Gaurhav had imagined himself to be fit, till his attempt at running proved otherwise. Read how his failure motivated him to get onto the fitness track and become a passionate runner.
Despite weighing 98 kg and living an unhealthy lifestyle with zero exercise and poor eating habits, I believed I was fit. Because I was tall, I decided my excess weight was acceptable.
I couldn’t run a single kilometre
But then in July 2013, my sister invited me to the Pinkathon promo run. She had successfully become a runner and lost weight too. Though I’d never tried to run, I was keen to do so.
It disturbed me to find that I couldn’t manage a single km- in fact, I started panting after a few steps. Seeing others run effortlessly, made me realize where I stood.
I decided to elevate my fitness level
That day was enough to motivate me to elevate my fitness level. I started taking baby steps. My first step was to start jogging 30 minutes a day, 5-6 days a week. I kept on adding 5 minutes every week, as my stamina improved.
After a couple of months, I added 30 minutes of strength training to my every day running regime. Slowly and steadily, I was increasing the intensity of my workouts. As a result, my stamina and endurance increased considerably and I also lost some weight.
Started eating 6 meals a day
I never followed a particular diet plan. But there were few things I took care of. I started with breaking down my intake into 5-6 small meals per day, which boosted my metabolism.
Also, I follow a basic diet rule, which is to avoid taking any heavy meal before bed-time. In addition, I also try to take more carbs before my training session/run, and high protein meals after it. Though controlling my sugar intake is hard since I love sweets, I have managed somehow.
Being fit gave me the confidence to run several marathons
After some months of following this regimen, the effects became visible. My confidence was high, and I could manage a run without difficulty. Now I had a lot of confidence, my running got way better.
From being someone who struggled to run a kilometer, now I have completed more than 30 half-marathons, 2 full marathons, 1 duathlon, 3 trail runs, and many 10k runs. Believe it or not, I can run a distance up to 40 km with ease.
Running has become my passion
Running has completely changed my life for the better, right from how I walk, to the way I think. The moment I hit the track or road, I get into a meditative zone and forget all my hassles. Today, my fitness is a reality rather than an illusion.