Fate#

Less did I know, it was about to change. I selected pre-engineering in college and most of my friends with whom I played football chose pre-medical. It didn’t change anything since we were still living in the same city. But when I moved from my hometown to another city — Lahore — for graduation, everything changed.

Everything Changed?#

By everything I mean, my eating habits, my friends’ circle and the city of course. I am too picky when it comes to food. I just never built the taste for going all in. I don’t eat beef or mutton and I only started eating chicken when I moved here. So, when it came to eating whatever was on the menu in the mess hall or in the canteen, I had to choose. Sadly, I chose to go with the canteen and started eating Paratha (Oily Bread with potato) on a daily basis. Most of the days I’d have breakfast with bread and egg omliat, I’d skip lunch and in the evening, I would eat 3-5 Paratha(s). Yes! I ate a lot.

WTF…WTVeryF#

Not only that but none of my classmates liked playing football, most of them were into cricket. I was studying Electrical Engineering (EE) and was more interested in Computer Science (CS) subjects. So, whenever I got a free time slot, I’d start programming or reading the course-books of CS. At the end of the day, I literally stopped playing. My routine was more like 80% studies (both EE and CS) and 20% movies or TV seasons.

So What Happened?#

The Weight Gain™#

Since I was already underweight (roughly 20kg), I didn’t care much about getting fat. Though, I gradually started putting up weight. It was 15kg in the first two years, 10kg in the 3rd year and 15kg in the final year. I knew I was putting up more and more weight day after day but with a tough routine of engineering studies, add to that, the time spent on freelancing, I never got to get back to playing football. (Since that was my go-to form of exercise for like 12 years or so).

Change of the Career Path#

Long story short, I knew I needed to go the gym or start running. I tried one too many times, but the studies and my work always held priority over my health and fitness. I had started playing Table Tenis and Badminton but can you really compare them with football? No! you cannot. So, then I graduated and I left electrical engineering for good. Even though I had a pretty good score, I just couldn’t stay away from design and web programming. The day I graduated, I was hired by the same local agency as a Senior Software Engineer, which had me on contract for about a year.

So, then I graduated and I left electrical engineering for good. Even though I had a pretty good score and a job offer, I just couldn’t stay away from web design and development. The day I graduated, I was hired by the same local agency — as a Senior Software Engineer — with which I did contract/freelance work for about a year.

Fitness Is Important!#

Yesterday, I wrote about My Commitment to WordPress and Epic Moments of 2015, where I made a case that I feel like I am on the right track and now I am going to prioritize my health and fitness. Well, there is no doubt at all that the physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.

If I don’t feel confident about my body, I’m not going to sit at home and feel sorry for myself and not do something about it. It’s all about taking action and not being lazy. So you do the work, whether it’s fitness or whatever. It’s about getting up, motivating yourself and just doing it.

Making excuses burns ZERO calories per hour!

I’ve had been running one hour daily for about two week now, one of the best feelings in life is realizing that two weeks ago, your body couldn’t do what it just did. A good job can make you strong, creative, motivated and able to take on the world…erm… oh, sorry… that’s exercise… exercise does that.

Why Now?#

A few friends asked me about why am I doing it now. What changed? How did I get motivated? Well, I don’t have all the answers, I am only getting started myself, but here are few:

• EE to CS: Changing the direction of my career after electrical engineering was a big decision for me. I had to prove it to myself that I am not shooting myself in the foot. Though, I am glad I did it.
• WordPress:  I’ve been committed to WordPress for more than two years now. I have spent 10+ years with this piece of software and not a single regret. I am only going to get better at it.
• Vision & Stability: Now, I feel more confident as a software developer. What once was a perspective has now become my vision and this vision has helped me lead my life towards stability.
• Need: Last but not the least, software developers need it more than anyone else. I need to be physically fit. To be passionate about what I do, to have a vision and to lead a team of developers I need my A-Game!

The Challenge#

What Am I Doing About It?#

I am building a routine to jog on a daily basis. You too can do that. To situate a better future, I am challenging YOU to run/jog/walk 60 minutes daily for next 90 days with me. Running is nothing more but an argument between the part of your brain that wants to stop and the part of your brain that wants to keep going. It’s a journey to get comfortable with being uncomfortable!

Health is the thing that makes you feel that now is the best time of the year.

YES! I’m In, What’s Next?#

Great! It’s actually pretty simple.

• First Step: Buy a pair of good joggers. I bought one from Nike Flex collection.
• Accountability: Write on your blog and hold yourself accountable. (Don’t have a blog? Use WordPress.com)
• Daily Updates: Update the challenge post on a daily basis with your progress.
• Comment Below: Comment your post link below, so that I could add you here.
• Tweet: Tweet your progress with these hashtags #60for90 and #WPFit.

What Are You Waiting For?#