that man could possibly suffer from. Satisfied with his accomplishments, Lord Mankind decided it wasn’t enough to vanquish Nature, he would invent his own nature and call it Technology!

Today, we can stop aging and look naturally beautiful (thanks to botox and its ilk), plan the traits you want in your children (refer to the advancement in Genetics), talk to people living in another corner of the world as if the person were in front of you (haven’t you heard of internet!?), be available at the press of a button (I meant the speed dial on your phone!) get paid obscene salaries for your job (corporate world). There is a solution to every problem. Marriage doesn’t appeal to you? Live-in. Can’t go to office today? Keep the office at home- work on the laptop silly! Can’t stand men, you can still produce a child of your own (ever heard of IVF?). And the list is endless…

But with all those luxuries around, we have forgotten to move our precious ass and go get some exercise. We are just too busy (even with all the gadgets around to save us time and make our lives so much easier) Added to it is the array of food options available in all kinds of cuisines. Eating out has become a fashion rather than a rare family ritual it used to be about a couple of decades ago. We are in such a tearing hurry that we can't spend time to even walk down the lane to buy basic stuff that doesn't need carrying around. Something drastic seems to have gradually changed (ironically) in our lifestlyes over the years - from the time we were kids to the time we've become a part of the fast paced choked with more than we can cope with.

Suspicion of diseases unheard of in the 30s seem to stare in our faces. At least threaten to. Cholesterol, Blood Sugar, Blood Pressure, Heart issues - the list seems as impressive as the former list of conveniences that results in the latter list of problems. There are paranoid discussions about healthy diet, good lifestyle habits and quick ways to shed pounds all around. So i guess Nature has its way of levelling out and getting back at Man almighty who thought He could achieve anything. He has. And a little more.

i feel all we need to do is to slow down. God has blessed us with no less than 24 hours in a day and all of us can afford to spend some time for ourselves. All the more important because we live in this fast- paced world. Just watch what we eat (indulge once in a while, though!!) And more importantly - get out of the air-conditioned interiors and make your body work (out)! i am sure our bodies would go back to their natural selves only if we treated them the way they were meant to be. We need to let our body catch up with the pace at which our minds are racing. Or better still, slow down the pace of the mind. "God is in His Heaven and all will be well with the world"