My Journey With Endometriosis
Endometriosis affects more women than we realise. Far too often, it goes undiagnosed. I myself went undiagnosed for nearly 15 years, until I found the doctor who changed my life. Here’s my story.
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Drink Clean With The nkd Pod+ Water Bottle
Fitness isn’t just about exercise and external health. A great deal of true fitness is what you put in your body. Good food and clean water play a massive role in determining your overall health. Which is why I’m currently in love with the nkd Pod+ water bottle.
Working Out In The Water : HydroFit at JW Marriott Bengaluru
I’ve been super lucky with trying new kinds of fitness routines in 2017. Remember that intense bungee workout session I tried? Well, I thought I wouldn’t find a workout quite as exhilarating (and intense) in 2018 — or at least, not quite so early in the year. But along came the new HydroFit water workout at the JW Marriott Bengaluru to change that!
The delightful people at Speedo invited me and other select bloggers in the city to the launch of this fun new workout. So of course, the first stop was a Speedo store to find me some stylish swim gear to splash about in. While the store had several options in black and pink — the signature colours of TwitterGetsFitter — I opted for this fresh jade number instead.
And then it was off to the JW Marriott Hotel Bengaluru for an evening of HydroFit. Take a look at that gorgeous pool! As tempting as it was to just laze on a pool chair with a fruity cocktail, we were promised a fun workout, and to be honest, I expected an easy hour of frolicking in the water.
Man, was I in for a surprise!
At the venue, I was the first to arrive (All hail the Princess of Punctuality!) and got to meet and chat with our instructor, celebrity trainer Pooja Bhatia Arora before the session. This delightful lady is a petite powerhouse, as I was soon to learn. A certified personal trainer, health coach, and AquaFit master trainer, Pooja has a wonderfully holistic approach to fitness and health. And she teaches 3 sessions of HydroFit a day, so you can only imagine how mind-blowingly fit and strong she is.
As we chatted, Pooja told me about the various benefits of the HydroFit workout. Much like swimming, this water workout is zero-impact, i.e. there is no stress on the joints. This makes it ideal for pretty much any age group, as well as those with joint weaknesses or injuries. It also makes a great workout for someone who’s just starting out on their fitness journey. By reducing the risk of joint injury, but still working every major muscle group, it makes for a fun and effective starter workout.
But wait, don’t go thinking this “starter workout” will be a splash in the pool. HydroFit isn’t just swimming, it’s a mix of HIIT, Pilates, and plyometrics, all performed in the water. There’s even weight training with a twist. The workout program uses special dumbbells and barbells designed for the water. Oh, and don’t be fooled by their peppy pink colour — when those beauties meet the water, the combination of weight and resistance ensures your muscles feel some serious burn!
Once everyone arrived, we got into the pool and started a few quick moves to get our muscles warmed up. This included high knees and other fast moves to get our heart rates up. Needless to say, this came with quite a few splashes!
As the workout progressed, Pooja expertly guided us through more intense moves. We started off with the aqua dumbbells, performing moves like chest presses, quick punches, jogging punches, and even star jumps! We could already feel our core, shoulders, lats, and arms begin to burn. All the “splashing about” was burning some serious calories.
From there, we moved on to using the aqua barbells. We used this to do barbell curls, half in and half out of the water. This move worked my arms like regular weights never have — the combination of the barbell’s weight and the water’s resistance challenged my biceps on the way up, and my triceps on the way down. We also tried a fun rowing move, very similar to how one might move when kayaking. Once again, the resistance of the water added an incredible dimension to the exercise, and I could feel my shoulders and arms burn.
The last piece of equipment we used was the docile little pool noodle. Ah, but the moves Pooja had us try were anything but docile. Noooo… We did battle ropes!
That’s right, Pooja had us pair up and do battle ropes. Beneath the water. With pool noodles. My arms still haven’t forgiven me!
We finally wrapped up with a series of stretches. Of course, this was my cue to show off and be a ballerina in the water. I’m a doofus like that. (Seriously, I don’t think I’ve got the hang of “adulting” yet).
Now deliciously sore and exhausted, we were treated to some fantastic coffee and sandwiches by the lovely people at JW Marriott Bengaluru. You could tell how effective that workout was by how quickly we all scarfed down our food!
After a relaxing hot shower in the hotel fitness centre, I made my way back home. And allow me to say, Bangalore traffic can really kill a post-workout endorphin high. And being a Saturday night, the streets were rather packed.
Thankfully, all I needed to do was go home and curl up in bed. A good workout makes for really restful sleep, after all. I’m pretty sure I dreamed of more HydroFit sessions, though. Must go back and do this more often.
For those interested, Pooja teaches 3 HydroFit sessions at the JW Marriott Hotel Bengaluru every weekday (Monday through Friday). The first session is from 0630hrs to 0730hrs, the second session from 0900hrs to 1000hrs, and the final one from 1430hrs to 1530hrs. The fee for a month is INR 6500 plus taxes, which includes a one-hour session, as well as use of the lockers and shower facility. To register, you can get in touch with the JW Marriott Hotel Bengaluru.
Questions? Feedback? That’s what the comments section is for!
Beating DOMS With the Bodycraft Sports Massage
Dealing with DOMS? Ease the pain with a good Sports Massage, like the one at Bodycraft Spa in Bangalore!
PeeBuddy : For The Girl On The Go
As any woman who has done road travel in India would agree, our country is still severely lacking in clean, hygienic restroom facilities. PeeBuddy is here to save the day!
My New Year Resolutions for 2018
I’ve always been someone who believed that New Year Resolutions were made to be broken. To be fair, most people I know (or hear of) have usually broken their resolutions within the first fortnight of the year, if not sooner. Are we fooling ourselves into believing that a new revolution around the sun actually changes deeply ingrained habits in ourselves?
Maybe we are and maybe we aren’t. But I’d like to believe that no matter what the motivation, we are capable of making huge changes in our lives, just by putting our minds to it. And so I too, have put together my list of new year resolutions for 2018.
I resolve to try to be neater
Confession time: I’m a Messy Bessie. On any given day, my wardrobe looks like a tiny hurricane swept through it, and there’s usually a pile of clothes on one (or more) chairs, that I haven’t gotten around to folding yet. To be clear, I’m not dirty — far from it! But I’m miserably unorganised, and yes, very untidy. So topping my list of new year resolutions, is to attempt to be a little more organised, and a lot neater.
I resolve to try to eat smarter
Not less, not more. Just smarter. Over the past year of running TwitterGetsFitter, I’ve managed to gain a fair deal of knowledge about nutrition, and I’m going to try to implement all of that to improve my own eating habits. I have a horrible habit of eating fairly healthy through the week, and then bingeing on a tonne of sugar over the weekend. And while I’m not someone who would ever want to be obsessive about what she eats, I do know I can do better.
So next on my list of new year resolutions, is to work on finding my own balance as far as food is concerned.
I resolve to treat myself better
As most of us tend to be, I’m really hard on myself. I hold myself to near-impossible standards, and find it incredibly hard to forgive myself for not meeting them. From deadlines to bad hair days, I obsess over things far more than is healthy. I mean, I literally stay up nights stressed about whether a video I share was shot well enough, or whether my TwitterGetsFitter participants are enjoying the program and the content. Gah!
This year, I’m going to try and cut myself some slack. I think I deserve it.
I resolve to try at least two new workouts this year
In 2017, I tried kalaripayattu and the bungee workout, and they both blew my mind! Starting both was admittedly a little scary, and I didn’t know what to expect. But both these routines challenged my body in new and unique ways, and I fell in love with them. So yet another one on my list of new year resolutions, is to try (at least) two new workout routines in 2018. And if I can’t find them, well, I’ll just have to design something myself!
I resolve to be the best trainer and coach I can be
My TwitterGetsFitter tribe is such a huge part of my life now, and I want to make sure I do all I can to make them proud. And so rounding up my list of new year resolutions, is to do my best to provide them with the best information, motivation, and guidance that I possibly can, and to never let them down.
And there’s my resolutions for 2018. Have you made any? Tell me what they are in the comments! 😀
Happy New Year, my lovelies. May this year bring you everything you deserve, and more!
