There’s a lot of hype floating around about healthy food and good exercise and things like that. Apparently, just 20 minutes of aerobic exercise makes you 30% less likely to get a heart attack. Also, it keeps you fit, prevents hair loss, gives you X-ray vision and doubles your broadband download speed . Plus, it’s all over internet. And as we all know, because it is on the internet, it must be true. That’s the nature of the internet.

In summary, exercise now, spending 20 minutes of my prime youth so that I can live 1 extra hour when I’m old, weak and can’t see or hear anything. That seems like a good deal.

And so, I go off and click on one of those ‘Want a healthy lifestyle? Click here to loose weight now. Free trial, No Diets!’ ads. No diets? Interesting. But the page it takes me to has a bunch of jumping monkeys that I need to punch, a Nigerian Prince asking for my Bank Account numbers and a very well argued article saying how this stock is going to double in a few days. But I don’t see how these will help me become fit. Hmmm…, maybe there is no virtual solution for exercise. I’ll have to go to the offline world. That’s a new experience for me, but I’ve decided I’ll try it.

Luckily, the company I was working for at that time had a gym right in the office. As I was walking to the gym, I met this guy who had just started going to the gym.

This guy, let’s call him Anishekh*, was pathetically thin. If he lost any more weight, he’d probably become 2-Dimensional. He had joined the gym, he told me, to put on some weight and become a muscle man.
“How’s it been working out for you, so far?” I ask
“It’s great! I’ve already gained 75 grams in 2 weeks!”
“75g? That’s probably your hair and beard growing, man. Don’t go to the barber, because your 75g of ‘muscle’ might disappear. Heheheee…”

This guy doesn’t seem impressed with my brilliant joke. We reach the gym. But the thing is, the gym is located near the Cafeteria, where they are also serving Samosas today. “Oh well, If I’m going to loose weight, I might as well put on some first, eh?” I think to myself. A few other friends are also gobbling on the Samosas and I join them. After that, we start playing Carrom and Darts and by the time I’m finished, the gym is closed.

“Oh, bummer! I’ll just come back tomorrow”, I think to myself and push off.

6 Months later, I’m showing an intern around the office. As we go near the gym, I realize that I’ve forgotten to go back there.
“Do you go to the gym?”, intern asks me.
“Well, Not recently.” I say.

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