Let’s Run together for an infinite win
Himanshu Chadha
Chemical Engineer turned Entrepreneur | Clean & Cruelty-Free Cosmetic Believer | Author | Driving Women Empowerment| Creating Ayurveda Infused Beauty-Care Products from“Head to Toe”
As a young boy, I was never interested in any physical exercise which eventually made me an obese adult having unhealthy eating habits and lifestyle. By the time I was 40 years old I was already having major health issues like high BP, high sugar and creatinine levels which was affecting me both physically and mentally. Luckily, a close friend of mine came in as a saviour and introduced me to running and it's been 6 years now, I have never looked back. I have run over 50+ marathons and today I can proudly say that the same 110 Kg guy has successfully transformed himself into being a pacer for the two hours bus.
My latest run was the Airtel Delhi Marathon held on 28th november 2020, a virtual marathon that allowed me to participate in it without being present in the actual marathon line. Keeping in mind the on-going pandemic, the organisers allowed the contestants to run from anywhere at their convenience. I was excited about this opportunity because since the advent of Coronavirus, the traditional marathons had not taken place for safety reasons and as an enthusiastic runner I was longing to be on track again.
Of Course, running or any physical activity keeps us healthy, what is so new about it? Well, no rocket science but an important fact- by running you make your lungs stronger. Want to know how?
- Better Endurance
Running helps in expanding the endurance capacity of respiratory muscles. The Diaphragm and intercostal muscles expand which helps in allowing deeper and fuller breaths than others
2. Better oxygen flow to muscles
By running your capillaries grow which results in faster supper of oxygen to muscles.
3. More Alveoli in the body
Alveoli help in taking oxygen to the capillaries so when you run regularly the body produces more alveoli making you breathe better
I always knew that running is helping my body but in 2020 amidst the pandemic, I realised that running has helped me build better immunity and stronger respiratory health as compared to others. Therefore, I truly believe that if one thing is helping me from being shielded from the Coronavirus, is certainly my running.
Okay so running made me healthy but how has it made me a better businessman and most importantly a better person?
The day I was running the Airtel Delhi 2020 half marathon, it struck me that I was not running to win the marathon but I was simply running because of my passion. This is when I realised what Simon Sinek, author of the book "The infinite gain" actually meant when he said that, we cannot be playing the infinite game with a finite mindset. He explains that the world is moving towards a completely wrong direction where everyone wants to come first; he states that in life, marriage and especially in business there can never be No.1.
The way today the business world is practising and promoting the cutthroat business capitalism trend where everyone wants to come no 1, in this process, the soul i.e., the true purpose gets lost which hampers the trust, cooperation and innovation of the business organisation and therefore, they shut down.
These thoughts of Simon Sinek made me realise that the purpose of that marathon was not to determine who comes No.1 but to do what we love doing i.e, run and that marathon truly served the purpose of the soul.
On the other hand, the theory of Simon Sinek also fits perfectly for the new business behaviour we must follow in the new normal. There is no denying that 2020's Coronavirus made us realise that until 2020 all our infrastructures, strategies and visions were lacking a strong spine to support. Therefore, learning from past mistakes of the cutthroat business race of being No.1, we must realise and adopt the practice of collectively working with a finite mindset for an infinite game.
We as a self-reliant nation must work with each other to build each other with better trust, cooperation and promote our innovation so that we can always be each other's spine whenever and if ever any storm like the Coronavirus hits in the future.
Not only this virtual marathon was a ball experience for me but I also understood that how over the years my running has made me a better person and most importantly it has saved my life by making me stronger and healthier.