I promise not to promise

What’s the point of making resolutions that give you nothing, but guilt.

I am sure to get a lot of hate mail for this column. Still, I have to say what I’m going to. This is a tribute to the ‘we-will-not exercise-no-matter-what’ community, of which I’ve decided to be the pallbearer in the New Year. I know this is a horrible, politically incorrect statement to make, especially in the times when eating organic food and going to the gym are bigger virtues than truthfulness or patriotism. But I’m sick and tired of making the resolution, every December, to ‘lead a healthy lifestyle’ and then living with the stress, all through the year, of not sticking to it.

I’m sure that 99 per cent of the female population of this country is unhappy with how much they weigh. Okay, not 99 per cent. Make that 100. And a majority of them have only one resolution to make, in the run up to the new year. That of starting a regular exercise regimen. What follows is rather interesting. We pay gym membership, buy fancy tracksuits, sometimes even spend exorbitantly on treadmills and other equipment for exercising at home. A few months later, we can be spotted cribbing endlessly about paying gym fees every month while having visited only twice. The fancy tracksuit becomes nightwear for winters and we are struck with divine realisation that treadmills can also be turned into clothes hangers.

While we may give hazaar excuses of not being regular with the promised morning walks or daily gym/yoga sessions, deep inside we stay very stressed. Stressed at not being able to live healthy. At not being able to get up at 6 AM to go for the morning walk. At not being able to resist that bar of chocolate. At not being able to everyday take out time to exercise in the gym or even do the fashionable pranayam.

Don’t get me wrong here, I’m not denying the truth that we ought to live healthy. (Actually that’s a fact that can not be denied no matter how tempted I am to). I’m only saying do not make a mountain of expectations from yourself in the name of resolutions, if you already know you’ll not be able to live upto them. Instead of setting unrealistic goals of losing a certain number of kilos within two months, aim for a gradual transformation of your lifestyle.

Start with something small, like taking a deep breath at every traffic signal while driving to work. Or getting down one station before yours while travelling through metro, and walking down the rest of the way. Or giving away that one last square in the chocolate bar instead of gobbling up the whole of it. Slowly you’ll start feeling good about yourself, and then when you are ready for a more formal regimen, begin one. So for the coming year I have only one resolution — that I’ll stay calm by not making any.

Sonal Kalra is auctioning her elaborate wardrobe of expensive gym clothes. She is hoping to raise money to buy a triple gear automatic exercising bike.

Mail your calmness tricks to her at sonal.kalra@hindustantimes.com