My 2015 dedicated to - Health,Travel and Writing

The only time I got to retrospect about 2015 was on 31st December 2015 midnight when we were at our friend's place celebrating new year. We all sat there on the terrace with a bonfire and looked at the fireworks in the sky. On of my friends then posed this question to us. We had to tell at least three good things that happened in 2015 in each of our lives and at least three things which we would like to carry forward in the new year 2016 and also the three things that we would not want to repeat. It was a simple question but it took time for us to think. Since we were all close friends there was no doubt about the truthfulness of the answers. Everything came straight out of our hearts. That's when I got the time to retrospect and this post is an extension of the same conversation. “I’m sharing my #TalesOf2015 with BlogAdda.” 

For me, 2015 was year of health and travel and writing. I have also been concerned about my health and I have taken care but I felt myself neglecting important aspects of my health which could affect in my well being. In the year end of 2014 I had severe Vitamin B 12 and Vitamin D deficiency. It led to many associated health problems for me apart from just affecting my bones and joints. I had detected it earlier so the medications started working. I had also taken to practicing Yoga just about the same time. When 2015 begun I was already getting my strength back, thanks to the timely administration of Vitamin supplements. My heel pain slowly reduced and I was very regular with Yoga practice. I had started it as a one month course at my work place and slowly had become an expert at all the basic asana, so much that I remember their Sanskrit names too. I became regular at this and went on to perform a Yoga based dance at my institute during the International Yoga Day celebration. I also was a part of the mass yoga session conducted during this celebration. I had merely started practicing Yoga and here I was performing at a function after a month of rehearsal of the various Yogasanas. I also got an award for performing all the asanas correctly. Things couldn't get better than this. I wasn't very regular towards the end of 2015 because of busy work schedules and also because I was spending more time at the gym. So, in 2016 I would like to continue practicing Yoga daily, at least for half an hour. 

After taking vitamin supplements and making some changes in my dietary intake I did away with my supplements. My Vitamin B12 levels and Vitamin D levels came to normal. I got my blood tests done once in four months and thankfully my levels were normal. I decided then to make others aware of this and wrote a blog about my experience and shared it with others. I was shocked to see such a positive response. That was when many told me about a situation similar like mine which they had been through or had seen their close ones suffer with.

I was also trying my hand at different fitness methods. I tried taking up swimming and was regular at it along with Yoga but the Bangalore weather did not permit me to continue with swimming for long. But I was happy that I could at least take three months of swimming classes in the summers of 2015. Towards the end of 2015 I started going to the gym regularly and I am happy to have got a good trainer who has been recommending exercises that are suitable for my body type. I am still continuing with my training at the gym in 2016 and would love to add Zumba too along with my gym sessions. I can feel some changes within me from the time I have started going to the gym regularly. I tried my hand at different fitness activities in 2015 but nothing was working consistently. My hormone levels went haywire for a short span but I managed to put them back to normalcy by taking up a fixed exercise. It helps me chalk out my time for other activities and made me feel normal. I feel, 2016 and years to follow should be completely dedicated to health and lifestyle because they play a major role in our well being. With the kind of stressful life we all are subjected to, it is advisable to include exercise in some form into our regular routine. 

The best thing that happened in 2015 about fitness was the series of Marathon runs I participated in. Before this I had never done a run except on a Treadmill. I got the first taste of a 5k run when I had registered for Pinkathon in February 2015. The training runs helped me cope up with my fear of running 5 kilometers at a stretch. The icing on the cake my  Pinkathon training where Milind Soman, (the brand ambassador of Pinkathon ) gave me personal running tips. The day of the Pinkathon run, 5k seemed easy. Of course I had cramps and pain but nothing could surpass the happiness I achieved by the mere accomplishment of the run. This followed by TCS 10k which my husband and I did together. It was a little tough as I had not practiced enough but I completed it within a stipulated time. The last one for the year was Bengaluru Marathon- 5k Hope Run. I managed to complete that too easily with two weeks of practice. This made me confident and I got over my fear. This definitely will be continuing in 2016 and hoping in the years to come. To begin my 2016 happily I registered for the Pinkathon 10k run which is in January. The training has already started and I just hope I perform better than 2015. 

Travel was the second best thing that happened in 2015. Not that I did not travel in 2013 and 2014. 2015's best trip was an adventure trip with my husband and 4 more friends to Ladakh- Every Traveller's Paradise. It was a short trip but we managed to cover all the places we had decided t visit.

We made the best use of the time we had. It was a memorable trip and the experiences we had will remain in our memories for a lifetime. The year 2015 began with a travel with friends to Hampi, which is one of the best places in Karnataka. It was followed by a visit to Varanasi, Lucknow and Allahabad for a friend's wedding in the chilling winters of January 2015. My husband and I travelled more for wedding shoots as a result of which we could visit different places. If I think about 2016, travel plans have not been made but if situations permit my husband and I would definitely try to visit a new place/ an unexplored country. 

The most exciting part of 2015 was that I started blogging frequently again. I started writing stories again. I wrote for contests, sponsored posts, wrote my first detailed travelogue describing about Ladakh, wrote my first book review, attended writing workshops, met mentors and renowned authors, attended blogger meets and made new like minded friends from the writing world. I also wrote 10,000 words of my own book and hoping that early 2016 is going to be the time I would complete my first manuscript. I won a lot of contests and also many vouchers. The best part of writing and winning vouchers, even small amounts was that my writing could help me make others happy. I gifted things to my maid and her children who made me win a contest, bought something special for mom because of whom I had won a contest, contributed to gifting relatives and friends who felt my gesture was extremely special, gifted something for my office attendant's kids on their birthday. The last and the important gift was my contribution to my husband's camera gear. This could happen only because of the constant support from my husband and I was happy that the constant push that he gave me in writing helped me in buying something special for him.But, writing is not about money but it is about happiness and self satisfaction. Winning contests and losing them is all a part of the game but the fact that I was able to keep my writing alive made me more confident. 

I will contribute more time to reading more books ( academic and literary fiction) and writing in 2016. I think, it has already begun as I am writing this blog post.