Being F"ab"ulous

Admit it. Most of us are vain when it comes to our looks. You would be lying if you were to say that looks don't matter and yes, you are right on a philosophical level. Looks don't matter as much when it comes to being in a serious relationship. However, we are not going in that direction in this blog. We are going to be more banal. I don't know about you, but I am concerned about my appearance. Not only in a fashion sense. This stemmed from a thinking as to how I wanted to be perceived by others. Over the years, I have realized that I am more at ease now not worrying about what others think of what I wear. So I went from spending over an hour deciding which trousers to pair with which shirt to just wearing whatever my hand grabs first. My wife is not too happy about it though! As crushing (or relieving) as it may sound, people generally don't care about your life. They are the center of their own universe and are more obsessed with their life and the things/events affecting it.

But there is one thing that I am not able to overcome. That is how my body looks. With so much importance being given to the ideal physique, both male and female through movies, social media, fitness influencers, and the lot, it is difficult to not initiate an internal conversation with yourself about how aesthetic your body looks. From models on the cover of fashion magazines, to muscle maniac fitness influencers on social media, to your favorite movie stars still rocking six-pack abs at the ripe old age of 55, I am forever in awe (and a bit intimidated) of these people. This is mainly because I am beginning to have what people call the "Dad Bod" these days. What this basically means is that I have a small paunch, have visible fat around my hip and have the initial stages of Gynecomastia (I am too embarassed to tell you what it is called in layman terms). And it is getting to me. I have read about this before and the negative effect it has on the psyche and morale of a man. I am sure my female readers will also concur. They have it worse. Many people have tried to normalize; heck even praise the Dad Bod by saying that the paunch is the indication of a good and happy marriage; that this is the way all Indian men are intended to look like after a certain age. But this doesn't change the fact that I am not comfortable with this physique. By no means am I advocating for people to have a "healthy" body. Nor am I making fun of people who have the Dad Bod. What I am not willing to accept is that I am aging, that my metabolism has slowed down which is causing my body to slow down the fat-burning process. What further grinds my gears is children calling me "Uncle" now. I mean seriously? Look at me do the cartwheel. But first, please help me tie my laces as my back hurts.

OK. I get it. I am growing older. Not old but older. And it's ok. It's part of the human experience. And I won't just sit by and feel older than I already am. They say 30s is the new 20s and the 40s is the new 30s. Don't fall for that nonsense. If you are in your 30s, own it. You cannot go back in time. However, with proper training and nutrition, you can somewhat feel like your 20s physically. Mentally, you can still be a 10-year-old based on how much your brain has developed. How cool is that?! Or is it?

They say a man reaches his prime in his thirties. I want that. To be in my prime. Accordingly, my plan has begun and my goal is to be a fitter version of myself sans the paunch and the Gynecomastia. I don't know how successful I shall be in this endeavor. Will my dear old friends, Self Doubt and Procrastination play spoilsport? Who knows? Till then, the dream is on. To be F'ab'ulous.

Cheers!