8 by 8 by 8 a fitness formula

25 Jun, 2021

On the 21^st of June 2021, on International  Yoga Day, I did 108 Surya Namaskars. People who I shared this with expressed their kudos for my achievement.  The actual credit for this goes to Mr. Ashish Shah, the then M D of  NextGen Healthcare. He was addressing us on the occasion of the 250th Express2Lead Toastmasters meeting when he asked some very intriguing questions.  

He asked, “Do you love your family?”

The answer was a resounding, “Yes”.

“Do they love you?”

‘Yes’ was the answer again.  

“Are you taking care of your family?”

Everyone said “Yes”,  giving a look, with an expression on their face, is this even a question to be asked. 

Then he asked, “How are you taking care of your family?”

A few of them replied, “I earn for my family”. “I take care of their needs and wants”.

He  replied back saying,  “I still doubt you take care of your family”. There was an eerie silence in the room, and people were wondering - what is this man talking about.

Then he asked, “Do you get up every day in the morning and take care of your health by doing some fitness activity? How many of you really do that consistently?”

Only 5 in a crowd of over a 100, dared to raise their hands. I was definitely not among those 5. 

Then he said, “If you don’t take care of your health by staying fit and adopting a healthy lifestyle, you neither truly love your family nor do you really take care of them; rather, one day you will be a burden on your family who truly love you.”

He then asked the 5 people who had raised their hands, ”Tell me, what’s your fitness formula?”.

People were puzzled.

He said, “My fitness formula is 8 by 8 by 8.”

It was even more puzzling.

Then he shared what it meant - 8kms of walk, 8 hours of sleep and 8 glasses of water, everyday. He said that this had been a part of his daily regime for years irrespective of his busy travel schedule. Every 3 days he is in a different city. If he landed in San Francisco in the afternoon, he would go for his walk in the evening. If he reached Dallas in the evening, he would for his walk before he hit the sack. He never missed a day without his walk. Same with 8 hours of sleep.

One of us asked him, “How do you find the time for this?”

He said that he doesn’t ‘find the time’  he ‘makes the time’ for it by prioritizing it. He showed us his non-smart Nokia phone and said that he is off social media platforms like Facebook, etc. He then said that he checks his emails not on the mobile like most of do but 5 times a day on his laptop and clears  everything. This practice allows him to make time for what’s most important to him– his fitness regime and a healthy lifestyle.  

He went on to say, “You don’t have to follow my formula but find your own formula that suits you.”  

He ended his talk by mentioning these words:

“When we are sick and going through a bad  patch, no stranger will be at our bedside. Only our family members who truly love us will give up all priorities and be beside us".   

So remember, if you don’t take care of your health by adopting a fitness regime and healthy lifestyle habits, you will be a burden on your family and loved ones’.

Whenever I slacken, these words always put me back on track.

Over time, I  have arrived at my own fitness formula: 4 by 6 by 1.

4 stands for: wake up at 4 am for meditation and planning the day  

6 stands for: walk 6 rounds around the neighborhood lake , covering 4.2 km in under 40 minutes

1 stands for: 1 hour of yoga.

Thanks to Mr. Ashish Shah for showing the way.

I would like to leave you all with  asking what is your fitness formula and Mr.Ashish Shah’s echoing words : 

“If you don’t take care of your health by staying fit and adopting a healthy lifestyle, you will be a burden on your family.”

 

Tell me more!

Publisher: Arjun Raj Urs | Assured State Management Services