⭑ Being rejected all day long and smiling ✔ this guy has my admiration
⭑ Chai wasn't really on my radar ✔ freshly brewed masala chai changed my mind
⭑ Native dogs rule the streets ✔ except for the cows
⭑ So many healthy-weight people ✔ what's going on here in India?

All strength to Ukraine 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦

Hello,

​

India, Jaipur.

My apologies for the late newsletter. I packed late and then travelled for nearly 23 hours and am now in Jaipur, India. It is a beautiful late winter day about 20C (68F) and clear skies, little pollution.

The newsletter today is a different format, just my observations around Jaipur.

The breakfast buffet initially had me overthinking the options, but when I framed it around my own eating goals I struck gold with the selection - see item #2

On the way I saw a man with an unbelievable ability to survive 99% NOs all day, and keep smiling. That inspired me - see item #1.

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01 Persistence and consistency personified

After I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, and after going into denial, I came around to the realisation that only I could do whatever it took to help myself. I couldn't outsource it. You wouldn't think this is an "insight", but it took time.

The same goes for learning the value of consistency and persistence in pursuing your health goals.

At Delhi airport, I saw a person who made the small roadblocks I struggled with in becoming consistent seem immaterial. This man stood on a small platform selling American Express credit card services.

I watched him for about an hour, he picked his prospects as they walked past heading towards their boarding gate. Out of 20 people he targeted 18 ignored him or waved him off, 2 stopped and he gave it his best, but none signed up.

What this means for you: This guy does an eight-hour shift getting about 160 "No"s every day. He smiled as he worked, he bought the smile to every new conversation even knowing that there was a 99% chance that he'd be rejected.

As you develop the habit of consistency you will say no to yourself more than you would like. Failing to get a yes from yourself every time you ask is not a personal failure, it has a context.

But never stop asking yourself for the yes, keep persisting, be kind to yourself, and smile to yourself every time you ask yourself to take the next step on your journey to health and fitness. One time the context will be right and you'll say yes, and then you'll be one step closer to your goal. ​​​​

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02 The Breakfast buffet challenge

Only about 30% of India is vegetarian. However, it does not seem that way when confronted with a local hotel breakfast buffet, which seems overwhelmingly vegetarian and unfamiliar.

As I ran my eyes over the yoghurts and curds and various bean and legume dishes, I settled on a choice that blended with my breakfast style at home. I chose the milk curd and flatbread, then the boiled oats, a bowl of fresh papaya, and ordered an omelette to follow with chopped green chili, tomato, onions and chives.

⇒ I then took the oats to the chai master in the corner and asked him to add ginger, ground cardamom, medicinal cinnamon and pepper to the oats.

I also ordered a masala chai with the same ingredients which he brewed from scratch for me.

What does this mean for you? While I'm a big fan of trying new foods, I am also a little cautious when I know that I cannot afford to have stomach problems on a business trip. Because I already use oats and papaya and eggs and spices in my breakfast I as able to translate what I wanted into the menu on offer.

And my discovery was the masala chai. I have not been a raving chai fan, but having had it brewed freshly with those spices changed my mind.

My lesson was to break down the unfamiliar and then mix match and blend with a goal in mind. Mine was to get the benefits of grains, spices, the beta-carotene in the papaya, and the protein in the eggs. The masala chai was a bonus. ​​​​​

@Medium - Follow me on Medium ↗, covering ⭑food, ⭑brain, ⭑body, ⭑life

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03 Indian native dogs mind the streets, cows wander

Regular readers will know about my dachshund Steve, and my fondness for dogs.

As I walked many kilometres in the neighbourhood of my hotel in Jaipur I kept seeing the same type of dog. More or less, since they are free to breed as they choose.

I saw bowls of milk in the street, in front of the locked gates of the houses. Which means that people encourage street dogs. Today at about dawn I discovered why.

Walking through the streets to a gym I joined, 20 minutes from the hotel, the dogs kept a careful eye on me as I approached their domains. The leader barked convincingly, and the others nodded me along - to keep moving.

I took their advice. Rabies here is the world's worst - the most virulent and no cure.

In contrast, cows are considered sacred and have the ultimate right of way in the streets and on the busiest roads and highways. The street dogs cede to the wandering cows.

⇒ The dogs here in Jaipur seem to be Pariahs, a native mountain dog.

​//

04 Why is it so... the remarkably healthy body weight of Indians?

It's a startling sight to see so few overweight people here. I mean very very few.

Australia, the UK, and the US are all experiencing an obesity epidemic.

The argument in the West is about hormones and what is beyond our control.

I'm not sure that our hormonal system is fundamentally different from the Indians. They look like our grandparents did, in terms of body weight.

It's clear that food plays a role, but at the moment I'm unsure what the fundamental reason is that explains the difference.

What I do know is that if you sat at Sydney Airport for 1 hour people-watching and then sat at Delhi Airport for an hour you would ask yourself "what's going on here, why such a stunning difference in obesity between these two populations?".​​​​

Thanks for reading!

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