2024 is coming to an end, and we’re about to enter 2025. As is typical, New Year resolutions will be firmly made, and for many of us, soon lie forgotten.   Joining the  gym is one of the most common resolutions of all time. According to a survey, 80% of gym members who join in January quit within 5 months. Sounds like you? Congratulations, you’re in good company. And more importantly, you’re not too far from being healthy.  Carving out time to work out is necessary  to stay healthy. But our fast-paced lifestyle can make it incredibly difficult to actually get some physical activity in. Plus, going to the gym is not for everyone. Maybe you’re someone who just can’t find the time to hit the gym. Or perhaps you hate the idea of working out on machines (or at all). It can also be too expensive, time-consuming, boring, or simply require too much motivation.  But excuses are for people who don’t want it bad enough. Instead of making that tired-old “go the gym” resolution, this time, try a different approach. We’ve curated five solutions for you to try based on your unique barrier to fitness.  1. Home Workouts/Yoga Great for ones who: lack time, hate the gym, and want pocket-friendly workouts.  Probably won’t work if: You aren’t self-motivated enough to do this regularly.  If you’re pressed for time or feel too lazy to step out, you can keep up a great fitness routine from the comfort of your own home.  The internet is full of great workouts for both cardio and certain types of strength training. Body weight training — using only your body weight for resistance — can be an effective type of strength training and a good addition to your fitness program. You can  ramp it up by investing in home weight equipment or a treadmill. Alternatively, just  roll out a yoga mat in your living room and start with some basic yoga asanas. It’s a great way to build both flexibility and strength. You can check out apps like Nike Training Club for free workouts curated by professionals. 2. Run, Cycle, Swim, Individual-Sports Great for ones who: Love the outdoors, hate the gym, wish for energetic alone time. Probably won’t work if: You aren’t self-motivated and disciplined.  After all, the outdoors was our original gym. These activities are a good replacement for gym-based cardio and can be done solo. Couple this with strength training at home to build muscle. These workouts offer plenty of variety. You could run on Monday, cycle on Wednesday, and swim on Friday - keeping it fun throughout the week. With a partner in crime, racquet sports like badminton and squash are other enticing options.  But you need discipline to make it happen. Join a group with like-minded people for that extra push or sign yourself up for marathons or tournaments to stay motivated.  3. Never Too Old for Team Sports Great for ones who: Love sports, hate the gym, and lack  motivation by themselves. Probably won’t work if: You play a sport that’s not popular in your area. These are for the outdoorsy men who enjoy getting out of the house and get their hearts pumping but lack the motivation to do it just by themselves. This might surprise you, but there are others like you who want an old fashioned game of cricket or football on the weekend. Seek local sports groups or play with work friends. There’s nothing like some healthy competition. 4. Go For Walks (Yeah, it actually works) Great for ones who: Hate working out, wish for pocket-friendly workouts, like meditative alone time.  Probably won’t work if:  You can probably make this work.  While it is no substitute for the intense cardio activities mentioned above, walking is a good form of exercise and can help you reach your fitness and weight loss goals.  It is also that one short answer for most excuses we could come up with for skipping exercise - it’s easy, free, and can be quick. Walking is a great option if you suffer from knee, ankle, or back problems that make other exercise hard. 5. Play With Your Kid (run, badminton, dance, etc) Great for ones who: like to spend down time with the kids, wish for pocket-friendly workouts, and lack motivation by themselves.  Probably won’t work if: You can probably make this work!  If you’re a man who wants multiple benefits from one workout, this is for you. Cricket, football, or cycling, the possibilities are endless. Along with keeping up your exercise quota, this will help you bond with your kids and habituate them to regular exercise. And once they get used to it, they’ll motivate you on the days you feel lazy.  So there you have it - five great ways to approach “Mission Fit in 2025.” Get moving!

Doors slam, voices are raised, angry hot tears flow freely. “You don’t understand me!” “You don’t get it!”  “Everything is ruined!” Sounds dramatic? Welcome to the most exciting chapter of fatherhood: parenting a teenager.  As a father, you may find it difficult to relate to your teenage son or daughter and may even feel at a loss sometimes as to how to deal with their mood swings, which play a major role in their puberty and the way your teen thinks and feels. Most often, this moodiness is a result of a misunderstanding and the added pressure that comes with adolescence. Here are things to keep in mind when dealing with an angsty teen to sail smoothly through the storm. Kids Often Fear Dads - Don’t Let That Be You!   It may feel like you have to be the authoritarian figure your kids are scared of to inculcate discipline. But in reality, that alienates children and makes it difficult for them to talk to you. Instead of weaponiing anger and discipline, communicate empathetically with your child. This requires listening without judgment to teens and treating them as equals. It will be far easier to work out any issues at hand if you can treat each other with respect even during difficult times. Your son or daughter also doesn’t want their emotions to be minimised. Remember that your goal shouldn’t be to win an argument but to help your son or daughter deal with their immediate feelings.  In the long term, this can help to ensure that your child will grow into an emotionally mature and healthy adult. Your Kid Has Your Genes, Not Your Beliefs  This is also a time when adolescents are discovering their own views about the world that might severely clash with what you may think of as right or wrong. Views could differ on religion, politics, economics, and even morality, and parents need to give the teens the space to have their own opinions. As a parent, it is important to understand that your child having clashing views from your own is not a sign of failure but of success. It means you're raising an individual who can think for themselves. Also, allow for self-expression: your child may want to do unconventional things. The world has space for more than just engineers and doctors. Rather than telling them their dreams are unrealistic or unacceptable, help them figure out how to make these realistic and doable. This way you are being constructive in your parenting and making your teenager feel secure - something that most adolescents lack in these formative years.  Build trust, not suspicion Teens may cause or frequently get into all kinds of trouble. You know this from the days of bending the rules your parents set. Perhaps counterintuitively, responsible young adults are raised in an environment of trust, not suspicion. It’s better to ask questions than to directly jump to conclusions. If you’re uncertain, give them the benefit of the doubt. Simply say, ‘’I’m concerned, but I am choosing to trust you with this.’’ This puts a certain responsibility on your son or daughter to abide by your agreement and to respect you, as you respected them. However, if your teen does break your trust, take away a certain privilege and have them earn it back. It’s very important that during this time your teen is taught the significance of responsibility, and the consequence for not following agreed-upon rules. Do remember that adolescents are impulsive and do make mistakes. If they break your trust, wherever possible, try to let bygones be bygones and give your teen the chance to win your trust back.  Encourage them to be Active Research  shows that puberty initiates cascading relationships between  neurodevelopmental, social, and internalizing processes across adolescence. As a result, a lot of the angst that your teen may experience is also due to hormonal and physical changes they may be going through. And a good way to tackle that would be by encouraging them to either partake in sports, dance, yoga or any other form of physical activity if they haven’t done so already. It can also be a great way to bond with your child. Let’s say you have an interest in football that you both share or some other sport. Use it to your advantage. It can even be a brilliant way to spend time as a family. When in Turmoil, Communicate The bottom line: it’s important to open a direct path of communication between you and your teen. Not only do you have to understand what’s going on in their lives, but also where they’re coming from. However, if you begin to notice dramatic changes in their sleep patterns, self- disruptive behaviors, or other worrying issues, you should consider other resources for help, such as therapy. Even if your child refuses to see a therapist, you could also try going by yourself to gain professional advice and perspective on how to proceed as a parent.

Just became parents and baby-chores are making connecting with your wife hard? This blog is for you. Research shows that the decline in relationship-satisfaction is twice as steep  for a couple with children. As a busy professional, it becomes all the more difficult to manage your relationship, your job, and your child-care responsibilities. Attraction doesn’t just happen  in a marriage. Like everything else, it needs effort. It often starts with good communication and trust. This blog is a good start and we’re here to help. What you’re feeling is common and there’s a here are seven simple things you can do about it: 1. State the Obvious Let’s begin by stating the obvious: if you want her to know she is loved, the easiest way to do this is to tell her! Don’t take your marriage for granted and make an effort to be expressive. Show appreciation. When your wife does something nice for you, the house, or the baby, take notice of it and appreciate her for doing it. Once you do so, she’ll reciprocate. 2. Have Child-Free Outings Constantly remind yourself and her that investing time in your child is important, but so is investing in your marriage. A great way to do this is to take your wife out for a date-night. Leave the kids at home with someone you trust and enjoy reconnecting over a meal or movie. Try to make your outing a completely child-free zone. Yes, this means no talking about the kids! It’ll give you time to talk about the other important things in your life beyond your child. When you reconnect on the other things you have in common, your marriage is sure to be strengthened and the romance will grow. 3. Help With the Chores Your wife is probably having a hard time feeding the baby, cleaning after him/her, and understanding her new job as a mother. Help her out, do the dishes, put a load of laundry. Not only will this put a smile on her face, but it will also free her up to spend some quality time with you. If you didn’t have the time to help her out, do the chores with her and make them fun for both of you. Take over the cooking, or help her out in the kitchen. Not only will the load be halved, but it will also be a great bonding activity. You can sneak in compliments and cook as you play old Hindi music -- right out of a Bollywood movie, no? 4. Try New Things Together New experiences like a painting class, learning to dance, an adventure park, release the happy chemicals - dopamine, and norepinephrine. That’s the same chemicals that get released during early romantic love! Take a break from baby-chores and book a new adventure for the two of you. This is also a great way to sneak in some things you love to do. Introduce her to the greatness of cricket. Or even better, learn to enjoy something she loves.  5. And Do the Mundane Things Too You’ll be surprised at how much of a difference the little things make. Be thoughtful about the mundane, everyday things. You can make it a point to make it home for dinner. Check-in with each other about your day. Ditch the distractions for an hour - turn off all electronics and just spend quality time with each other. This one’s especially for the men who struggle to express their emotions - your actions will show that you care. 6. Don’t Compare Your Relationship to Others All relationships are hard and different from each other. People tend to only post about the happy things of their relationship on social media. Don’t let that cloud your vision of what your relationship is or should be. Value your relationship for what it is. Our brain tends to highlight the negative memories and we tend to lose track of the good ones. So document the good ones in a folder on your phone or put memorable photographs up around the house.  7. Be Forgiving Everyone is a beginner at being a parent. This is new to both of you and you are both bound to make mistakes. Communicate your disappointments with each other calmly and kindly instead of being critical and hurtful. It’s okay to make mistakes. Forgive yourself and her for them.  These are just a few tips and tricks, but you know your wife best, so do what you think works. Use this blog as a jumping-off point and get creative. The moment she sees that you’re putting in an effort she is bound to reciprocate and your romance is sure to find its pace. Marriage is just like any other relationship. It needs constant care and nurturing. You know you care. Just show her that you do.