Story 8: Joakul

I am a daughter, wife and a mother, but before all those titles I am a “Woman” generally referred to as “The weaker sex”. Maybe, 10 or 20 years ago I would have accepted this fact with a pinch of salt. But after setting foot into the motherhood bandwagon and experiencing pain like no other, sleepless nights, helpless situations and extreme stress with life in general and coming out of all of this with flying colors I can no longer accept that title of “The weaker sex”.

The changes our body goes through after a baby is perhaps not the same with everyone, but some women find it impossible to get back to their earlier glory. Some women are plain lucky with fantastic metabolisms or very focused to do the right things to get back their fitness. I struggled, because I had no time, and my husband’s nomadic lifestyle did not help me get into a regular fitness schedule. I would try here and there to fit in some form of exercises only in vain because travel or changing residences would set me back. Weight loss seemed arduous and having a kid whose life revolved around me made the whole fitness scheduling a daunting task.

After a few years I did manage to lose some weight with the unhealthiest eating methods which I do not want to talk about here as I do not want that promoted in any form. My weight would yoyo and I would try different kinds of diets which were ok to start with but not something that one can sustain for long periods of time. Needless to say, my health was not at its prime and I was constantly suffering from back spasms. One of the most debilitating periods of my life I can say. I researched about this and realized that I had very weak back muscles and I may end up with bone degenerative disease or arthritis which is plaguing my poor mother already. That was my reality check point.

With some support from my husband who by then was also having some form of bad back issues, we decided to enroll in a gym and start weigh training to build muscles. There has been no looking back ever since. My whole life has not been a smooth journey when it comes to health and I can proudly say I have never felt this healthy and strong in all my life that too at the prime age of 40! If I had all this information that I have now, I would go back in time and start lifting weights. This is the most sustainable and healthiest form of keeping your health in check. They say if you give 30% at the gym the rest 70% is determined by what you eat. Thanks to the internet I figured out how to balance my meals and I know now what works best in terms of workouts. This made my life so much easier.

A good support system is what you need to push and motivate you to bring the best out of you. My support system includes my family who look up to me, motivate and encourage me, my mentor who pushes me to the brink to give my best and last but not the least… ME! I love myself enough to push myself harder, break all barriers of pain, fear and limits and set astonishing goals. I keep myself motivated by reaching out and helping other women who are finding it hard to motivate themselves. This has given me a new lease of life and a solid purpose. I no longer belong to “The Weaker Sex” I am strong in mind, body and soul! My motto in life — Live strong, live long!!!