A fitness routine...finally! Keeping fingers crossed.

I am not a fitness freak...not by any stretch of imagination.

Walking is something I always loved doing, and would do plenty of it earlier - from walking to grocery stores, etc., to brisk 'morning walks' as part of a fitness routine.

We stayed near Lalbaug many years ago, before A was born, and walking in Lalbaug was a routine I loved. Every morning at 6, I would join the hordes of walkers out to get their daily fitness fix. The surroundings, of course, added to a rejuvenating experience.

Everywhere that we have lived, and travelled, be it the US, UK, or Japan, walking was high on our list. It was not such a big deal in the UK and Japan, as everyone walked on the streets, a LOT. In the US, though, it was a different matter. Walking on streets seemed to be a big no-no, at least in the places we had stayed in, (Places like New York city seem to be the exception!) and cars would zoom past us, the people inside probably wondering why we were walking. In fact, one of the places we were in (it was a small place in the deep south) for a while had no footpaths to speak of (or sidewalks as they are called there) except in the downtown area. Walking in such a place meant we had to find a park specifically to walk in. Not very safe.

We did, of course do a lot of 'touristy' walking. We would try and take any/ all hikes that any place had to offer. In fact, in the UK, I chanced upon a this book on walks in Britain, categorized by the level of difficulty. It was in a ringbinder, so that any particular walk we wanted to take could be taken out of the folder and put in a plastic cover provided for the purpose, to take with us on the walk. Of course it was snapped up, especially since I found it in an Oxfam shop, at a fraction of its original price. We took these walks with A in tow, the husband carrying her in a child-carrier on his back.

Back home, I continued my walking in the mornings, until four years ago when A began school in the morning. After she left for school, it felt too late to go out, as it would become too sunny and hot for comfort.

I tried different timings, even evening walks, but somehow it did not work. I was way too tired in the evening to really push myself, and walk long enough to my satisfaction, or even to enjoy the walk. I tried the gym routine- there is a rudimentary facility at my complex - but it didn't work for me. The mindless walking on a treadmill or excercise bicycle was not for me. I needed to be outdoors to sustain the effort.

I HAD to do something about it, and soon. I wasn't getting younger, and creaking joints, belly fat and a decided 'couch-potato' feel were making their presence felt. I also needed a stress-buster. I tried a bit of yoga, but that isn't something that one should try without proper training, or it could go seriously wrong.

Inertia! I convinced a friend in the complex to join me, so that we can motivate each other to keep at it. And as of the past 2 weeks, we have been walking for an hour every day after our kids AND husbands beat it at 7.30am. Enjoying it thoroughly.

The icing on the cake? A lady from ASDA, a dance and fitness training academy has started Zumba classes in our complex, and we had our first class yesterday. Nothing like fitness while moving to music. I'm sure some of us look a bit silly, like some of the kids doing zumba in this video, but hey, we enjoyed ourself!. And sweated out a lot. Worth it.

Am loving it!