The 6 Stages of Change – How to Live a Healthy and Happy Lifestyle – Part 2
If you missed the first post in the series… here is the link to part 1:
How to Live a Healthy and Happy Lifestyle – Part 1
It’s 9 AM and Siddharth is on his way to work through the busy streets of Bangalore. He feels extra drowsy today from last night’s party but he still manages to buy a smoke on the way.
Thankfully he reaches office on time. “Giving up his breakfast was not such a bad idea after all”, he thinks to himself… In his booth, his friend Ashwin is waiting for him. “Here comes Sid, the party animal! Looks like you did not sleep at all last night.”
Siddharth sighs to himself. He’s been getting the same dialogue a lot these days. He does miss sleeping. He admits he was more disciplined and active during college, but that was back before the late night parties and drinks. Plus he had time for his sports back then. He would be so tired after two hours of football every evening that he would just crash into bed at night.
He answers Ashwin with a mere “I’m fine”. Only a few hours left for lunch. He was sure he could control his increasing hunger until then. Though he just reached, he thinks to himself, “I’d better take a smoke to help me make it through till lunch”, and leaves his booth.
On the other side of the state, Rahul wakes up at dawn to start his daily chores. He goes into the kitchen and makes lunch for his kids, Meera and Harish. Meera is in 10th grade while Harish is in 6th.
Rahul makes individual lunches for them and neatly packs them up, making a simple breakfast of sandwiches on the other side. By the time he gets them ready and boarded on the school bus, he’s late.
He admits it isn’t easy but his kids are worth it. Grabbing a pack of chips, he rushes off to work. While fastening his seat belt, he looks down at his belly. When did it get this big?!?
He thinks to himself, “Maybe it’s time I join the gym? But how in the world do I fit it into our schedules? Perhaps I’ll add it between Meera’s keyboard class and Harish’s math’s tuition”?
Dismissing the idea for later, he gets ready to settle into traffic.
57 year old Kusum wakes up to the light of the city. It’s her first day of retirement and she is excited. She’s been planning her retirement vacation for ages.
She and her husband Rajiv were all set to leave for Kerala in a few hours. Going to the kitchen, the first thing she grabs is her favorite dairy milk bar. It has become a custom for her to have a chocolate bar each morning as according to her, it gives “good luck”.
“You know that’s bad for your diabetes”, said her husband, coming behind her. She had been caught. “Today is such a good day. Don’t spoil it with your lectures”, she laughs. “We better start packing soon, she says and grabs another bar on the way back to their room.
Radha has been up all night taking care of her newborn. She dealt with her midnight hunger pangs by gulping down half a liter of coke and munching on Kurkure. Nearly 4 months old, her daughter Anu has the habit of staying up at nights and sleeping during the day.
Just as Radha is finally about to sleep, the alarm goes on. Exhausted, she gets up to send her husband to work. She grabs a few biscuits, coffee and bread and heads off to start her chores for the day. She goes into the bathroom and gets on the weighing machine. 92 Kilos.
From being a healthy 68, she had gained nearly 20 kilos during her pregnancy. Sighing, she goes into the next room and tends to Anu. “Once you are 2 years old, I’ll start going to work again”, she tells her daughter. Radha heads to the kitchen and makes an extra cheesy pasta for herself.
38 year old Ajay was rather grumpy today morning. He had been up late night attending an international call and now was up again to finish some pending work.
He had missed his children going to bed and school again. It had been days since he had spoken to them properly. His wife kept glaring at him while she did her housework and made lunch for him.
He was to head off to a different state the next day for an urgent meeting and his wife was not pleased. “If you keep this up, you are going to spoil your health. You don’t even make up for what you eat. When was the last time you did some exercise?” she mumbled.
He replied angrily, “I am doing this for all of you. Our children go to a good school and we live in a big apartment. For all this, I must work hard. Where do you think I have time to exercise among all this?” He went back to his work.
5 different lives, each with their own hurdles and obstacles. But where does this all lead?
Keep Reading to watch the lives of these people unfold and come across the big decision that could change their lives.
After all, any one of them could be you…
Until then, Stay healthy, Think healthy and be healthy!
Don’t forget to read the next post in the series:
