Game, set and match. #EnsureAStronger2018

Mornings are the most chaotic times in every home. Office, school, Tiffin, breakfast – the list is quite endless. How and when do you focus on health? I have been an enthusiastic sportsperson since my childhood. Growing up in a suburb town called Chandannagore where space was in abundance, I don’t remember any sport that I have not tried my hands on. Summers were meant for football which would spill over to Monsoon in the muddy and water logged fields. When monsoon would be at its peak and the showers won’t stop, we would take to Table tennis inside our sports club. Slowly, with the onset of Autumn and then Winter, cricket bats, stumps and badminton rackets would follow suit. Cricket and Badminton would take turns throughout the day during winter vacations and evenings would mean badminton with the lights on. I focused on cricket more as I grew up. Those days cricket as a sport, was slowly on its way to becoming the most popular sport in the country.

 

ensure health drink 1

Tennis is one of the games which us very demanding in terms of stamina and energy

ensure health drink 2

Just before the serve so many things play on your mind

ensure health drink 5

The toss of the ball is important and a practice of that is imp for practising the toss

If there was any other sport that I followed closely, courtesy my dad and his enthusiasm, it was tennis. From the time in 1983 Wimbledon final, when John McEnroe won the title (that was the first tennis match which I had seen) till Roger Federer making a comeback in last year’s Australian Open to win the title against an equally resilient Nadal, tennis players and their stories and posters has been a part of my growing up years. It was very late around the age of 34 that I picked up a tennis racket in Pune, many thanks to a family friend who literally dragged me to the court. Shifting to Kolkata threw open the opportunity to play tennis regularly and hence in the last few years I have added gears, changed the racket, got gifted one of the best pairs of tennis shoes by the BFF and my love and passion for the game has grown.

Ensure health drink 3

Whether you play single handed or double handed the footwork and the steadiness of head while hitting the ball in backhand is important

ensure health drink 7

Thats one down the line forehand which should have no return

ensure health drink 9

The biggest barrier to cross while playing the game

With my hectic schedule, keeping up with the demands of playing tennis every day needs a lot of sacrifices. I am also a foodie and a food blogger, so eating out has become a crucial part of my life. While many may differ, most of us are indulgent towards occasional alcohol and smoking too. Add on erratic work hours and unplanned forced outside meals. In such circumstances, how does one take care of the nutritional needs of the body to maintain a balance? Tennis needs a high amount of energy to sustain in the game. Most of the time, after half an hour of practice, I am left drained and almost not being able to walk. The rest of the day is tiring; the body desperately calls for rest. Neither can be ignored- the fitness and the willingness to play the game or the works for the remainder of the day.

ensure health drink 8

My gears and like every sportsperson I am possessive about them . Ensure health drink is only missing now

Thanks to a slowing metabolism, I can feel my body struggling to take in nutrients from regular food that I eat. In this scenario I have found Ensure health drink to be the answer to all my nutrition woes. The best part is, I can have a glass of Ensure health drink before practice so that the nutrients take care of my energy needs during the match. I also have it in between breaks to regain the energy loss or even at the end of the game to help rejuvenate my body. Each variant of Ensure has been power-packed with proteins, calories, vitamins, and minerals to supply the necessary nutrients to help build a healthy body. I always get mine from Amazon, but you can also get it at Grofers and Big Basket.

It’s 2018 and I’ve decided that age should not affect my tennis sessions, which is why I have pledged to get stronger. You can do it to! So fitness can be taken for granted. I will #EnsureAStronger 2018 with good habits, balanced diet, more fitness goals and a glass of Ensure everyday perhaps. Wishing you all a great fit and healthy year ahead.

This post is in collaboration with Abbott nutrition. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.