“One Who Bathes Willingly With Cold Water Doesn’t Feel The Cold.”
An African but English translated proverb says, “One who bathes willingly with cold water doesn’t feel the cold.” A gym client shared it with me, as I asked him to assist me to find it. I had to write this write up. On a similar note, my wife has started hitting the gym again. She has had a long layoff because of several reasons. She fell sick. I had dengue. She again fell sick. But now she seems determined to work out in the long run, as, off late, she is terrified and claims that perhaps she is facing some symptoms of diabetes. She realizes that an active lifestyle can set aside the high blood sugar level. On a similar note, several men come to me and say that they are borderline diabetic. I suggest them vigorous physical activity and healthy eating. Fortunately, almost all of them got rid of diabetes and now continue to hit the gym and eat healthy. The high blood sugar levels doesn’t trouble them anymore.
Similarly, my wife said that the thought of working out in the gym is excruciating when she ventures into the gym. However, as the workout progresses the boredom and distress vanishes and she says that she enjoys every moment of it. To support her opinion she referred to an age old quotation in Kannada. The above stated quotation comes close to what she meant.
The quote, however, is not the exact translation. She said and meant that after you get into the water you forget the chill the water transmits, but getting into the water initially is hard. Similarly, there are days when I don’t feel like working out. However, the warm-up routine helps me to elevate my heart rate and in response I feel motivated enough to perform a descent workout.
However, I have come to realize that people generally find it hard to initially benefit from the physical excursion. For example, they find it hard to hit the gym regularly in the beginning and perhaps in the later stage also. They say that the sight of the gym is a nightmare. The initial days or the first month can be very crucial in deciding whether you quit or continue to hit the gym. Nonetheless, know that once you jump into the water you forget the chill it provides.
