Introduction

Ain’t you looking for “One key for health”? You are, and I bet on that, and this quest becomes more and more deepening and at the same time frustrating as we cross 25. True, isn’t it?

During my early career years, in Bengaluru, I had a neighbor who wasn’t married, so he ate in office, and evening at local mess. He used to work for 12-16 hours a day. In about 6 months, he was diagnosed with acute spondylitis, where his neck bones merged and moving head became a hell of a pain. He was suggested to take rest for three months, without working, and taking better food at home. In a month, when he got relief, he hurried back to work. In another month, his problem resurfaced with much more severity. This time he had to leave work for good.

Another team lead of mine, very dynamic of kind, used to eat outside, and Friday and Saturday were his party days, booze. He walked for 2 kilometers each day for 5 days in a week. Though he was my lead, he was younger to me. In the next 6 years, I saw him bedridden.

On the TVs, we watch almost every other day, that teenagers have collapsed, during a party, young women, while dancing collapsed with heart attack.

Please understand, when children are either committing suicide, or dying because of heart attack, brain stroke, cancer or any geriatric disease,  fundamentally, as a society we are doing something absolutely wrong in our ways of life.

Health is dictated by genetic framework with our Karmic flesh. You have great skeleton, but poor flesh, it’s bad. You have great flesh, but poor skeleton, its worse.

Here Karmic should be read as “our actions towards ourselves”, every action.

Arogya Chaturasra (Square of Health), the only Key

This article is about a easy mantra for health I gave some years back. It is called, “Arogya Chaturasra”, or the “Square of health”. As the square has four vertices, so does our health. It has four vital areas to address, to stay healthy. Just like the vertices of the square are connected to every other either by sides or diagonals, so are the four keys of health connected to three others, Only when you can balance the four well, your health is guaranteed.  And hence the article is divided into four parts.

One may not become Arnold Schwarzenegger or Silvester Stallone, because that needs a genetic “reserve”. Within one’s genetic framework, one can bring out ones best possible health and self. Isn’t that the key that you have been searching for life long. Make use of it, because,

There is no other miracle in life, except knowing how it works, which is the only key to make it work the best, efficient and endure long

The first part is all about physical exercise, things you know, and things you don’t. There is no specific order for this, but all are equally important.

1^st Vertex– Exercise:

After few years in Hyderabad, one day, I went to my town, where my old home was not let out, so was lying idle. The main door of the house creaked, but the bathroom door got detached, while opening. Everyone knows the reason, it is not used for long, so it rusted! Isn’t it?

Now, human body has about 250-350 joints, just like the hinges of the door. They are supposed to move, or rotate, as the case may be, each day, few times. If not, they get rusted too, won’t they? Simple logic, have we missed? Of course, it is not “Ferrous oxide” here, but joint swelling, cartilage wear and tear, depletion of natural lubricant and cushioning agent, Hyaluronic acid, stiff joints, Arthritis and so on. Are you welcoming it, consciously or unconsciously?

Now, what does it have anything to do with heart attack? Will come to that soon.

So, when we try to move the hinges of the body (a.k.a joints of the body) repetitively, it is called exercising. It needs help of muscles, tendons, ligaments pivoted at the joint. So, your muscles get trained to do work, and become strong.

Remember every repetitive action, of any sort, either conscious or unconscious, leaves a memory on genetics, which will be passed over to your new-born. So having a disciplined, healthy lifestyle is utmost important before having children.

People ask me often, Exercise vs Yoga, what is better. To adopt one of it in your lifestyle, you should understand internals of both.

With my experience of about 30 years with Exercises and couple of years with Hata-Yoga, I realized, they have tremendous, partially overlapping impact on human physique and psyche.

Yoga works on the physical body well, if you can control your diet towards absolute “satvic”, very limited, and with absolute focus.

                Yoga makes body healthy, durable, and mind more receptive to subtle things in life, which you haven’t experienced. (And don’t ask me what they are… that is a different topic altogether)

Exercise works on the physical body well, if you have moderately controlled and nutritious diet spread in 3-4 meals, and cutting down largely on  junk and outside food. (We will look at food later)

Exercise makes your body toned, strong and mind healthy, frustration free

Playing outdoor games, Doing physical household work wherever possible, are also alternates to physical exercise. Here repetetion of movement, coverage of as many joints as possible are important, not load or duration of work/play alone.

So based on what is that you want for yourself, you can choose one.

Exercise(Or playing outdoor games) has the following benefits

1. Brings Flexibility in the joints, and muscles, increases strength of muscles
2. Increases heart rate, so the plaque that is deposited in the arteries get cleansed by itself
3. Creates bypass paths in heart, so even in case of heart attack, a bypass surgery is rarely required.
4. Makes the arteries get used to pressure, so BP is a rare issue for “Gym Lovers”
5. Strengthens the walls of arteries, so Brain stroke wont be a issue
6. Consumes lot of glucose, so Sugar spikes are reduced
7. Increases pancreatic function, so insulin production increases
8. Cell glucose reduces, so insulin resistance reduces
9. Visceral fat (Fat around the abdomen) reduces, so insulin resistance reduces
10. Oxygen consumption increases, hence brain function increases, hence more productivity
11. Negativity gets discharged during Exercises, so Frustrations, Anger, Stress will get relieved
12. Gets you in best shape, skin, texture, as per your genetic best, and gives you confidence about life.

Now, if you have time for you tube reels that tickle your mind for 30 minutes, and no other benefit there on, but you don’t have time for 30 minutes exercise, despite above mentioned benefits, then perhaps you need to evaluate your life priorities, sitting alone for an hour or so, and accepting consequences of your decision with a welcoming smile.

We will look at Food, next week in detail! … stay tuned.

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