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Sporting passions!
Young techies
in India rarely think of flexing their muscles, but in a health conscious
country like the US many have found a new passion — golf, writes Mohan Babu
A healthy mind
lives in a healthy body, so goes the popular adage. In a country where medical
insurance and treatment of illness - as I expounded in an earlier column of mine
— can be exorbitant, it is of paramount importance to lead a healthy lifestyle,
actively taking part in sporting activities and/or exercising regularly.
I remember the
first time I came abroad. In a span of less than four weeks, I managed to gain
about five kilos and it is not hard to see how. I was gorging on veggie burgers
with cheese, coke — rich in sugar and of course enjoying sumptuous Indian
dinners with friends at local Indian restaurants. A few weeks of this lifestyle
and I realised that I had to make a conscious effort to control my diet and
imbibe another facet of American life — taking to exercising regularly.
In India, young
techies rarely think of flexing their muscles, content that the humdrum of daily
existence is sufficient to sap one’s energies. Walking a few blocks to the
bus-stop or even auto/taxi stand, a few stairs up to the first or second floor
and other little bouts of ‘exercise’ adds up to burn calories. However, in the
US with very little incentive to burn calories in the normal course, one is more
motivated to make exercising a part of one’s routine.
One does not need
to look far for avenues to exercise and stay healthy. Of course, the multi
million dollar health industry makes enough buzz in the form of advertisements
and hoardings everywhere that one is constantly reminded of the need to
exercise. Those inclined to take up sports and games, which they enjoyed in
their childhood and youth, also have ample opportunities open to them in the
form of local clubs, tournaments and what have you. Most cities have a range of
clubs to choose from — clubs for judo, karate, hockey, soccer, tennis,
racquetball, badminton and other athletic activities. It may come as a surprise,
but a few large cities in the US have their own cricket leagues too. A friend of
mine who used to play for his university back home didn’t think twice about
driving 150 miles to a nearby city every weekend to take part in their
tournament!
Of course for
those not inclined to playing games, gyms provide an outlet. Many large
apartment complexes invest in their own exclusive gyms, so do some large
companies. The YMCA aka ‘The Y’ is a popular chain of health and fitness with
centers spread in cities across the country. The Y that I frequent is a huge
complex, complete with its own indoor full-sized swimming pool, basketball
court, racquetball courts and mechanised gyms. Of course, there are dozens of
private and commercial chains of health and fitness centers that one can join.
In the year 2000, 54.5 million Americans over the age of 6 (22 percent of the
population), exercised at a health club. Of this number, a projected 32.8
million were health club members. A 7 percent rise over the 30.6 million
projected for 1999. The net for profit sector (YMCA’s, JCC’s, hospital-based
clubs, residential, municipal, university and military facilities) account for
38 percent or 13.1 million members.
Americans tend to
take their exercising quite seriously, spending huge amounts of time and money
on personal trainers, fitness evaluation, exercise paraphernalia etc. They also
tend to chalk out religious plans for exercising. Most Indians on the other
hand, tend to skip the expense of personal trainers etc, content to follow a
yo-yo pattern - exercising regularly for a few weeks and then slacking till they
feel that they need to start again. Of course, there are few amongst us who are
quite sporty and go the full nine yards.
Speaking of
sports and exercising, golfing is probably the most popular sports that
middle-aged men take up. It not only helps one get up and about, making
participants walk a few miles, but is also seen as a handy tool for business
managers and executives to network. Many of my fellow techies, in their early
thirties feel that they are ‘too old’ to be jumping and hopping in the gym. They
are taking to golf like ducks to water. Even yours truly went down to the nearby
mini-golf range and swung a few buckets of balls over the labour-day weekend. He
is contemplating going down to the nearby range with a few buddies to learn the
finer nuances of birdies and boogies.
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