Diy, Online Fitness And Family Time, Packs In The Punch

The national lockdown phase has witnessed many corporate executives exhibiting self-drive in keeping themselves gainfully productive viz fitness regimes, hobbies and new initiatives amidst uncertainties of the Covid-19 outbreak. Corporate Citizen interacted with Gopal Jayeraj, Head of Anker Innovations, India and SAARC on his ‘lockdown’ status. Jayeraj is passionate about accessories, retail and his 12 years of experience stands him in good stead in managing Anker’s Sales and marketing portfolio and new business development. Anker, an arm of the US-based multinational consumer electronics brand comprises of Power Delivery technology that includes wireless charging and car charging systems, portable and wall chargers for phones, tablets, and laptops. Its market dominance is spread across Canada, Germany, the UK, France, Italy and China. Jayeraj has had previous stints with D-Link, Ingram Micro, Redington and V5 across the IT and the Telecom sector. He has built his ‘lockdown’ diaries working from home, fitness regime, family time and reminiscing fond memories with his in-house movie collection

"Instead of conference calls, we connect over video calls and this human touch has somehow lowered stress. Apart from that, with the help of these connectivity tools, we have been managing our day to day activities seamlessly. Also, when I am on a call, I walk and talk so as to lower the tendency to become sedentary"

"I do not see any challenges in working from home. I think it is all about adaptation and utilising technology for seamless operation,” said Gopal Jayeraj, Head of Anker Innovations, India and SAARC.

Tweaking ‘Work from Home’

For Jeyaraj, working from home is an unusual scenario given his managerial work profile in Sales & Marketing involving business and product development portfolio in a lead position with the organisation. Travel is kind of second nature to his work specifications. Despite, the ‘stay at home scenario’, he seems to have aligned himself to a work schedule that also incorporates a good blend of work and family time.

“While working from home has been sort of an unusual practice, it has also reduced my travelling time such that my working hours have always been structured around a mix of Indian and International Time zones,” he said. This has now been tweaked within his current ‘at home’ status.

For someone with a passion for technology and a company goal to garner $30 million by 2020, he said that work stress can actually be eased by imbibing technology in our daily work schedules. “Instead of conference calls, we connect over video calls and this human touch has somehow lowered stress. Apart from that, with the help of these connectivity tools, we have been managing our day to day activities seamlessly. Also, when I am on a call, I walk and talk so as to lower the tendency to become sedentary,” he added.

In fact, the lock-down routine has enabled him the flexibility of breaking free and giving him enough time to catch up with his family, playing indoor games and watching movies.

Social Media Uptake

Like most corporate executives, Jeyaraj too has leveraged Social Media (SM) tools and platforms to his advantage. In fact, he considers SM to have enhanced not only his productivity quotient but his ‘Social’ connects despite the mandator social distancing guidelines.

“Professionally, it (SM) has helped me to be more productive and enabled an easier mode to connect with my team and clients. It has also been a great source to keep myself updated on the current happenings around the world. Personally, I have been in touch with a lot of my friends and family via video calls which I was not able to do as much during normal times (pre-lockdown),” he said.

Online Fitness

While Jeyaraj continues his regular fitness regime, he has taken the rigour to another level in his ‘stay at home’ status. “The lock-down has given me a better opportunity to indulge myself into rigorous fitness activities. I have structured a mixed routine of workout to balance my physical and mental fitness,” he said.

He has taken recourse to online channels and virtual wellness trainers to prep up his fitness quotient. “I train and do workouts four times a week. Likewise, I have been following fitness influencers on You- Tube. My favourite is ‘Fitness Blender’ workouts by husband-wife duo Daniel and Kelli. Their videos not only help me to engage in an unbiased workout, but also guide on appropriate nutrition tracks, and other health information. This blend enables me to make the most of my goals as regards my fitness, health and overall well-being,” said Jeyaraj.

His daily exercise pattern while at home has been framed around body basics and toning strategy to keep fit. “I begin with basic squats, leg extensions, and bicep curls to tone up the arms. I then move on to shoulder crunches, band chest fly, kneeling push-ups, reverse lunges and triceps dips,” he added.

SMART TIPS

• Regular Hydration: Keep hydrating at regular intervals, which is very essential during the lockdown as everyone remains less active and might not feel as thirsty.
• Regular Water-Breaks: Set regular reminders for water breaks in between tasks at home.
• Mealtime: Prepare meals with wholegrain bread and mixed-grain rice to release energy more slowly, thus fuelling the body for longer durations and help cut the calories too.
• Patient Building and Playtime: Strategic video games with family, card games like UNO, Jenga and other online puzzles and activities that not only make kids get smarter but also enable their reflexes to become faster. Besides, strengthening their patience, which is very crucial during these times.
• Brain Health: Specific games like puzzles and board games not only stimulate the brain but also is a great platform for team building and encouraging family conversations.

We have started some DIY activities and watch tutorials to learn something new thus boosting our creative streak and in turn enhancing our selfconfidence too”

Bounce-back Diet

Incorporating a healthy diet is undoubtedly the best shot to long term wellness and this becomes even more vital as one is confined within the four walls. Jeyaraj views that the lockdown has brought in a major shift to our daily activities and therefore, healthy food becomes an integral aspect of one’s regular diet and is fundamental to the lockdown phase

“Most of us during this (lockdown) time, will likely burn far fewer calories than we normally do simply by reducing our usual physical activity. Incorporate foods that are essential for energy, crucial for thinking, working, and fending off disease as well. It could be a good combination or stand-alone diets comprising of rice, pasta, bread and root crops,” he said.

DIY and Family Time

Jeyaraj has equated ‘the stay at home’ guideline to hone not only his DIY skills but also as a strategy for bonding with family and upgrading their life skills and fun quotient. “We have started some DIY activities and watch tutorials to learn something new thus boosting our creative steak and in turn enhancing our self-confidence too. We enjoy solving Tangrams, a geometrical picture puzzle game that is an absolute delight for the family. This helps us have family fun while fortifying our math skills and lateral thinking,” he said.

A movie buff, he has also utilised the time to catch up on his movies and music repertoire. “I have always been a movie freak and a music lover. I personally have a large collection of movies and this lockdown has helped me and my family to reminisce over old memories while enjoying these,” he said.