I have always been a sport enthusiast but have never been a sporty person in my life! I follow many sports, but play none! I am the perfect armchair sports enthusiast. I am one of the billion captains on Indian Cricket Team.

Since my college days I have been in company of some tough sportsmen. Best of my friends were all star sportsmen, lording over football field, cricket stadium, basketball court, squash court to the boat club. Evenings at time use to be lonely affairs as all sports men would be sweating out in their fields while I would be lazing around the canteen.

I tried a few times but could not get into the groove of sporting culture. I hardly have any regrets in life, but this one is the big one. I was really fortunate to have gone to a college with fabulous sports infrastructure. At the same time I was the unfortunate one who never took advantage of the facilities available for free! And I do not blame anyone else for that, except myself.

Life has been kind to me that I never put on weight despite having an inactive lifestyle for most of  my adult life. I always felt I was fit enough and never felt the need to indulge in active sports or physical activity. I did fine in day-to-day life, liked walking and hiking and felt fit. So far so good…

During a routine blood test, I discovered my triglyceride levels to be abnormally high. On further investigation the root cause for high triglyceride levels was found to be high TSH levels which meant an underactive thyroid gland, a condition known as hypothyroidism. The doctor put me on synthetic thyroid hormone medication which slowly brought TSH as well as Triglycerides under control. That’s when I felt the need to trade my sedentary lifestyle for an active one.

Around the same time I came to know about Gurgaon Road Runners which is a fitness group run by indomitable Sidharth Choudhary who has an immensely infectious passion for running and fitness. As I started running with Gurgaon Road Runners, I felt a rush of positive energy running through my body day in and day out. After ages I felt release of endorphins due to physical activity. Not only did my physical health improved, I could also experience lot of emotional positivity.

As the physical activity level increased, I was suggested to undergo body massages to reduce muscle tension, muscle stiffness and fatigue. I started undergoing a rejuvenating full body massage at Blue Terra Spa in Gurgaon. The regular massages helped me a lot in relieving muscle tension, alleviate pain and faster recovery from injuries and niggles that any sportsman must endure, irrespective of the level!

As I increased the intensity of my exercise levels, I understood the concept of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), which is muscle pain experienced several hours post exercise, especially if the exercise in unfamiliar. Regular body massages really helped me sail through painful effects of DOMS which many athletes face on a regular basis. Realizing the importance of sports massage in helping the recovery of muscles after strenuous exercise or run, I increased my frequency of spa visit to once a week. I realized that integration of body massage by a professional therapist into a weekly training regiment helped not just to avoid DOMS but also helped me revitalize my muscles.

Regular visits to spa for massage was a great way to manage physical stress that body was experiencing due to increased physical activity levels after years of inactive lifestyle. Spa massage was also a great way to unwind mentally from day to day stress of life. Due to release of neurotransmitter endorphins, a good massage also led to the same high as a good session of exercise, helping mind relax in a true manner.  

As I completed my ADHM in sub 2.15 I felt regular body massage at the spa was a great help to me in keeping me injury free and helping me recover faster between my practise runs.

After having tasted the elixir of physical activity, I recommend everyone to undertake a fitness activity. If you don’t like it does not need to be an intensive activity like running but can be something like walking, or hiking. You may want to explore a sport like badminton, tennis, volleyball…anything that fancies you. It is never ever too late.

And when you take up a physical activity, you are highly likely to experience some kind of injury or niggle. Do not let that set you back. Take care of your body. See a physiotherapist, know your weak points. Always allow your muscles to recover, take regular body massages, get rejuvenated and hit the road again. Happy fitness to you!