The Benefits of Running By Patrick Jonas (TABLA Paper)

Note:

If you are keen and have queries, please contact Coach Rameshon at 9100 4369 or you can email him at m.rameshon@gmail.com or swift.rameshon@gmail.com. Please refer to website http://flexifitness.com.sg (for more information on him and his programmes)

By Rameshon

Bsc (Hons) Degree in Physical Education, Loughborough University (1992-1994)

Masters in Education (University of Western Australia, 2005-2008)

The Benefits of Running By Patrick Jonas (TABLA Paper)

Running to fitness

By Patrick Jonas One recent evening, after the sun had retired and the street lights had come on, I took my dog out for a walk. A while later, a woman clad in a salwar kameez came thundering down the narrow pathway bordering my housing estate. Given the look on her face, I initially thought she was late to catch a bus but her sneakers were a giveaway. A few minutes later, as I turned a bend, she was back in view. This time, she was walking back towards me and, as she came closer, I could hear her panting as she wiped away beads of sweat. Scenes like this are increasingly becoming common in parks and neighbourhoods in Singapore. More and more Indians are waking up to the reality of keeping themselves fit. And most of them belong to the not-so-young category. For some, it was a visit to the doctor that led them to lace up their sneakers. For others, it was the need to shed excess weight that had been silently piling up. And for yet others  it was their way of setting an example for their children  or staying in shape to be able to play with them. Not all do their workouts in parks and stadiums. Some  prefer to have it in the confines of their homes and gymnasiums, even hiring personal trainers. Adjunct associate lecturer at Republic Polytechnic and marathon runner Rameshon Murugiah says he has seen more Indians in their late 30s and 40s taking up running and attributes this to their desire to be free from diseases like diabetes, osteoporosis and high blood pressure. Mr Murugiah, who at the age of 43 was crowned the local champion in the 2008 Standard Chartered Marathon, has a blog "to motivate people young and old to take up running". In his view: "Exercise enables and empowers a person to be independent physically. People currently are well informed and realise that by exercising, their wealth will be saved by not visiting doctors often or at all." Degenerative diseases, he says, can be controlled by keeping a physically active lifestyle. He and his wife offer weight management programmes and they claim an Indian family of five signed up earlier this month after a visit to the doctor. Brisk walking and running do keep disease at bay or in control as my colleague Surender Kaur, 49, attests. "My husband and I took to brisk walking two years ago.  Both of us are diabetic and we found that the long walks we do at MacRitchie Reservoir twice a week lowered our sugar levels. Our overall health too has improved. Initially  I used to feel tired after my walk and needed to sleep it off. Now I feel less tired and don't need to sleep," says  Ms Kaur giving brisk walking the thumbs up. For IT headhunter Jyothi Srivastava, it was a ligament tear on her left knee while dancing away during a New Year's night four years ago that got her thinking about fitness. She had to undergo surgery and a painful recovery over the next 12 months. The incident, she says, made her appreciate simple things that people take for granted such as walking and running. It was also during that period that marathons were getting extensively popular and several of her friends started to take up running. "I took it up as a challenge to regain my fitness. I had done some running during my university days as part of my NCC training but I had never run since then. I was a little apprehensive but gathered courage and took the plunge.  I haven't looked back since my first Standard Chartered  10km run in 2008," says the 39-year-old Ms Srivastava. She adds that running makes her feel young, fit and energetic and it is also a form of meditation for her: "When I run, I have some time just for me which I use for solving my problems. The simplicity of running gives me a high, which I dare say my husband's collection of fine single malts cannot deliver." The mother of two girls, aged 12 and 9, recently ran her second half marathon and hopes to complete a full marathon later this year. Some like F& B consultant Malathi Ramaswamy, 38, take up running to stay fit and keep illness at bay. She started running about four months ago and is glad she did. She is lighter by three kilos and says that she no longer suffers from the breathlessness she experienced when she started her thrice-weekly jog. She exercises at Mount Faber Park and the Bukit Gombak Stadium and says her decision to take up running was also to set an example to her 11-year-old daughter, who joins her on Saturdays. Administrative clerk S. Sathiavathi, 41, took up running two months ago and confesses that she feels healthier now. "I feel more comfortable when I rush to catch the bus," says Ms Sathiavathi, who has three young children. Now settled into a thrice-weekly run routine, she states proudly that she does not have any health issues. However, it was a health issue - an "ache" to be precise - which got Ms Sarah Brijnath, 50, to don her running shoes. "When you bend and can't straighten up right away, you know you're in trouble. I felt this way 21/2 years ago when I moved from Melbourne to Singapore - totally unfit and possibly the largest girl on the island. So I started working out in the condo gym and, after four months, realised I could run 30 minutes without stopping. That's when my marathoner friend got me to ditch the treadmill and hit the road. Since then there's been no turning back. I've run one marathon, one 30km and two 25km races, two half-marathons and several 10km races. I still have a long way to go to get to my ideal weight, but right now I feel better than I've felt in a long time... and I intend to keep at it," says MsBrijnath, who works in the banking industry. www.runningcoachsg.com published in tabla!  www.tabla.com.sg Note: By Narayanan Rameshon has taught in Hwa Chong Institution, plus several schools, and Republic Polytechnic as well. He has won many accolades and he was awarded Merit Award for 1991 marathon performance in breaking the national record of Singapore, at that time. He has made 22 male athletes do a marathon in sub-3hrs. He has made 7 female runners do sub-4 hours for the marathon, as well. He was inducted to the ‘Roll of Honour’  by the then College of Physical Education, organised by Singapore Olympic Academy, in 1998, for breaking the National record repeatedly 4 times, till he did 2hr 24min 22sec). He also has a Coaching group and he trains them on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7pm at Botanic Gardens. Those interested can call him at 91004369 for coaching assistance, to improve performance. There is also personal training that he does for many in a week. You can e-mail him at swift.rameshon@gmail.com.