Dr Rajat Chauhan

Dr Rajat Chauhan 🦆🩺 🏃‍♂️ • Student - Run & Pain • GOYA - GetOffYourArse • Columnist • Author • La Ultra - The High I like to call myself a student of pain and running.

I am also a militant advocate of GOYA (Get Off Your Arse) Move-Mint. I have been running for last 36 years and making others to run too. In my spare time I am a doctor specializing in Sports-Exercise Medicine and Osteopathy / Musculo-Skeletal Medicine with special interest in Back and Knee Pain. Yes, have written a book on non-surgical approach to back, knee and neck pains.

01/03/2026

Day 49. Elephants Don’t Stomp. 🐘 And Neither Should You

“Walk like an elephant” was never meant as praise. But maybe it should be.

Elephants weigh 4,000-6,000 kgs, yet land softly. Thick fat pads. Elastic structures. Force distribution.

Humans have similar shock-absorbing systems. But we often move with unnecessary stiffness. Landing angrily on planet Earth.

Gentle ≠ weak.
Soft ≠ slow.

Efficiency is quiet.

Tomorrow: The elephant spine.

28/02/2026

Day 48. Run • Walk • Witness: Sakshi Running

Sakshi Bhava = witness consciousness.

In running, it means feeling fatigue without being consumed by it.

The walk break creates observation space. Neurologically, oscillation improves regulation. Psychologically, it reduces panic. Spiritually, it builds awareness.

Run.
Walk.
Witness.

27/02/2026

Day 47. Run - Walk - Regulate: The Sattva Pause

A few days ago, Jeff Galloway passed away. He made walking during a marathon acceptable.

But what if the walk break is more than strategy? It is nervous-system regulation. Continuous effort drives sympathetic activation. Brief walking restores autonomic balance.

Efficiency improves.
Fatigue delays.
Clarity returns.

Run-walk is not compromise. It is rhythm.

Tomorrow: Sakshi Running: (witness consciousness + performance self-regulation)

26/02/2026

Day 46. Farmer’s Carry - Lift your body weight

The goal is simple. One day, you should be able to hold your bodyweight in both hands and walk for about a minute.

Not today. Not next week. Maybe in 3–6 months. Maybe in a year. There is no rush. Start light. Build slowly. Earn it.

Your grip doesn’t need to crush the handle. On a scale of 10, stay around 5 or 6. Too tight?
You invite elbow, shoulder, neck and upper back tension. Too loose? You lose control. Balanced tension. Calm strength.

When a weight feels easy, don’t rush to increase it immediately. Stay there another week or two. Own the time, 60 to 90 seconds. Then increase gradually.

And one thing I missed in the video: Do not hold your breath. Brace your trunk. But breathe. Strength without breath is stress. Strength with breath is control.

Farmer’s carry is not just about walking with weight. It’s about learning to carry yourself.

Keep miling and smiling.

25/02/2026

Day 45. Shoulder MRI ≠ Shoulder Pain

3T shoulder MRIs were done on both shoulders of 602 adults, between 41 and 76. They were from the general population, they weren’t patients, nor were they seeking any treatment.

98.7% had at least one rotator cuff abnormality.

96% of pain-free shoulders had some or the other abnormal findings.

78% of full-thickness tears were asymptomatic.

Takeaway:

After 40, structural changes are almost universal.
MRI is a powerful tool when used in the right context.

We doctors need to be treating people. Not MRIs, or any other pictures.

Please comment if an MRI report, or what has been said about it, has ever scared you?

24/02/2026

Day 44. Farming & Diabetes

In conversation with Dr. Enoch S. Sundaram, a doctor turned organic farmer, who is a practicing Diabetologist & Lifestyle Medicine expert.

He highlights how excessive use of chemicals at each step is causing havoc, leading to endocrine diseases like Diabetes. And same is true for excessive chemicals called medicines we take when not necessary.

Link to ‘Miles of Meaning’ podcast is in the bio.

23/02/2026

Day 43. Pangong Frozen Lake Marathon

Pangong Frozen Lake Marathon.

24–25 February. The world’s highest altitude frozen lake marathon, organised by Chamba.

450 runners: 5 km. 10 km. Half. Full.

Running on ice. At altitude. In Ladakh.

There are races that test speed. There are races that test endurance. And then there are races that test humility.

At this altitude, pace is secondary. Breath is primary.

Cold sharpens awareness. Thin air demands respect.

If you are keen to know more about the Inner Game of Running Retreats, we will catch up at 7pm today. Please DM and I’ll share the link. I might share it by 6pm, so don’t give up on me.

Keep miling and smiling.

22/02/2026

Day 42. You Finished. Now Recover.

You ran your first race today. 10, half or full marathon. Well done!

Now comes the part most runners ignore, recovery.

Start by sipping electrolytes slowly. Not litres of plain water all at once. Eat normally. No need to “celebrate” with excess. Small meals through the day are fine.

Lie down. Nap if you can. Or simply rest.

If there are aches and tight spots, a gentle massage from someone at home works beautifully.

Sleep early.

Tomorrow, move lightly, a 15–30 minute walk, jog, or very easy run. Then keep the rest of the week relaxed.

No racing next Sunday. No urgency to sign up for the next event. Your body just did something new. Let it absorb it.

And remember, you don’t need an injury to meet me. You just need curiosity about your running.

If you are keen to know more about the Inner Game of Running Retreats, we will catch up at 7pm today. Please DM and I’ll share the link. I might share it by 6pm, so don’t give up on me.

Keep miling and smiling.

21/02/2026

Day 41. Running your first half or full tomorrow? Don’t try to copy someone else’s race.

The first few kilometres are chaos. Stay calm, and save energy. Reassess at 25%, 50%, 75%. Small adjustments. No heroics.

The goal is not to conquer the distance. It’s to understand it.

👇 First-timers, what race are you running tomorrow?





20/02/2026

Day 40. You Can’t Out-Salt Overhydration

Exercise-associated hyponatremia is most often linked to excessive fluid intake, not just sodium loss. Prof. Tim Noakes, a leading sports scientist who studied marathon hydration extensively, brought attention to this through race data.

Yes, electrolytes matter. No, you cannot out-salt overhydration. Sweat rate and sodium loss vary widely between individuals. Hydration is regulation, not fear.

👇 Do you drink by fixed formula or by feedback?

19/02/2026

Episode 2. Miles of Meaning

In conversation with Dr. Enoch S. Sundaram, a doctor turned organic farmer, who treats Diabetes and other chronic diseases through Lifestyle Medicine.

Link to podcast in bio.

19/02/2026

Day 39. You Don’t Always Need to Swallow

In 2004, Carter et al. (Journal of Physiology) showed that cyclists who rinsed their mouths with carbohydrate solution, without swallowing, improved performance.

Later studies confirmed that oral carbohydrate receptors activate brain regions linked to reward and motor control, performance improved, and no fuel entered the bloodstream. The brain adjusted effort.

Hydration and fueling are not only peripheral. They are central.

👇 Have you ever noticed that even a sip changes how you feel during a run?





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