I'm in Mumbai and need some food/exercise advice

[manic111]

I've been in Mumbai for almost a month, with work, and am out here for another three and a half. Something that I'm missing hugely is exercise and healthy food.

Exercise-wise, there is not a gym within easy travellling distance; there is one on my complex, but it's currently closed for renovation. I'm not sure if you know much about Mumbai's streets, traffic, and lack of green, but to put it simply there is nowhere outside to run. I'm losing muscle mass and have gained a bit of fat, but the worst thing is that I feel terrible - no energy and just feel all "heavy". I've not really been without exercise for an extended period for five or six years now, and it feels wrong Has anyone got any suggestions for things that I could do, to get a decent cardio workout (I can live without weights for a few months) in my flat? I can hunt round for a pullup bar and get some calisthenics on the go - does anyone have a decent suggestion for a bodyweight routine?

In terms of food, I'm having a hard time trusting the meat here, having seen goats and chickens killed next to the road - I dread to think about what they may have been eating or breathing prior to becoming food. Tuna is all imported and insanely expensive, although I tend to eat a couple of tins of that a week. Fresh milk is nigh on impossible to find - it's all cow's milk. Finding decent veg is also pretty difficult; at home I eat a lot of salad, whereas I don't think I've seen a lettuce I'd even risk raw here. On the plus side, most of my carbs are beans, so at least that's OK. Again, with limited veg and particularly protein resources, can anyone suggest a few healthy meals? Frankly, pasta is starting to not cut it.

Sorry for all of the questions - I'd really appreciate some help

 

[Tinders]

I'd have though Lentils (daal) and rice would be a reasonably healthy meal, if you've been there a month your immune system should be ok with eating local fresh veg.

You will be ok with any meat curry tbh, curry by its very nature ensures that the anything bad in the animal is long gone!

 

[TheCenturion]

yep. daal contains lots of protein, and rice contains lots of carbs. Why not occasionally eat at restaurants, that should give you a selection and a lot of ideas for meals.

You say you've lost lots of muscle mass and gained lots of fat? OMG you're turning indian!!!

In terms of exercise, surely trying to cross the road several times a day is exercise enough?

 

[Slam62]

just take week of and spend it in the slum.

 

[manic111]

I'd have though Lentils (daal) and rice would be a reasonably healthy meal, if you've been there a month your immune system should be ok with eating local fresh veg.

You will be ok with any meat curry tbh, curry by its very nature ensures that the anything bad in the animal is long gone!

Good stuff, I've been dominating the lentils since I've been out here (and then, in turn, dominating the toilet), so hopefully I'm doing OK on the protein front. I've been eating meat at restaurants, but it's cooking it myself in stir fries etc which worries me.

Crossing the road certainly gets the heart racing...but I think the noxious fumes probably mean that that particular activity does more harm than good

 

[Psycho Sonny]

Good stuff, I've been dominating the lentils since I've been out here (and then, in turn, dominating the toilet), so hopefully I'm doing OK on the protein front. I've been eating meat at restaurants, but it's cooking it myself in stir fries etc which worries me.

Crossing the road certainly gets the heart racing...but I think the noxious fumes probably mean that that particular activity does more harm than good

theres nothing wrong with the chickens/goats being killed at the side of the road, those guys are doing it for a living, if it wasnt good enough they would be out of business. ive bought from them a lot, make sure you go to one recommended by a local.

i havent been to bombay in a long time, buts its more modern than punjab so it should have a variety of meats on offer (apart from beef), but its also full of smog (smoke and fog).

also find a decent local to point out the best fish pakora stall, this was my main source of protein along with, eggs and milk. if you find pakora too fattening to eat everyday (fried) just ask to buy some raw fish off the guy, take it home and cook it however you want. the fish may look dodgy but thats because the guy will have marinated it in order to keep it fresh.

theres nothing wrong with the milk there, they boil it before selling it im sure, you can only get full fat though as far as i am aware, with cream on top. im sure most of my milk either came from cows that my family owned or buffalo's. milk is milk, stop bein such a wimp.

the thing you need to avoid is water/ice cubes from any stalls or small shops, only trust the water from hotels and big shops. your body will get used to the change in water within 6 weeks of being there, and after that you will be fine to eat anything.

are you staying at a hotel? does it have a gym?

 

[manic111]

theres nothing wrong with the chickens/goats being killed at the side of the road, those guys are doing it for a living, if it wasnt good enough they would be out of business. ive bought from them a lot, make sure you go to one recommended by a local.

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound as though I'm criticizing what they are doing. I absolutely understand that it's their living, and that it's the way of life here. It just takes some getting used to

theres nothing wrong with the milk there, they boil it before selling it im sure, you can only get full fat though as far as i am aware, with cream on top. im sure most of my milk either came from cows that my family owned or buffalo's. milk is milk, stop bein such a wimp.

Ah - I've just seen my typo in my first post. Of course it's cow's milk, I have nothing against that (drink it all the time at home). What I meant to say is that it's UHT milk, which is rough. Do you know where I can find "fresh", non-UHT milk?

are you staying at a hotel? does it have a gym?

Nope, staying in a flat in a gym-less complex

Cheers for the help, you sound like you know India pretty well!

 

[Psycho Sonny]

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound as though I'm criticizing what they are doing. I absolutely understand that it's their living, and that it's the way of life here. It just takes some getting used to





Ah - I've just seen my typo in my first post. Of course it's cow's milk, I have nothing against that (drink it all the time at home). What I meant to say is that it's UHT milk, which is rough. Do you know where I can find "fresh", non-UHT milk?



Nope, staying in a flat in a gym-less complex

Cheers for the help, you sound like you know India pretty well!

i know it extremely well, the last holiday i went on was about 6 years back though, but i stayed there for 6 months, so i know how everything works pretty well.

there are gyms but they wont be to the same standard as the UK, India is a developing country and said to be roughly 100 years behind the UK. of course some aspects of it are modern but others arent.

your best hope is become friends with a decent local and ask him to recommend places. luckily for me i had my cousins with me of similar age to always help me if i wanted to do something or needed something. if i wanted fish pakora, they would take me on the back of their motorcycle to the stall my dad always goes to. it is a luxury dish for the people of punjab, i cant remember the quantity i used to buy, but it was enough for 2 meals for 1 person and cost me roughly 250 rupees (price may have increased in 6 years tho).

do not trust dodgy stalls or small shops. do not buy anything cheap either. cheap alcohol also known as local brew. you could maybe buy a bottle of spirits for 50p but you are risking your life/sanity. these local brews are sometimes mixed with buffalo injections, the same as when people over here take ketamine "horse tranquilisers". they will do you serious harm and you dont really know which ones you can trust so just stay away from them.

stick to smirnoff or bacardi they only cost about 450 rupees for a bottle when i was there but in 6 years im sure the price may have changed. also if you buy any juice, water or even smirnoff, make sure you check the seals and it is 100% intact. if the bottle looks slightly tampered in any way i would stay away.

people refill bottled mineral water with tap water then re-sell it in order to make money, the tap water may not be from a clean source. you do need to be careful in these sort of situations involving liquids and need to check them, but the food there is fine so long as your buying from a decent place.

in bombay you wont get much aggro, but i would be aware of beggars or people trying to sell you something on the street. a friend of mine was shown a canon camera obviously stole from a tourist. they were selling it really cheap too like 500 rupees, they showed the camera working with its touch screen etc. they then said they had to watch out for the police because they patrol here often. they then wrapped it up and put the camera into a bag and said if you want it pay me quickly and they paid. when he got to where he was going he looked in the bag and unwrapped it and found a piece of wood. so he was scammed. i would beware of these types of people and dont make yourself an easy target. dont flash any money, even a small amount, because it may be a small amount to you but its not to some locals. keep your wallet/valuables in pockets which cannot be gotten to easily, muggings on buses/trains can be easily done without the person noticing.

also i wouldnt buy any protein powders from a dodgy looking source, protein powder is like gold dust in india, a lot of it is fake, or been tampered with. your better off sticking with real food.

thats all i can think of for now, but if you have any questions i should be able to answer them.

are you working out there alone? do you not have any british colleagues who have been there before or have worked there for some time? having someone who knows the area well will help. when i went to bombay i was about 10 years old (15 years ago) and i remember it having nice hotels and restaurants. i stayed at the oberoi (5 star) and remember it being extremely tall. if your getting paid at the same rate you would be over here, then im sure you will have more than enough money to get some decent grub in you.

i think £100 would last me a month easily and i would normally do whatever i felt like. most of my food was paid for though and no rent due to staying with family, so i only had to spend my money on luxuries, like eating out, buying fish every day, juice (omg that reminds me you need to try leechi juice, there are a few different kinds though and 1 of them is amazing, i mean after i discovered it i would buy about 10 one litre bottles a week). maazaa is another favourite juice (mango). all the fruit and veg there will be extremely fresh, although it wont look like the ones you get in asda, etc.