As a teenager, the struggle for me to “gain weight” was real. With an inherently high metabolic rate, it is as difficult for an ectomorph to gain weight as it is for an endomorph to lose it. Most people don’t understand why a thin girl would not want to stay thin. But if you don’t like your own reflection in the mirror, you will try to change it. And that’s how I stumbled upon fitness. At the age of 19, I started working out. I’d never been athletic or played sports, fearing that exercise would make me thinner. Instead, it gave me an appetite that allowed me to eat more, which was also something that I struggled with. Not only were the results immediately visible to me as well as to everyone else, but I also felt healthier, from inside. In my twenties I ended up making a career for myself in banking. Corporate life is fun, but it brings with it, its share of stress and an unfair balance between work and me-time. Sporadically, I kept rebounding to the fit life, because it made me feel so good inside, but every time that I’d let my workouts take a backseat, would inadvertently result in my body snapping back to its thinny-skinny self because of my genetic predisposition of an ectomorph. That didn’t make me feel good. Not liking your own reflection in the mirror is not easy.
Given that life inevitably revolves around work, it leaves you little time to do the things that you enjoy. So if you don’t LOVE what you do, it’s not really sustainable for one’s intrinsic happiness. By the time I was in my thirties, after having spent a decade as a banker, the voice inside my head was asking me why I was even doing this job. Besides monetary remuneration, there was little joy in going to work. All I was interested in was learning about fitness. My curiosity and fascination with the subject grew, as fitness influencers and fitness educators continued to flood my social media platforms with their content. Men and women, both younger as well as those older than me seemed to be having so much fun while they also looked good. Their fit bodies became the inspiration for me to change mine.
Materialistic things have never held much aspirational value for me, but those fitness models made me aspire to have a fit body myself. Struggling to maintain a healthy work-life balance, coupled with a curiosity for the knowledge of fitness, I decided that I wanted to study the science of it. Because the saying that “time is money” applied to me, I invested my time in identifying the most comprehensive fitness education. My research landed me at the K11 School of Fitness Sciences from where I got certified as a personal trainer and a sports nutritionist while still continuing to be a banker!
Priority drives discipline. So no matter how lazy you are or how busy you think you are, once something becomes your priority, you will find the discipline to do it. Learning about fitness had become my priority, so no matter how busy I was, I made time to study it. I understood that fitness is not just about one thing, but a combination of training and nutrition so I decided to get educated in both. While I was learning, I was also applying upon myself what I’d learnt. I found that my body was changing for the better. I was able to do things I never believed I could’ve done, such as a proper squat or being able to lift something heavy and move it around. I was training correctly now, following the optimal form and technique, while also making better food choices with which to nourish my body. By getting my training and nutrition on point, my body composition was changing. I didn’t need to lose weight or to reduce my size, but as you get older, your metabolism slows down and you lose muscle unless you consciously work towards minimising the effects of ageing. Since I’d been incorporating my learnings into my own training methods and nutrition choices, I was losing fat and gaining muscle. That experience, of being able to literally build my own body, to be in control of it, made me feel empowered.
Growing old is a privilege denied to many. If I’m blessed with a long life, I want to be healthy. I want to be the best version of myself, because age is just a number. Time is the one thing that you can’t get back in life and I didn’t want to spend any more of mine doing something that I didn’t feel so strongly about. That’s when I decided that I’d rather spend my time helping other people transform their bodies than doing anything else. Of course I was apprehensive about making a career change but sometimes you just have to follow your heart, trust your instincts, and believe in yourself. With a fair bit of hesitation, I made the career transition. The only regret I have, is not having done this sooner.
At 42, I’m a personal trainer and a sports nutritionist. I work with a limited number of clients in India and around the world through virtual platforms. Basis an individual’s fitness goals, my training programmes are personalised while incorporating various methods like pilates and functional workouts, alongside strength and flexibility training. To help you stay young and build immunity, my nutrition plans are customised for fat loss and to build muscle. My website is https://www.bodyfit.co.in
About The Author
The team is based out of Delhi and is connected to all the leading athletes, trainers and nutritionists. The purpose is to bridge the gap between common people and all fitness e..
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