Fitness and mental well-being is to what extent you are connected to yourself and your surroundings. Jaya Chandrashekhar, President, Indian Administrative Service officers Wives’ Association (IASOWA) perceives it the same. Adding a dash of grace to her personality we wonder how Jaya manages to look mint fresh with every public appearance she makes. Bureaucracy Today caught up with her to know what keeps her so fit and upbeat, is her being health conscious a reason. he reverts, “I won’t say I’m too much of a fitness freak or I’m figure conscious but yes I’m very particular about being healthy and I do it my own way. I make it a point that I maintain connect with nature and with people around me. I just love to go for walks and do all sorts of things that might not categorically be called exercises but they definitely let me unwind. I think exercise should be a regime that unwinds yourself and not something you do forcefully. Hence whatever you do whether it is dance, music that helps put you at ease and keeps you active is exercise.”While Jaya is not hitting the gym these days, she self admits that she got so used to gym at one point of time that she would adjust other engagements just to make it a point that she doesn’t miss out on her daily gyming sessions. To our surprise Jaya is not so used to machines which are so common in gyms. She says, “I’m not comfortable with machines. The whole concept of gyming never interested me till the time I had a hands on experience.
So much so that it became one of my priorities. I would accommodate my gyming sessions no matter how important engagements I had. I just couldn’t miss those 40 minutes. However I’m not gyming these days because I’m almost clocking nine hours into my teaching sessions these days. I firmly believe that gyming and yoga are not the only way you can work out. I recently got introduced to this unique Buddhist style of bowing down while they pray. They bow, bend on their knees, bow down to the floor and get up and repeat it again the same process. If one does this 108 times it would be such a good work-out!” Jaya avers and feels sad for those who go for artificial treatments and surgeries, especially botox. “There is no need to do so if you get into healthy lifestyle at an early stage in life. If one starts early you’ll see better results at a later stage. It is very important for women to understand that irrespective of their age they must get into healthy lifestyle, keep themselves active and set aside some time just meant for themselves.”
But she refuses to look her age, we sigh and she laughs “because I feel young at heart. It’s primarily what you feel inside that exhibits on your skin. You have to be pure at your heart, have a good thought process. Moreover when people come and tell me that how presentable I’m, I admire them because I find them even more attractive.”
She signs off as she says, “What age you would be if you didn’t know your age, and that answers it all.”
