Where every game shows your character

I have never been a huge sports follower, but I have admired sportsmen and women for the spirit and dedication that they show. Olympic medal ceremonies easily put me to tears thinking about the stuff winners/participants went through, stuff that they faced during training and what it means to represent their country in front of the world. I also truly believe that if you have trained hard and have a deep passion for your game, it does truly not matter if you win or lose, because the sport is richer for it. Just like different religions believe their gods get powerful with the faith of devotees, I believe sportsmanship survives time.
A lesson learnt, the best teams do not resort to cheap tactics of distraction, aggravation or intimidation. I know you are thinking.. how does a team game like Throwball in the Bay Area become subject to such negative qualities? Throwball is still a relatively unknown game here but gaining more prominence. I LOVE IT, I LOVE MY TEAM. Yesterday we attended a tournament. In the round robin, teams are divided into pools, made to play against all in the pool, the points put together and teams ranked in three levels- beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. We had decided before hand that we would play our best and get into Advanced level, because all of us felt we were slightly more mature in the game to get into Beginner or Intermediate. We did. We played our best and moved into Advanced level. In the semi finals though we went head on with the current champions in that level and..lost! We were proud. Disappointed yes, but lessons and strategy for the next tournament were already being discussed as the final for that level was going on.
Now I come to the title. We faced a couple of teams that were moderately good, but by benefit of negative attitude were trying to intimidate us. It did work for a couple of points. Then we came back stronger. We realized if we played a clean consistent game, we would not be called out for any fouls that we may or may not have done, mostly may not in our case :P. They had no answer. That is where I think we truly stood out. We could have taken the easier route and resorted to name calling and distraction and unsportsmanlike like refereeing. Instead we stood for what we believe in. And each point gained was the sweeter for it. That is how every game shows your character.
PS- We actually had two teams from our throwball group. Where we moved into Advanced, our sister team aimed at Beginner, got into Intermediate and won it like a boss!! Champions Titans :)
PPS- The longest rallies I have ever played for every single point were against the reigning  champions. Jillian Michaels IS awesome. She promised endurance and I got endurance.

Ripped in 30- Week 3

The penultimate week. No closer to getting ripped but definitely seeing the muscle tone. Had my annual physical- my HDL has never been this high! All because of the exercise that I have been doing :) feeling fantastic about that!
Going a little nuts this week Jillian really brought in the tough moves. She said she wanted me to curse her name and I was. But all in all my muscles were definitely working. The warm up segment was a little different in that they were three warm up exercises repeated twice almost like the exercise circuit!
Sweet spots- Say what??
Tough nuts- Duck walk, stork stance with reverse fly. rock and roll jump with reverse crunch, one legged hops (this was particularly daunting because I did not want the exercise to impact my knees), table stance with tricep dip.
All in all was a challenging week. There were a couple of repeats from 30 day shred- jumping lunge that felt much easier this time around. Seriously looking forward to next week which starts tomorrow. Final week also coincides with the weekend of tournament so pulling out all stops on this one next week.

Ripped in 30- Week 2

Was..huff..not...puff..prepared!
Continuing to indulge in self torture I went ahead with Week 2 of Ripped in 30. You know what kills me? The models that serve in the beginner/advanced pose demonstration make it seem easy. Even the beginner modes do the advanced level pose while Jillian herself asks them to do the beginner level poses! Man..way to show off.
With the same 3*3, 2*2, 1*1 mode of circuit levels, a lot of the exercises are variations of the basic poses. Incorporating more than one muscle group during the exercises are the easiest way to burn more calories.
Oh yeah! She makes no bones about even waiting for the actual exercise to kick butt. One in the warm up actually has a leg rotation kick..the kind you see in movies with martial arts. Felt immense pride doing that..hopefully the body later will thank me :)
Sweet spots- Jump rope with kick outs, Alternate table with ab hold
Tough nuts- Crow push ups (I know!!), Stork pull ups (whats with the fauna?!), Side lunge with leg hike (like a dog peeing on a fire hydrant)
At one point she talks about building endurance. I see marked increase in endurance. During throwball practice sessions, which easily go on for 3 hrs now, I am able to see higher levels of stamina, greater arm strength and throw, even breathing and faster reflex and movement. Heyooo!
Side note- Now I have my team mates warming up and cooling down too! Score for team spirit..the team that stretches together, sticks together!

Jilian Michaels Ripped in 30- Week One

Ok! Five months into the year? I am already planning my Halloween costume..where is the time running?
Disclaimer One- Throwball tournament coming up and I wanted to be stronger for that
Disclaimer Two- I was in no way, shape or form prepared for my ass being handed to me
Disclaimer Three- Really badly handed to me!

I am a fan of Jillian Michaels, you'd know from back when I did 30 day shred. So for the April vacation (which actually I need not have worried about, 'cos the food in the resort just spoiled me out of shape anyway), I started out with the 30 day shred and was inconsistent about it. I finished the 30 day shred in maybe 45 days :P (I know! I know! Read on though..) On an impulse I decided to rent out more Jillian Michaels DVDs. I got 4 DVDs! One week shred, Banish fat boost metabolism, Ripped in 30 and No more trouble zones. I have no idea what I was thinking, I was probably in food coma and out of my mind.
I am happy to say that I had to return the first two due to me working on Ripped in 30. Some other comatose idealist (a prayer for their soul and body) had placed them on hold so it went back to library. :P

So Week One! Having done 30 day shred program, I was mentally prepared for it to be trippy, but boy was I underestimating! This program comes in 3 circuits too, with the same 3-2-1 formula of 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes cardio and 1 minute abs. It was basic moves, getting the form right and it still killed me. I was sweating worse than I did after a 5 mile run, and in under 30 minutes!! It was life draining, mind numbing and soul crunching- meaning it was awesome! I loved it..(Side bar- Kamal Hasan once said that only with the ache of muscles you realize how truly sweet pain is)
While 30 day shred had 2 exercises in all strength, abs and cardio moves, this one had 3 for strength, 2 for cardio and abs.
My mistake- the weighing machine still does not have batteries. :)

One thing that she really stresses is the meal plan, which unfortunately had a lot of meat in it. So I am trying to eat healthier with less processed food and lot more vegetables and fruits. 

Looking forward to 2017

Well I mean I really have no choice! Life is no bed of roses but it is what we make it to be and I certainly have seen proof of it. Lets get straight to it!

1. Fitness goals- Remain same. In fact an April vacation has spurred me into being more conscious of exercise and routine. Also I often underestimate the importance of home cooked meals. Working in a start up, it is so easy to get carried away with the food and not be sure of my portions. Steadfast decision to eat as many home cooked meals as I can and more vegetable/fruit helpings as I can.

I have also expanded my repertoire of home made cosmetics and essentials for skin care and I like that I am in control of what goes on my skin. I do not think I will change that. I see certain new things that will be in the way and I plan on getting them out of mind/way so that I concentrate on a minimal chemical invasion. Some are against my principle, I don't know why I decided on them, but enough said, this year will be the last.

Another thing on my mind- Henna for my grays has been my constant vanity. I want to be comfortable with grays but I still don't have the guts- will work on this too..

2. Personal goals- These are many many!

a. Visualization- Positive reaffirmation and visualization. We are what we think we are. Why not think better of ourselves? Picture ourselves where we want to go and start the journey to betterment.

b. Words- Words are powerful. This year I want to rein in my words. Even if it means some people are going to take advantage of it, let them. If a raised voice alone indicates negation, I am going to be so misunderstood this year. However, my point is to simply express my opinion in a tempered way and not too defensive about it. Being kinder and tolerant while sometimes mistaken for being a pushover speaks volume about personality. I would like to be firm but kinder with my words.

c. Pursue certain pet projects that I have been long incubating. At least read up on some of them and take the first step.

d. As always, read, read, read and know more.

Review: Life Goals 2016- Did I?

1. Think positive-To a major part I did follow my goal. I still have times when I spiral out of control. Slowly getting there

2. At least exercise 5 days a week- Walk Walk Walk. I am walking..sometimes with weights, sometimes without. I ran a couple of times and got good shoes to ably prep me for more running in 2017. Hopefully!

3. Portion Control- No! On a good day I do well, on bad days I just gorge. I tried alternate fasting. No not fasting all day. Basically eating a little lesser on alternate days. The problem was I could not remember if I had to eat normally or eat slightly lesser! And ended  up eating normally and sometimes slightly more than normally! He he! But I WILL work on this.

4. Using more natural and earth friendly products-Yes! Yes! Yes! Ended up making lotions, lipbalms and deodorants. Going for a lot more next year

5. Balanced and healthier food- Happening at a slower pace, but it is happening!

6. Emphasizing health and exercise to my son as well- Enrolled him in Soccer!

7. One of the more important goals- to stop using the laptop/tablet/phone at least 1-2 hrs before bed- Happy to say this worked 95% of times!

8. Read more -for myself and for my son- 100%!!!!!!

I think making this list really helped me! I am going to make a new one in 2017 with some overlaps.

Throwball

I did not know what Throwball was. Let me say that up front. I had been a volleyball player at school. I had played Kho-kho but never heard of Throwball so when I was first approached by a woman in the park asking me if I was interested in Throwball, little did I know how much she, the game and its players would affect me.
Youtube has plenty of videos of the game but it never struck me to look at them before I go. When I went for my first game, I met a lot of women. Different women from different states of India and I would later learn different yet alike in their pursuit of Throwball. For a few like myself it was a form of exercise and for a few it was a respite from the day's work and for few more it was a chance to interact with these women who had become friends. I  wish I had a phenomenal memory and could come up with the exact date and month. I tentatively know it was summer either June or July is my guess. I was hooked. It was a great stress buster and a reaffirmation that my athletic roots had not left me. Yet for all this it is the simplest of games not the gentlest but definitely simplest. You catch a ball and throw it back. Sounds super simple as a friend put it- Playing catch is not hard! To me though, it is wonderful.
This post is as much about the game as the women I play with. These women are strong and passionate. Their passions are varied and I see evidence of harmony in diversity when I see us together. All of us have personalities that are chalk and cheese yet when we play, we play only for the game. Forgive me if this veers too much on the personal edge, but I truly feel a kinship to my friends. Anyone that knows me, and a lot of you do, knows my temper and my temperament. These girls put up with me and that itself proves how much of a sport they truly are! I truly can not count the ways that these women have affected and influenced me in a positive way- I have learnt a lot from every single one of them. A thousand and one things on their minds and they still let it all go the second they step on the court. I truly forget all my problems and worries for the couple of hours I play.
A couple of days ago, we went to a tournament. We were in the beginner category and from the get-go first match, I was supremely confident that we would be victorious. It gives me a great sense of pleasure to say we were UNDEFEATED that day. We won all the sets in all the games we played that day. I was amazed at how in synch all of us were. All the doubts that I had about us performing under pressure flew out of the window.
I have won lots of trophies at school and in college. Yet this one is super special to me because it happened when it happened. As humans, most of us doubt our abilities no matter how confident we were about them before. Then as a sign, come along a few women who argue  and joke alternatively, in the same breath, until their faces are flushed and you can not tell if they are serious or joking when they proclaim they want to kill you! This sign lets you know you are truly never alone as sport unites people that I normally wouldn't have even met otherwise!

Oh yeah! Did I mention we won GOLD?! :P