I am so irritated today ! The dietician at the gym and another friend who, I discovered, belongs to the same gym, both said this phrase to me… “At this age…” and applied some concessions. I don’t like it at all.
The dietician was telling me that if I follow the diet plan diligently, I will reduce weight. So I said that my most comfortable weight was when I was 15 to 18 kilos lighter. Also, as per the height-weight chart, I am 15 kilos heavier. But the dietician said that ‘at this age’ it was OK to even lose 10 kilos and it was better not to lose more and not to push myself for more than 10 kilos.
Later, while I was exercising a friend came and tapped me. It turned out that she too is a member but we usually come at different timings. We met today since I went later than usual. So, she said, “I can’t do a diet. I get too tempted to eat.” I said that I need to lose weight for my health and I have good mind-control. So I’ll do the diet (That, in my case, essentially entails sticking to meal times and not eating fried stuff – my two vices.) So, she replied, well its OK even if you don’t do it. ‘At this age’ keeping fit is enough. We can’t expect to do more.
I was so riled !
Firstly, here I am, completely determined to become slim and fit and here are two people in the gym, one a dietician, who are condoning cutting myself some slack.
Secondly, although I understand the dietician’s concern that I will push myself beyond limits and harm my body, I also think that low aim is crime. I am very driven when I set my mind to something, but I am also sensible enough to understand when to stop so that I will not harm myself.
Thirdly, and most importantly, it is infuriating when people use age as an excuse. Just today in the papers I read about this 73 year old man who exercises daily and can do 12 suryanamaskar non-stop. If he can do it at 73, why can’t I do it at 39 ? Yes, I am 39…that is my chronological age. But inside, I feel different ages at different times. Speaking of my body, granted that I am overweight, but I am very active and more importantly I have that drive in me and I don’t want to take any concessions.
So, I don’t care about age. I am going to be slim and fit and achieve my ideal body weight. Period.
P. S. Rant over and done with, here’s a small update:
1. I missed gym on my birthday and the day after. Not because of those reasons though. I had to reach office obscenely early on both days and returned way past the gym closing time. I missed gym yesterday too as I had a catch in my back and neck. Today the catch in the back is gone and the one in the neck has reduced. So I went.
2. I am actually enjoying the gym. Gradually I am going to do the whole-body work-out on alternate days and swim on alternate days.
3. I have kept this gym thing a secret from everybody except TH. I’ll tell only if anybody asks when (if?) they see results.
4. It has been 17 days (14, if I deduct the 3 missed days) but the weight refuses to budge more than 300-400 grams either way. To be fair, I haven’t been controlling what I eat and when. The new diet plan begins day-after. I hope that it will make my weight move…downward.
