Keep Fit Kaurs!

Sometimes it can help to have an inspiring example before you, to show you just what you could achieve if you put your mind and body into action. Sadly, Sikh female athletes tend to receive little publicity, but that is not to say that they don’t exist!

Our most famous and successful athlete is Kamaljeet Kaur Sandhu, who won gold at the Bangkok Asian Games in 1970, at the age of 22. Hailing from Firozpur in Indian Punjab, she was a talented athlete, who also played national-level hockey and basketball, but excelled most in track athletics. She won gold for the 400m race, running the distance in 57.3 seconds – the first ever gold medal for India in women’s athletics.

Kamaljeet Sandhu

Kamaljeet later represented India in the Munich Olympics in 1972, but didn’t make it past the heats, and retired from being an athlete the year after. She later acted as the coach for the 1982 women’s sprint team at another Asian Games. Even in her fifties, she refused to give up her passion for sports and was serving as director for the Indian national athletics camp in Patiala.

At the time of the Sydney Olympics in 2000, she expressed her frustration at the poor performance of the Indian team, and criticised India’s Athletics Federation for the lack of funding and support that it had provided for its budding sportsmen and women. She has been a consistent champion in encouraging women to take up sports and pursue it to the highest level, and as early as 1971, was awarded a Padma Shri award by the Indian government.

Are you someone who loves to hit the gym? Or does it happen (all too often) that a week can roll by with you thinking of doing some exercise, but not quite getting round to it?

If you feel you fit into the latter category – you’re definitely not alone.

According to recent research released by the British Heart Foundation this week, an estimated 20 million people in Britain can be classed as ‘physically inactive’. This means that they are not achieving the UK government guidelines for carrying out a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity a week, and strength activities on at least two days a week. This is a particular problem for women, who are 36% more likely than men to be classed as physically inactive.

Bollywood Cardio (Masala Bhangra, BollyX)

Modern-day life is growing increasingly hectic and complex for women of all backgrounds, who attempt to juggle career-building with demanding family and personal lives. It can be difficult to fit regular exercise into such a busy lifestyle, but failure to do so can come with major health risks, which can particularly build up over the longer-term.

A medical study conducted in 2012 revealed that people are statistically more likely to die from the effects of sustained physical inactivity than they are from smoking-related illnesses. Inactivity can increase the risks of heart disease and heart failure, which can lead to early death as its most stark consequence. People of South Asian origin (i.e. Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Sri Lankan) are also more prone to developing heart disease and diabetes compared to white European people, so as a community, we certainly need to be taking greater care of our health.

There is however no need to panic and start taking drastic measures! You can begin to improve your health by regularly incorporating moderate exercise into your routine, and even such basic activities as walking fast or mowing the lawn can contribute towards your weekly regime. Once you’re ready, you should try to build up to more vigorous activity, such as jogging or taking up a more active sport: like martial arts, football or hockey. Don’t forget to mix in some strength-building exercises too – perhaps you could try some yoga, push-ups/sit-ups or even a strenuous bout of gardening!

So, keeping Kamaljeet’s example in mind, why not pull on your trainers and go for a little jog this afternoon? Who knows, if you keep going, you might just become the next Kaur to win gold!

Sources:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-39457993

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-18876880

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/SouthAsianhealth/Pages/Overview.aspx

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20001022/edit.htm#8

https://www.telegraphindia.com/1030906/asp/ranchi/story_2338096.asp