How much exercise is too much exercise? Scientists have grappled with this question. Here too, love is the answer. Specifically, love for yourself. How much do you love for yourself? When you stand naked in front of the mirror, how closely do you look? When you close your eyes, can you visualize your abdomen? Can you name more than five of your muscles? Are you intimately familiar with the contours of your thighs? If so, no amount of exercise is too much for you. It enhances your physical beauty, and you get to spend time with your favorite person.
Personally, I would try to avoid you. In Delhi, things can get violent very quickly, so it’s best to keep some distance from the large ones. Of course, a quick knee to the groin can fell ever the mightiest oak, but eventually, the oak gets up again. It’s fair to assume that a large and muscular person, a devoted to his or her body as a temple, would not have much love left for other people. I am not suggesting that all muscular people are psychopaths. I have muscular friends who are very good-natured. But the odds are not promising. If you are not a people person, running is another option. However, your chances of overdoing this are quite high. The most common cases of exercise addition are amongst runners.
In case you run, and would like to know if you’re addicted, here’s a simple questionnaire:
“Do you spend enough on shoes to feed a family of four?”
“If your wife were in labor, would you go for a run?”
“If you were in labor, would you go for a run?”
“Beyond a point, do you feel excruciating pain, which tells you that you’re alive?”
“At this point, do you keep running until you feel even more excruciating pain?”
If you answered yes to more than three of the above, you need to run less.
Of course, not all exercise involves loving yourself beyond reason. Other forms of exercise are more sociable, such as yoga and cycling. Each of these can be both solitary and group activity. Of all the available exercise options, cycling seems to be the safest, with a relatively low chance of addiction. Cycling has a built-in safeguard. While the helmets are cute and the shorts can be stylish, and you love the wind in your face, there’s only so much punishment that the human buttocks can withstand.
With this,
Sudarshan
(Source: - From the author of Murder with Bengali Characteristics novel)
