Hima Das, the ‘golden girl’ of Indian athletics – whom the nation is toasting right now – has come a long way from the rice fields of Assam to the tracks of Tampere (in Finland) where she achieved the impossible – becoming India’s first world gold medalist at the World U20 Championships at Tampere.
Though Hima’s rise has been “meteoric”, it is hard to believe that her milestone is just a labour of 18 months. A report in the Indian Express quoted Hima’s coach Nipon Das as saying, “I keep telling Hima only one thing: Dream big. Because only a few are blessed with God-given talent”.
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The plucky sprinter always liked to play games with her neighbourhood boys – she started with football in the mud pits of her village in Assam’s Nagaon district. The report further stated that there was no looking back for Hima after an athletics coach with the Directorate of Sports and Youth Welfare, Assam, during an inter-district meet, spotted Das and recognised her skills. And the rest is history.
Though a lot of Indians are fitness freak these days, but sprinting isn’t always their first choice. Sprinting not only helps you shed those extra kilos but also boosts metabolism and regulate fat burning hormones, giving you a body you always wanted. Sprinting is an anaerobic exercise – so it helps build muscles and works on dozens of muscles at the same time. Sprinting kickstarts one’s own metabolism that allows burning more calories even when one is not working out.
Sprinting also has great cardiovascular benefits and improves the overall blood circulation. So, sprint like Hima does and all you need is a pair of running shoes and astonishing amount of open space. Working out in an air-conditioned atmosphere will not bring the desired results.
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