“I was always a chubby kid. I ate everything I liked, without paying attention to how it affected my body. I did nothing to stay fit or lose weight. I was fat shamed and bullied but none of it ever bothered me. I was indeed a potato. However my bubble was burst one day. I was on a vacation with friends when I tried to jog with them. While they jogged, ran and did various other physical activities with ease, I found myself panting and breathless within 100 metres.
That’s when I learnt how unfit I was. I wanted to do something about it and began running. A relative of mine would help me train. From being unable to compete one lap without stopping to being able to run kilometers together, everything changed within a couple of months. The excess kilos dropped, the way I looked changed, but most importantly, I began to feel healthier, stronger and happier.
When I moved out for my Masters, I continued performing basic fitness activities, jogging, lifting weights etc for the year long period. Upon returning to Hyderabad, I vividly remember one morning when I ran for 8kms and was about to return home, I saw some a group of people practicing something new. They called me over to join them. When I learnt that it was an 8 minute routine, with each set consisting of 8 counts, I hopped in, guessing it would be easy. A couple of minutes into the sets, I could feel the toll on my heart rate. That moment I decided, this was the right way to train. Since that day, CrossFit, which I later learnt it was called, became my way of life. It seems funny how everything that day happened to work around the number 8! Almost like it was aligned by the stars!
4 years later, I successfully completed not one but three levels of crossfit training to become a full fledged trainer. I still remember my first day as a trainer, I was sweating profusely and couldn’t talk. Slowly, I became one of the two level 3 CrossFit Trainers, having left my research job to work on developing training programs and conducting workshops, other than being a full time CrossFit trainer.
One major source of motivation to me was the opportunity I got to volunteer at the Rio Olympics 2016. It was a form I had filled leisurely, that landed me the chance. Even as a volunteer I felt like I wasn’t mentally, physically or financially prepared for this great opportunity. However when I did make it, watching all the great athletes and sportspersons live, preparing for their big challenges, working hard as they proudly represented their countries was a sight to witness!
I believe sport and science go hand in hand. My understanding and liking towards science and logic helped me understand CrossFit and the requisite nutrition much better. This understanding helped me get a stronger grasp over the nuances of CrossFit and automatically perform better.
However, in the attempts I made to be employed at the CrossFit Headquarters, I couldn’t make it past both times. You need to be the best of the best to qualify and I will keep trying till I do. After all, you must only strive to be the best there is!”
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