Some days as a Physiotherapist, I tell my patients to do exercises. I tell adult patients to do core strengthening. But yesterday, I realized one thing I was telling everyone to be fit, but I was not fit myself.
So I started my gym again. This time the goal is not weight loss. This time the goal is fitness.
As a Physiotherapist, my work is physically very demanding. The morning session for Arooba takes 2 hours. For 2 hours, I hold Arooba, I support Arooba's trunk on the balance plate, I lift Arooba onto the gym ball. After the session for her, my back aches. My shoulders feel heavy. My legs feel tired.
That tiredness made me think....!
if I am not strong, how will I make my patients strong?
So i decided to join gym. And today was my first day.On the first day at the gym, I did not run for weight loss. I did not check the weighing machine. I just did mobility. I did planks for core. I did glute bridges for back support. I did light dumbbells for shoulder strength. The dumbbells were only 2.5 kg, but the dumbbells felt heavy.
The trainer asked, "Wardah", what is your goal? Weight loss?" I said, "No, my goal is fitness. My goal is to stand for 6 hours in the clinic without back pain. My goal is to lift a 5-year-old CP child without getting tired."
Now I will go 4 days a week. I do not go for thinness. I go for strength. I go for stamina. I go for posture. Because a Physiotherapist should not just give fitness a Physiotherapist should live fitness.
So for breakfast today, I made a very simple but powerful plate. The breakfast was curd with cucumber, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds and 2 chicken shami kebabs.I took one bowl of fresh curd. Fresh curd is also called dahi. The curd was cold. I added chopped cucumber into the curd. The cucumber was fresh and crunchy. The combination of curd and cucumber gives cooling effect and the combination also helps digestion. For a busy day in the clinic, good digestion is very important.
Then I added the seeds. The seeds were pumpkin seeds and flax seeds. The pumpkin seeds are small but the pumpkin seeds are full of zinc and magnesium. The flax seeds are full of omega-3 and fiber. I roasted the pumpkin seeds and flax seeds slightly. The roasted pumpkin seeds and flax seeds give a nutty crunch to the soft curd.
And for protein, I added 2 chicken shami kebabs. The 2 chicken shami kebabs were homemade. The 2 chicken shami kebabs were shallow fried, not deep fried. The chicken shami kebabs gave me 20 grams of protein. For a Physiotherapist who has to hold a CP child like Arooba for 2 hours, protein is energy.
This breakfast is not a diet breakfast. This breakfast is a fitness breakfast. The curd and cucumber breakfast keeps me full. The pumpkin seeds and flax seeds keep my hormones balanced. The chicken shami kebabs keep my muscles strong.No paratha, no extra oil, no sugar. Just clean fuel. And after this curd bowl, I felt light, strong and ready for my clinic. Because Sometimes fitness is not about eating less. Fitness is about eating right.