Fuel Up!

I am known to be an individual who has an obsession for something once in a while (really? I mean how many people actually know this?), and I at least know myself to pursue it feverishly.

My takeaway from my Kyokushin Karate classes is this: Buddy, you have a frail body (and this is no understatement); no matter how strong you look, you CANNOT take a punch to your chest or torso unless you drag your arse out of bed everyday and exercise (and though I am unable to do that, I at least make sure I go back to bed dog-tired). And this is not me who says that, it's my Senpai who does.

Thus, this became the starting point for my feverish fixation of developing a healthy and strong body. And these are the things I do everyday:

1. Steal time off my work-schedule to find a secluded spot where I can do some stretching exercises, because sitting in front of the god-forsaken terminal has done me no good all these years save filling my pockets, which paves way for further goodness. :)

2. Eat regularly (in other words, though I miss breakfast, I make it a point to have a good lunch) and not skip meals. It's tough when you don't find good people or the right people to have lunch with, but in view of the greater good, eating alone doesn't feel bad either.

3. Watch my diet. And this, my dear people, is one thing that I haven't had much luck with. You see, when you work out and train hard, your body uses up all reserves of energy locked within you. And my metabolism is way too high, so whatever I eat burns up just as fast. Imagine having a never-dormant engine for a stomach. I have midnight snacks too when I'm studying, so I guess my Mom would know that her son is back to the mischievous brat that he was during his teenage and pre-teen days.

4. Coconut water is a manna from heaven, and the fruit too has no parallel. So before attending class, I down 2 coconuts and dash off. It often feels like every drought of coconut water breathes life into me.

5. I have pouches of glucose and Gatorade in my office drawer and 2 cans of Protein supplements, not to mention there's a big can at home too. So everytime I come back from class or the gym, I feel good about feeding my worn-and-torn muscles with a rich protein shake.

6. Running 800 metres in 4 minutes and then breaking into a 100 metre sprint immediately afterward (in my last sprint, I clocked 15 seconds, much to my surprise). This is anaerobic exercising, and it's importance lies in the fact that in a fight, you do not get time to breathe when you exchange blows and kicks. So, it's essential that you train to fight in a condition that challenges you to breathe. Besides, another advantage of anaerobic exercising is that the body uses up the available glucose and fat in your body, instead of oxygen in case of aerobic exercises, to produce energy. Now I appreciate my father for often telling me that the best way to lose fat is to run for all you are worth. Hats off, Bapa! Swimming and gymming are part of the regimen too.

7. Mental attitude counts a lot to be able to fight well. No matter how good you are on the punching-bag (it's a mean one, I must say), you can never know what it is to fight unless you fight a live human being, because a punching-bag never hits back. Whatever exercises you do, do not do it just for the heck of doing it. Ask your opponent to kick you and punch you harder, and take it well. Run the gauntlet, fall short of breath, let your muscles ache and yet, all this while, always listen to your mind telling you to go on and on. Punish yourself for a greater reward.

All things said and done, yet more needs to be said here. These are only the tangible things that I have talked about. Above all else, there has to be inspiration, too, alongside perspiration. Having a source of inspiration matters most to a fighter. My mother and father have been such sources of mine, and I'm sure yours are, too, for you. Bringing children up and making them life-ready in such difficult and corrupted times is a challenge beyond imagination, and no one knows that better than the parents themselves.

Besides, you never limit yourself to a few people. Life is full of examples just waiting to be seen and taken inspiration from. You might draw inspiration from a man of frail stature but immense courage to never back down despite the outcome, or from a girl who lives her life to the fullest not knowing whether she has cancer or how much time she has left to live, or from a female dog (I have reservations against the word "bitch") who would protect her offspring from a horde of angry male canines waiting to rip up the latter. These are people who are fighters, and they know that since their opponents wouldn't give them a quarter, why the fuck should they lose out on what they have! Having something or someone to love dearly and fiercely is reason enough in itself to fight for that something or someone. That is the FIXATION, the OBSESSION that drives an individual. Everything else is auxiliary. My obsession : to fight harder, live stronger and love better.