Incapacitation via the Hindu Squat and Other Such Things

Just the other day, in an effort to supplement my current weekly exercise routines, I went onto youtube and started viewing instructional workout videos. I stumbled across one for the Hindu squat. My interest was piqued. It seemed like a good idea, that is until the next day when I found myself nearly incapacitated. 

Once upon a time, long long ago, I was a fairly physically active person (well, "active" in the broadest sense). I didn't necessarily seek out this physical activity (seriously, I'm like the least athletically minded person on the planet). Rather, it was just organic to my lifestyle at the time. I'd describe it all as purely situational. I worked in the city, and my days started off with a long brisk walk to the office after a lift in on the bus. My lunch hours included nice leisurely strolls, often time spent window shopping, and then later at the close of the day, another nice walk back to the bus station. Sure, it was low impact, but it was consistent, and I felt great. Once my children were born, I did the regular running around involved with toddlers, and while by then, I was officially a full-time stay-at-home parent, I got enough of a workout to keep me at least somewhat fit. It was right around this time that I became interested in Pilates, and started following the Fit for Life diet, so I was a practicing vegan, too. In the meantime, I sought to make some extra cash by taking on occasional freelance work--nothing steady at all. It wasn't until I found a more steady gig, working as a researcher, that things began to change. I found that the only times I'd get out and about, were when I was getting the kids to their extra-curricular activities. Most of my time was spent on homeschooling and working. Even my hobbies, when I could get to them, offered no outlet for physical activity. My life went from just barely active, to primarily sedentary. The Pilates was placed on the back-burner, and I grew tired of cooking two separate meals for every days' lunches and dinners. I didn't expect of course, for my entire family to follow my diet, hence the extra time spent in meal preparation. And yes, I got lazy.

Falling out of shape took no time at all. In a matter of weeks, I started to feel sluggish. Walking up a flight of stairs was enough to get me out of breath. As my work schedule became more demanding and I was spending even more time seated in front of my computer screen, the pounds started piling up. I found myself getting into cooking ruts, making tons of pasta and rice dishes which were quick and easy, and of course, that didn't help at all.

In the meantime, I was intent on keeping on top of the kids' levels of activity. It's funny how I was so hyper-focused on their keeping physically fit and active, while dismissing my need for the same. The girls had been involved in dance classes for several years, but I had yet to find something for my son, who is very physically active anyway. He's the sort of child that has to move to think. He needs frequent breaks from his schoolwork to stand, walk around, jump, and run. Yet despite his high levels of physical activity, he wasn't particularly interested in sports. He was however, very interested in pursuing martial arts, especially kung fu or jeet kune do, thanks to his love of Bruce Lee films, brought along in large part by my husband's love of the same. I set out to find a kung fu school which proved much more difficult than I thought. There are karate and tae kwon do schools seemingly everywhere, but kung fu lessons were much more difficult to find. Thankfully, before too long, I was able to find a place not terribly far from home that offered a free introductory lesson for my son. We all tagged along and the sifu insisted that we all take part as well. Yes, even me. This was definitely not my intention in going, but I figured, I may as well give it a shot. Not fifteen minutes later, I found myself quite unable to move. Every muscle in my body ached. Even just lifting my arms to adjust my glasses, was painful. It's funny to me now, but right then, it all became a major epiphany for me. I quickly talked things over with my husband, and we all decided to enroll. It is one of the best decisions I've made for myself and my family in a long while.

The past few months have made such an amazing difference in my life. Not only have they tested my will in so many ways, but I am sharing this new journey with my family, and what great motivators they have proven to be. Just a few short months ago, I could barely make it through fifteen minutes of training, and here I am, able to do that and more. Granted, the Hindu squat experiment has shown that I have a long way to go, but I'm less disheartened by that realization now, considering how far I feel I've come already. I will from time to time, update this blog with my progress in this area, and as I discover new aptitudes and challenges along the way. Until then, in the words of Bruce Lee: "There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." I hope to do just that.