Tuesday, November 22, 2016

One Leg at a Time

"Reflect on a time when you received care – the other cared for you. How did you know you were cared for?

The night was young and it sure started off well. I knew it would be a great night, one filled with food, friends and a bit of music. What I didn't know was how it would end one leg at a time.....

Before heading out to a local night club, I enjoyed a dinner with my friends at the local Cactus Club. I had my regular at the time, steak, asparagus and mashed potatoes. I was accustomed to a large meal at the time given my workout routine was largely based on heavy weight training. I was body building at the time and my calorie intakes was incredibly large. I'll move on with the story...

After a great dinner, lots of laughs and some desert, we proceeded to a local night club where we enjoyed the remainder of the night. At closing, myself and two friends proceeded home. My friend who was driving did not live in the area and was not familiar with the roads and construction at the time. All I remember was looking through the side window while having a convo with my passenger mate and turning my head to the front to make some eye contact and there it was, a big median that our car was very quickly approaching. By the time I could yell watch out, Our car had flipped twice and I was upside down in the vehicle strapped to my seat. I remember the electrical smoke smell and I remembered the majority of the windows smashed. My friend had hit the median which was wrongly placed on a turn in a construction area which was very poorly lit. 

As I crawled out of the car and made sure my friends were ok, we sat on the side of the car in complete shock. As I was being assessed at the hospital, I was given an X Ray scan which detected I had a broken Fibula. Lots of things went through my head, particularly my inability to get in my workouts and enjoy my high calorie diet. I know, I know, those are very minor things to be worrying about. 

Now on to the care. Growing up I was pampered by my mom and given a type of care I can never repay my mom for. Hot meals, cleaning my room the odd time, dropping me off at practice and the list goes on. This accident was an eye opener to me. Prior to my accident, I had always received "good" meals from my mom and I ate them with very little thought. My mom was generally the sole cooker in the household of 5 which consisted of my mother, father, older sister, myself and brother. I definition of a "good meal" was one of which consisted of meat with rice or a potato. I really wasn't picky and my mom seemed to think this was an easy dietary meal she could make for me on a regular basis. After the accident, my main concern was losing the physique which I had worked so hard for. I quickly researched alternative meals which would suit my halted exercise regiment. It would include smaller meals, less calories and a variety of taste bud choice. Yes you guessed right, I had to cut back on my meats, carbs and overall indulging in my beloved foods. Starting immediately I made quick demands that my mom keep up with my new meal plan. 

Prior to this I could say I really never gave much thought to my mother always doing things for me. Yeah I appreciated it, but not like I should have. I never really got to sit there and really just put things into perspective and see how much care and attention was given to me when it came to my health and well being. She contributed to the most important thing in a healthy lifestyle which I feel is diet. I was always accustomed to her cooking the meals, providing me with warm lunches and prepping meals for me that I never saw the full value in the amount of work that was associated with it. Most of you reader probably hate me by now but I'm telling you, this was completely normal in my world.  

As she started the new dietary meal plan, I was actually home to notice all the work that was behind my meal prep. Yes I was no longer at work, at the gym, in class or with my friends, I was on the couch in a cast laying around finding myself useless. As the days passed and my frustrations grew with being unable to do regular day things, I came to realize how my Mom not once showed any frustrations on the "change". I was always cared for, it was normal to me, I almost expected it. But this time it was different, it was very different because I was there to experience it and I was there to see how much my mom did for not only me, but the others in the house house. From working part time, to spending time with me on the couch, taking me to the library, class and prepping my meals, my mom never once let down and always was around to show care for me. I know, some may think, what else would a mother do but really she did above and beyond and I was quickly realizing and appreciating it. 

I have received care my whole life. From my mom, sister, father, grandparents etc but really the type of care that my mom has done for me and continues to do for me will never go unnoticed again. How I knew I was being cared for was the fact I learned to appreciate it and see it. It took me to be forced to sit home and see things first hand to really understand them. I never gave thought to this prior, and if I did it wasn't enough thought to appreciate it. I felt it simply, and it just clicked. It was a self realization moment when I knew my basic needs were being met, then exceeded and then topped off with unconditional love.I went on a bit of a rant and stated some of the obvious but when I was cared for during a time of need was the waking point. Its been there my entire life. 

Thank you my lovely mother.

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Health and Self Care

What does health me to me?

To me health is a way of life. A lifestyle which sets you up for a life which can be enjoyed without complications such as sickness and disease. Health is everything as it does not disable me from enjoying life's greatest gifts. Health is wealth.

Self Care?

It is a personal habit or regiment that ones takes on to ensure they can live a healthy and meaningful life. Self Care is essential to achieve and maintain good health. Day to day habits which are not done by force but done with great ease. Self Care = Health

Friday, September 16, 2016

HEAL My Mind



Short Biography: About Me

Being born in such a small town is not a proud moment for me. Well really, it wasn’t really a choice. I was born in Merritt BC and let me stress one thing, never actually lived there. My mom was sick during the time of her pregnancy so she went to spend time with my grandparents to help her out. I was raised with a mother and father and two awesome siblings, a brother and sister. My younger brother was the complete opposite of me given he was a very gentle human being and did shy away from conflict. My sister, was my partner in crime, my enemy and my parent all at the same time. We were raised in North Delta where I was heavily involved with community sports. My grandpa had joined our family when he moved here from India and played a big part in raising me and installing the values I live by today. He was an active man himself and I saw him keep active even after his triple bypass surgery which was preformed when he arrived to Canada. Back home in India he was on the bad end of 3 heart attacks and really just put the pain and complications on the back burner. I realised from that age that I valued health more than I ever did. I played at a competitive level in Soccer, Basketball and Rugby and also tried to weight train as often as I could. I got an opportunity to play Senior Basketball with a North Delta Huskies Team who was a favorite to win the Provincial Championships in my senior year. Though we didn’t win it, the year itself was a stepping stone into my next phase in life. As a new high school graduate I attended BCIT where the course load was heavy and I barely managed to hold on. If it wasn’t for the work ethic I learned as a student athlete, I would have surely dropped out of school and either pursued our family business or worked as a labourer. I went on to completing my Bachelor of Technology in Technology Management and then later my Bachelor of Education at UBC. I maintained positions such as a Scheduling Coordinator, Operations Manager and Shift Supervisor in industries such as business, security and agriculture. I have now set my focus onto my new career as a High School Teacher. So far in my 3rd year, I feel it has been the best decision in my life. Along with teaching, I have coached a group of boys in Basketball. This year is my 4th year as Head Coach and it will be my 1st with the Senior Boys. Like every year, my objective is to teach the boys about disciple, work ethic and team work. Don’t get me wrong, I do let my competitive side take over at time and believe me every year we are going for a Provincial Title. 2 years ago we came close, finishing 5th in the Province. This year may be the year. Coaching this set of boys has brought out my passion for competition and really given me a new drive for life. They keep me on my toes and force me to keep in shape with them. It’s been a life changer. I devote more time to coaching then I do anything else in my life and I am proud that I have full support from my wife, family, friends and community. That is a snap shot of me!


What interests you? Why did you enrol in the HEAL program?

What really interests me is healthy living as a whole. Whether it is a discussion about food, exercise, lifestyles and or rehabilitation, I seem to be fully engaged. I want to move forward as a leader and really understand Health Education from as many perspectives as possible so I can better my students, peers and family. The HEAL program provides me the opportunity to work fulltime and learn about a subject manner that is relevant to me every day. Health is wealth, simply said. The HEAL program will hopefully provide me theory based inquiry where I can further challenge myself.

What is your understanding of health and the mind/body relationship?

My understanding about health and the mind/body relationship is that it is directly linked. I personally always preach to my players “mind of matter”. I feel the mind is the most powerful tool and the most destructive. When we can find that balance and understand ourselves first, we can then better serve the people we care about. I feel I am fairly spiritual and I value the mind, body and health connection at a high level. I have made the commitment to myself that I will make this a lifelong commitment in mastering and balancing my health, mind and body relationship.  

What would you like to gain from this experience? What will you contribute?

I feel what I will gain from this experience is different experiences, perspectives and expertise in the areas of Health Education and Active Living. There is no end to improving your health. I feel with the guidance and experience of my Professors and peers I will be able to leave the program a better advocate for my own “mini community”. My mini community includes my students, athletes, family and friends. What I will contribute to the program is a open perspective to people’s opinions, thoughts and ideas. I feel I can also bring examples, experiences and ideas that would be relevant to all my classmates. I bring a positive approach to any task, and I feel I can be a great teammate, classmate and contributor to the HEAL program.  

I have also uploaded my Post Card, take a look: