SELF-TRANSFORMATION
3 Tough Lessons I Learned When Transforming From an Asthma Patient to a Runner
Laugh at your failures. Save your tears for your dream day.
If I tell you the sacrifices I’ve made to turn my life around from a lazy bloke to an active lifestyle follower, my dad will cry before I finish this article.
To save the tears, I will instead share how hard it is to turn your life around on your own.
Being a self-motivator is a hard pill to swallow if you’ve terrible patience and self-control.
But if you want to overcome a challenge that has been in your head for — say, ten years — here are three lessons you can learn from me to make your transformation more manageable.
#1. Realise when enough is enough.
Make a wrong choice – or no choice – and you’ll sulk in complacency ( learned helplessness ) because you’re doing it to follow the path of least resistance.
Until five years ago, because of my lactose intolerance and upbringing in a then-rural area, we were oblivious about alternative sources of nutrition.
I had weak immunity.
I caught a cold in a second, got tired quickly, couldn’t eat ice cream, and even a 100-metre sprint would char my lungs.
I wanted to be an athlete, but my metabolism said fuck-off.
The shift happened when I left college in my super-early 20s. Coz I’m 23 and graduated college when I was 21.
When the responsibilities shower as you leave college’s security and enter the office culture, prioritising mental and physical health is easier said than done because you want to be a model employee while gaming your fitness routine. You have to find the balance where these two tracks don’t collide.
Also, the responsibilities pile up as you age.
What if you need to sleep at 10 pm to wake up at 5 am, but there is an office meeting at 11 pm because of time-difference with international clients. You’ll need to make a tough choice.
Make a wrong choice — or no choice — and you’ll sulk in complacency ( learned helplessness ) because you’re doing it to follow the path of least resistance.
#2. Fly with time.
Like every other loser misguided by the social media portrayal of a perfect physique, my fitness goal in the starting was to have an 8% body fat to become a chick magnet.
It turns out fitness is for self-care, not for external validation. Not from your friends, family, dating or society.
Self-care means following the path that prioritises physical and mental health because your mind+body is the only asset you take to your grave.
Self-care is a lifelong process. The earlier you prioritise it, the more people respect your time because you’ll learn to prioritise your time for your goals.
Everyone loves a motivated person because of the iron and inspiring attitude.
#3. Laugh at your failures.
The medicine I took for asthma ruptures the inner wall of the oesophagus.
Although the damage is negligible, I can’t risk it because I took medicine since I was 14. How long would I able to breathe without the meds?
I’m 24, and I have more than half my life for exploration.
I visualised when I would attain my best stamina, I won’t need the medicines and eventually avoid all kinds of junk food.
Whenever I look at my 5-year past self, I laugh at his petty desires where he fed his insecurities with every one-click option available on the internet.
Now, I wait and listen. My 100 days fitness streak was two years ago. On day 100, I went through this realisation:
If you can transcend your body limits, then there is [almost] nothing you can’t achieve with persistence.
Final words
I started running daily before the lockdown in the second wave began on April 27.
In my two months of running, I’ve lost 3 kg, I’m in my best shape of 2021, and I share my achievements for inspiration with friends, family and you. Why? Because a good heart never stays happy alone. It wants to infect the world with happiness.
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Sanjeev is a writer, mentor and recovering shopaholic. He writes about lifelong learning, productivity, relationships, and practical psychology for everyday life. When he’s not busy with his muse, he is sweating either in a workout or emulating outdoor games in his home because of the pandemic. He also chronicles his writing and fitness journey on Instagram.
