After a week spent in Hong Kong I am finally on my way  to India the real reason for travel this month. It has been a trip I have been waiting for , praying to happen and now it has finally arrived.  It has been over 5 years since my first trip to India but this time it’s going to be a much different experience.  This time It is not the family excursion back to our roots, this time it’s the launch of my 321 Baby Bugle Be Gone workout with Fortis a private hospital chain , a red carpet launch with notable people and numerous press opportunities. And to prepare for this on my flight , I have found a music station that features Ravi Shankar and his Sitar. Its fitting I feel as It transports me instantly into a culture of which I belong to but know not enough off.

I was born to Indian parents who left Mumbai in their late 20 s for Germany. My first language was German  and then I spoke English.  Living most of my life in a small town in Canada and then in LA I had little or no contact with other Indians. Growing up my parents chose to integrate us into our environment, being of Christian faith much of our daily lives and spiritual beliefs blended with other Canadians. When I moved to LA I was the only East Indian on the LA Raiders for the 10 years I worked with them. Artesia California, a suburb of LA  known as “Little India” was a long drive  from Santa Monica where I lived and for me , during the 80s and 90s  the real India seemed a long way away.

Then one day as if almost overnight I woke up and was 45  and India came calling . Out of nowhere a deep desire  arose and, I needed to see India… but not alone. I needed to make this journey with my family . I wanted  to experience what my parents had experienced the childhood  that they knew , the world that included my mothers kitchen where she ground masala as a child. I wanted to to meet Ann my only female cousin , whose life could have been the life I would have been living had my parents not left India. I wanted to walk down the beaches of Goa where my Dad and Mom escaped to for romantic getaways from the hustle and bustle of Bombay.. And so we returned. My parents, my brother and his family. We stayed at the YMCA and were toured around by my Dads childhood friend . We returned as foreigners, with money to spend on the sights, Agra, Jaipur and Rajasthan. I slipped in a side trip to Dharamsala and was incredibly fortunate to be able to see the Dalai Lama in person along with hundreds of Tibetans celebrating his long life celebration. It was and incredible spiritual experience to be there for that live.

 I could never imagine topping this trip back to India but now over 5 years later Im returning , with a different set of circumstances but equally exciting and perhaps even more of a bonding experience for me as I am back to share what I have learned in my life in the West and hope to discover what the East can teach me about myself.   Strange coincidence, I am for the first time in this months  India Vogue magazine with a large article on Creating Curves on the female body, The timing is uncanny and I believe I owe this all to my grandmother. Growing up she  was my only real connection with India and now she has brought me back to experience it. Omi, this project is for you.

And as Ravi Shankar plays his sitar on my headphones and we fly through turbulence the adventure  has begun.

I love it!! 

As the Countdown to a New Year begins excitement in the air grows! To many of us a new year signals a time for new beginnings a time for a fresh start. At this time of year, Im often asked to give some tips on setting and keeping fitness goals. For many of us its easy to talk about our resolutions but much tougher to take action and turn them into successes. As a trainer to the stars whose actors careers often depend on their commitment to the roles they play and the physical transformations they need to achieve, I know what works and how to take a thought and turn it into an action.  It begins by putting it down on paper. Seeing it in print and making it a binding contract with yourself or someone else makes it real. As someone who loves to write down goals and make plans its usually the first piece of advice I give . Writing goals down, making a plan, and  journaling as you make progress helps you to stay committed.  

Inside and out, get a superhero workout.

In April, I flew my Mom out from Ontario to appear with me on a local Vancouver talk show called Urban Rush. I wanted her to demonstrate the cardio portion of my 321 Training Method. There’s nothing too amazing about this - except that my mom is 76 years old. That’s right - 76.

My mom recently came out of retirement, took her personal trainer certification and Zumba instruction, and now teaches 13 classes a week at local gyms and seniors’ apartments.

When I think ahead about my life, I wonder what I’ll be doing when I’m her age. Will my mind be able to pass exams? Will I have kept up my physical activity and still be able to teach? Will I laugh as easily as she laughs? And what is it that she knows or does that keeps her so young?

If I were to pinpoint one thing, I’d say that she’s always included physical activities in her routine that have forced her to include her mind - things like dancing, for example. Learning new routines and performing them in dance recitals until well in her sixties has kept her mind sharp, her body flexible and her adrenaline pumping.

Alzheimer's has always been a worry for her but, after passing her recent exams, that worry has been put to rest. So, with a clean bill of health off she went: teaching classes and mixing with the community, which keeps her social, happy and feeling incredibly productive. All these factors combine to give her a youthful energy and positive outlook.

She’s my inspiration and always will be.