Scribblings of a septuagenarian- Daily routine to keep fit

Finest Blog winner - First Weekly pick of March 2011
​

A septuagenarian’s daily routine to keep fit​

I am nearing my mid seventies and my daily routine is as follows:

I get up around 5.45 in the morning. After completing my morning ablutions the first thing I do is to light the lamp at puja room. Then I put up my coffeemaker and boil the milk on gas.

I then clean the front side of the house and draw the kolam with rice flour. This is supposed to be the first good act early in the morning which is considered auspicious as well as first dhanam of the day by feeding ants and insects. In fact when we were at Pallikaranai even the crows and cows used to taste the rice flour kolam. At night even a bandicoot used to come to eat the kolam and I have even posted the picture in IL.
(By drawing kolam we have to bend that gives exercise to the knees and hip. Our fingers also become flexible.)

By this time coffee decoction and the milk are ready. After offering a glass of milk to the Deity I mix the coffee and with coffee glass I enjoy Velukkudi Krishnan’s upanyasam in the TV. In between I glance at the headlines and important news at TOI. :coffee

Next is the sweeping and swabbing of the house and we do not have a servant. My DH also helps me in this apart from his gardening work.
I tried twice by engaging servants, but they were not up to the mark and one servant used to steal. We are so carefree that we do not keep everything under lock and key and perhaps this leads to temptation. :bonk Our memory power also is diminishing due to old age and also due to the in take of medicines for BP etc.

I then go to take my bath. Before taking bath I clean the two toilets, wash basins and the bath room floors. Though I have a washing machine, daily I hand wash my clothes. Nowadays nobody sits on the floor and the clothes barely get dirty.

(Here also I have to bend to take up the clothes from the bucket to rinse them. I have to squeeze the clothes to dry them and my wrists and fingers are used for this and so they become flexible. Consumption of electricity and water is also saved. But I use the washing machine to wash curtains, bed sheets etc and also when we return home from outstations.)

After taking bath I clean up the puja cabinet and draw kolam. Before starting the cooking I cut the vegetables chanting slokas. Mostly I use the rice cooker and the pressure cooker for cooking. I do have a micro oven and use it also sparingly. We do not use onions and garlic in cooking. We eat sathvic food that would be easily digestible. I do not use too much oil and avoid fried things.

After finishing the cooking I stand in front of the Deity at the puja room and daily I chant Lakshminarayana Hrudayam and some other slokas and offer naivedyam. After feeding the crows we have our lunch.

We do not have breakfast, but we both have a cup of toned milk between nine and nine thirty. We have our lunch between eleven and eleven thirty in the morning. Simultaneously I watch one or two TV serials. Again I read the newspaper in detail. Then I spend sometime on computer checking mail and reading some articles which interest me. There is no afternoon siesta for me. I read some books and take/make some phone calls.

At four I make tiffin and it is a must for us, but do not have any beverages. I observe fasting on Ekadasi and partial upavasam on Fridays and Saturdays. On Ekadasi I do take liquids like milk, kanji and coffee once. On Fridays and Saturdays I take meals once in the morning and any tiffin at night. I take medicine for BP and heart problem, and I had undergone gal bladder surgery. I have also undergone cataract surgery for both eyes and the right eye surgery was performed on 24th Feb 2011.

We have our dinner between 7.30 and 8.00 and go to bed around 9.30/ 10 P.M.

At least once in a year I do get low back pain, but I apply move, volini and other external ointments, but do not take medicines.

Daily in the morning after performing puja and in the evening after lighting the lamp I prostrate :bowdownbefore the Deity and my prayer to Him is that until I breath my last I should be able to perform this. In the evening I offer milk to the Deity. Before going to bed I pray to the Lord and I close the puja room and put off the light.

We try to keep ourselves always engaged in some activity, so that it would help us to keep both our mind and body healthy.

 

Dear Malar,
I won't blame the youngsters for not doing household cores. Our next generation people preffered to have only or two children and they used to pamper them. The present generation prefer to have only one child and the pampering also has increased.
Further there is an excuse that it is not possible for working women to do household cores. I was also a working woman when my children were small and had my orthodox m-i-l constantly staying with me only, but with my will power I used to manage. I will share that experience in another blog.
I am glad to know that my write up has inspired you.
Love,
PS

 

Dear Raji,
Thank you for your compliments.
It is really heartening to see youngsters responding positively and I do hope many will get inspired.
Love,
PS