Happiness Express

by Khurshed Batliwala

  Five-Star Property

  If someone asks you where you live, you will probably rattle off some address—

  Vyas Kuteer, The Art of Living International Ashram,

  21st km., Kanakpura Road,

  Bangalore 550082

  That’s where your body lives.

  You, actually, live in your body. Make your body a five-star property and living in it will be such a joy! We spend so much time and money on our homes. Interiors, décor, fittings—beautifying and maintaining them. We strive to make them comfortable havens of peace.

  Exercising will transform your body into a beautiful, comfortable home for you to live in. It requires commitment, time, effort and money. All one hundred per cent worth it.

  This I will tell you—the time you don’t spend exercising, you will spend flat on your back being ill. And staring at ceilings is boring. The money you don’t spend on yourself will go towards your doctor’s bills.

  Decide to exercise.

  Stick to that decision.

  Do it right. Pay attention to correctness of form, have reverence for the space and equipment, and gratitude for being able to exercise in the first place.

  Do it right now. Don’t wait. Unless you have just eaten. Then do it after two hours.

  Health and Fitness

  Health and fitness should ideally go together. These days, mostly they don’t. Many people compromise their health in the name of fitness. Non-therapeutic drugs, steroids, growth enhancers and injections that promise to make you bigger and more shredded are supremely tempting, especially for the young. They want those gains now. The nicest thing that happens to some who go down this route is that they die. Others suffer from prostrate issues by age 25, are on blood pressure medicines by age 22, can have cardiac arrests, shrunken kidneys, erectile dysfunction, or develop a plethora of physical and mental complications by the time they are 30. No one can really tell how these dangerous chemicals affect the body.

  Bodybuilding is perhaps the only sport in the world in which the contender is in his worst physical condition on the day of the event. To make the veins pop while posing, they starve themselves on crazy diets and drink little to no water for two or three days before the competition. I know of some who collapsed the moment they left the stage.

  This is utterly ridiculous.

  There are no shortcuts to building a great body that you can safely take. A crash diet will do exactly that to you. Steroids and other dangerous supplements may create a great-looking exterior but finish you off from the inside. There isn’t much sense in becoming a beautiful corpse, right?

  I like to apply the principles of hatha yoga while doing traditional exercise. Sthiram Sukham Asanam. Meaning you should be balanced and steady in your poses and feel at peace. Only then it would be a truly yogic pose. That’s why doing yoga feels so good. Exercise should as well.

  Many bodybuilders push their bodies too much to get that ‘ripped look’. I don’t agree with this. Instead, I recommend balance, correct technique and doing just a little more than what is comfortable. While doing yoga you stretch just that little bit more, and then relax into the pose. Same way, if you can do 15 reps of a particular exercise, then your form goes for a toss as you grunt another 5—it’s no good for you. Maintain the exact same form and maybe squeeze in a couple of more reps. When you finish, you should feel good. Not punished, exhausted or overwhelmed.

  Once you have your technique correct, turn your attention inwards. See if you get them to turn off the blaring music that is the bane of most gyms. Bring in an element of meditative mindfulness to your routines by staying with your breath. When you exercise this way, you will truly enjoy the experience and will look forward to your session each day.

  Meditation after exercising is amazing. It brings down the cortisol that’s on the rise and supplements serotonin, endorphins and oxytocin production. It will enhance the high of the exercise and minimise the associated pain and discomfort.

  Art of Living offers a series of courses called Yogic Fitness which apply the principles of yoga to fitness. Exercising the Yogic Fitness way ensures you get all the benefits, feels great and minimises the risk of injury. These courses are designed to bring health back into fitness.

  Walking Tall, Sitting Right

  There is an art to walking. First and foremost, maintain balance. Keep your weight equally on both feet. Check and see whether you are walking with a tilt to any side or if you are putting more weight on one leg than the other. Are your shoulders equally relaxed, or is one tenser that the other? Are your arms moving freely and equally? Adjust yourself to get balanced if required.

  Then square your shoulders—rotate them back and down, far away from the ears. Tuck your tummy in a bit (not as much as when you are about to take a selfie), about half an inch or so is enough. When you walk, feel the movement from your belly.

  Lastly, lead with your heart, but walk as if someone is lightly pulling you forward from the belly button.

  While standing, square your shoulders, feel as if a hundred balloons have been tied to your head and hold it up accordingly. Keep your chest out and your stomach pulled in about half an inch. Most importantly, smile!

  Sit keeping your spine erect and your head in line with the spine. If your chair has a back rest, ensure your lower back is fully supported. Don’t leave any gap between this part and the L of your chair. When you sit, your shoulders may tend to subtly droop, closing the chest. Roll the shoulders back and down, and your chest will automatically come out a bit.

  Your feet should be resting easily on the ground; otherwise, adjust the level of your seat or use a foot stool. This helps prevent or minimise many of the problems associated with sitting.

  You Got to Move It—Move It!

  Here is a sample body weight work-out routine that almost anyone can do. It shouldn’t take more than an hour or so. If you have never exercised, you may not understand the jargon or how to do the exercise knowing just its name. What does ‘mountain climber’ actually mean? What in the world is IYTLW? And a Hindu push-up? What’s that?

  Don’t worry about these names. You can find out how to do these exercises through YouTube videos that Dinesh and Lalit have made: www.happinessexpressbook.com/videos/exercises.

  There are many books detailing how to exercise and plenty of videos out there. Check out some books we refer to in the Bibliography.

  Always start with a bit of warming up. A 10-minute session could include jumping jacks, twists, mountain climbers, HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). Anything that moves all the parts of your body and gets them prepped for exercise. Even vigorous dancing would work.

  Add some yoga at the end of your routine to complete the experience. A few suryanamaskars done at a quick pace will improve your stamina. Slow suryanamaskars, synched with the breath, will bring balance and flexibility. As you unwind and relax, it also creates more space for the muscle fibres to grow.

  I have realised that I am more consistent with my exercise routine when I have a workout partner. Find a friend who will work out with you. Both of you can provide support and motivation to each other.

  For all the exercises below, do 3-5 sets of 8-15 repetitions. Slowly build up to more reps and more sets. 3 sets of 15 reps is a great goal to aim for. Take your time.

  Remember Sthiram Sukham Exercisum!

  I talked to Prashant Jaiswal, Certified Master Trainer by the Australian Institute of Fitness, Strength and Conditioning Coach, about the benefits of exercise specifically for women. Here is what he had to say: ‘Many women love cardio and stick to it through their lives. All they do in the gym is treadmill, bike and cross-trainer. Genetically, the female body holds a higher percentage of fat than the male body. Though they may lose weight with cardio, the total fat percentage could remain the same and they could end up being ‘skinny fat’. Strength training will help the female body to change its composition, not just lose weight. You get a double win: lose weight and get more toned. For many women t
his brings a lot of confidence.

  Very often, women fear that if they do strength training they will look like some male bodybuilder and lose their shapely feminine aspects. It will never happen because they simply don’t have enough testosterone to achieve that.

  Strength training for women will make them stronger, have more endurance and eliminate knee and joint pain. They will experience better moods and will definitely feel and look more attractive.’

  Legs are very important to develop. Many people neglect legs because they are not seen so much. That’s a mistake. Matchstick legs on a broad chest and big shoulders make you look like some drunk Disney artist had a go at you. There is no aesthetic in a body like this.

  Women have much more bulk on the upper body than the lower body. Exercising legs will give them that coveted hourglass figure, as a bit of mass, muscle and tone comes to the leg muscles.

  Thighs have the biggest muscles in the body and good, strong thighs bring balance, stability and proportion to the body.

  Squats, Lunges and Walking Lunges are fantastic for legs. Calf raises and their variations are brilliant for calves.

  The lower back is the most susceptible to injury. I know this from bitter personal experience. Whatever exercise you do, add leg pulls every few sets so you end up doing around 3-5 sets throughout your workout.

  Broad shoulders give you an air of authority and confidence. Build them up with Pike push-ups. Controlled rotation of your arms holding 1 litre bottles of water in each hand is another great exercise for your shoulders.

  Shoulders need to be pulled back naturally for good posture. This doesn’t happen because the latissimus dorsi, the back’s largest muscle, is weak. Proper shoulder training for women will give their bodies a much better look as well as reduce pain in the neck and the back.

  Your back gives you resilience and power. The superman pose from yoga is great for the back. The IYTLW set of exercises are perfect for the upper back as well as shoulders.

  A big chest with all the bulges in the right places can enhance your personality. One arm wall push-up (should be called push-away), both arm wall push-up, push-ups, push-up variations and the Hindu push-up work well. Choose three or four of these and stick to them for a month or so before introducing more into your routine. Push-ups even exercise your biceps and triceps.

  Biceps and triceps are the ultimate show off muscles. Flex your biceps and hear a swarm of oohhs and ahhs. For biceps, do the doorway and towel bicep curls. Women shouldn’t have the huge biceps and triceps men can develop. However, toned biceps and triceps are wonderful to have and a woman can create just as many oohhs and aahhs by flexing them.

  Diamond push-ups and bench-dips will work your triceps.

  A fantastic core is the ultimate dream of anyone desiring a great body. It’s perhaps the most difficult (and painful) set of muscles to develop. The core will bring a humungous amount of stability and strength to the entire body. A great core makes back injury almost impossible. Planks and side planks are best for the core. Throw in some specialised exercises for the transversus abdominis and obliques, and you will soon enjoy small victories in the battle with the bulge.

  You don’t need to do all these exercises every day. Group related body parts together and work them out once or twice a week. Do leg pulls every day, core exercises at least twice a week—more, if you are feeling brave. Make sure you have at least one or two rest days each week. Legs are the most demanding, so I like to exercise them on the day before my rest day.

  Burpees are a brilliant all-round exercise and you could do around 8-10 each day. Slowly build up to 3 sets of 10 burpees. Do these at the end of your workout just before you begin your yoga for stretching and cooling down.

  Prashant helped us create this exercise routine for both men and women.

  Monday: Warm-up, chest and triceps, 3 reps of lower back in-between the other exercises, core, burpees, stretch and cool down, meditate.

  Tuesday: Warm-up, back and biceps, 3 reps of lower back in-between the other exercises, burpees, stretch and cool down, meditate.

  Wednesday: Warm-up, legs (thighs and calves) and shoulders, core, 3 reps of lower back in-between the other exercises, burpees, stretch and cool down, meditate.

  Thursday: Rest day.

  Friday: Warm-up, chest, back, biceps and triceps, 3 reps of lower back in-between the other exercises, burpees, stretch and cool down, meditate (you may do only 2 sets of everything on this day to begin with).

  Saturday: Warm-up, legs (thighs and calves) and shoulders, 3 reps of lower back in-between the other exercises, burpees, stretch and cool down, meditate.

  Sunday: Rest day.

  As mentioned earlier, if you don’t understand the work-out jargon, watch the YouTube videos that Dinesh and Lalit have made to figure out how to do these exercises: www.happinessexpressbook.com/videos/exercises.

  Better yet, come and do the Yogic Fitness series of courses with us. If that’s not possible, engage a good personal trainer. Just as you would seek the help of an architect to design your dream home for you, a great personal trainer will help you create a superb five-star property for you to be in.

  A little caution here: stay away from trainers who want you to consume non-veg food, pump you up with supplements, prescribe diets that go against the principles that we have talked about in our chapter on food, or shame you and make you feel small. Do your own research and feel free to ask uncomfortable questions. A good trainer will assist you to create the body you want, on your terms. You need to be comfortable with the person training you.

  If gyms and trainers simply don’t fit into your philosophy, be active. Drop the sedentary lifestyle. Walk, play, spend time gardening, clean up your house, dance—pick any activity that keeps you on your feet, keeps you moving, and twists your body into various postures.

  Cycling and swimming provide brilliant, no-impact, full-body workouts.

  At the very least, go for a brisk walk and do some stretches every day.

  Here’s to a healthy, fit body and a happy, confident You!

  Chapter 6

  LEARNING

  Hopefully, you have started making some lifestyle changes by now. You have sorted out your sleep. You have learned and are practising meditation. Your diet is wholesome and delicious. You are engaged in adequate physical activity every day.

  The next stop is the brain.

  The Learning Advantage

  John Salinas in his nineties decided to challenge himself and learn about computers. He said this renewed a zest for life.

  Doretta Daniels bagged her associate degree in social sciences from the College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, California, in 2015. She worked for six years to get that degree. She was 98 years old and she did it simply to better herself.

  Doretta and John may have known something that many have missed: life-long learning can help improve and maintain mental well-being. Research suggests that a year of education can add more than half a year to a person’s life span.

  An abundance of books, online resources, personal and professional development programmes, podcasts, etc. are super accessible. This makes learning almost anything you want to much easier than it was earlier.

  Learning something is akin to giving your brain a fantastic workout. The brain thrives on getting out of its routine and chewing on new and complex things. Continuous learning has been shown to increase intelligence, keep the mind sharp and buffer the brain against ageing. It delays and could potentially prevent the onset of dementia and other brain degenerative diseases.

  Learning increases brain size and develops better neural connectivity within the brain. This results in a host of life advantages:

  You become better at planning, prioritising and decision-making.

  Your ability to focus and pay attention to what’s going on is enhanced.

  You are more aware of your environment, picking up cues and acting on them.

  You don’t fall for marketing hype.

 
; Your memory becomes sharper and you gain mental flexibility.

  You are more creative and productive in whatever you do.

  You make peace with delayed gratification and gain the ability and motivation to work on long-term goals.

  You gain confidence as you learn more and more. Your social circle widens and you enjoy better relationships. You get to be on top of all that yummy new technology.

  I am always in awe of my friends Prama and Ranji Bhandari. They are 80 and 90 as I write this, and the way they embrace and enjoy life is a wonder to behold. Prama bhabhi would tell us that in the 1950s, a telephone call to another city would take more than a week to get through, while a call to another country would mean a wait for a month or more. And if you booked an emergency lightning trunk call, you would get a terrible connection, with lots of static and a mere three to five minutes to talk. She related all this to us while unpacking her brand-new iPhone! She knows all about WhatsApp and iTunes and regularly Facetimes with her daughter in the US.

  Much before I was born, Ranji bhai owned a Morris 14/6; he was one of those privileged few to drive a car on Indian roads way back in 1938. He reminisces fondly about all those old, old cars as he navigates his beautiful new Skoda Superb.

  Prama and Ranji Bhandari are the youngest old people I know. . . right there in the hall of fame with Doretta and John.

  There is no doubt about this. Learning keeps you young and makes you live longer. It improves the quality of your life and of those around you. For me, it is as important as meditation, sleep, diet and exercise in my formula for Happiness.

  The Learning Slump

  We saw earlier that the brain (as well as the body) works on the use-it-or-lose-it system. Many adults barely learn anything new after their formal education is over. Possibly because the ‘learning’ part of most people’s lives is usually associated with a lot of pain. All of us have our pet peeves. Math, History, Economics, Statistics, French. . . The subjects we loved to hate can bring up agonising memories and can make a lot of us shy away from the process of learning.