“If you listen to your body when it whispers, you won’t have to hear it scream.”
-Unknown
Since childhood, I am a normal built with optimum body weight, as my mother ensured to feed me highly nutritious stuff. Yet, I was called “motti” during school/college days, indeed hurting moments!!
Early 2019, I was among a group of 25 women in a blood donation camp and only 18-20% of us could succeed to donate, the rest were diagnosed anemic. I phoned and thanked my mother for feeding me so well throughout but was taken aback by the state of women’s health in the group!!
Yet, the question revolves around the phase of my life when I suffered intense pain in my spinal cord at the age of 13 yrs coupled with dysmenorrhoea. I was treated by injecting steroids directly to my tail bone for the pain in the spine and recovered 90%. But, closer to the menstrual cycle, the pain was relapsing with lesser intensity along with dysmenorrhoea, and both the pains put together were making me feel so depressed that I was getting mentally imbalanced!!
The ordeal continued for 23 years, till I embraced Yoga as my way of life in mid-2019. This gives a clear idea that along with nutrition intake, physical exercise in all phases of our life is a must for healthy living, especially for women as they are differently designed compared to men!
I was a fitness enthusiast right from my teenage. Amidst conservatism, I could manage to enter a gym at the age of 24. I was under the impression that I could eat more than before as I am working out a lot. Neither the gym instructor nor I was aware of the energy balancing concept, hence I miserably failed in building my dream.
At the age of 29, I got married and the gym was a big “NO”. In 2015, at the age of 31, the older spine pain re-lapsed and it was the 2nd month of my first pregnancy which was haunting me. All the time I suffered from pain in the lower abdomen as well as limited physical movements. Post-delivery I was left with a completely broken body, fit for nothing, adding around 6 more Kgs, no time to devote for health amidst office work along with the duty of a mother, wife, & daughter-in-law. For four years I led a highly painful life. I
n mid-2019, I decided to join a yoga class that was closer to my office. I quit my lunch and did yoga during lunch hours. This went on for 4 months and I lost closer to 5 kg as I had quit one meal coupled with yoga practice, which I don’t recommend anybody to do as I was feeling so dizzy by evening. At the end of the 4th month, I conceived my 2nd baby. I continued with prenatal yoga. My goodness…I couldn’t believe that I was so good, compared to my first pregnancy, with a lot of strength, with absolutely no pain in my spine or abdomen! Throughout this time I did yoga, drove a car on my own wherever I wanted to reach, did all household chores along with WorkFromHome.
The real breakthrough I achieved was when I learned about Fittr & INFS. It was the end of my treasure hunt! After pursuing Basic nutrition and fitness course at INFS, my passion got wings to fly above and beyond so that I can do something for those who are seeking to be mentally and physically fit. Especially to support women in their prenatal & post-partum fitness journey. In early Jan’22 decided to quit my 15-year-old well-paid corporate employment and now I am serving a notice period. Post April’22 I would be pursuing more courses offered by INFS. I am quite confident that I would-be world-class nutrition & fitness professional!!
Author: Reshma A
