Many of us go through the struggle of finding ways to motivate ourselves to stay fit. The Week set out to talk to those people who have found ways to motivate themselves to work out to find out how they manage to stay focused on fitness.
For better self image
Amshu Dali
When I started working out, it was purely to lose weight. Having always been on the heavier side, I had always wanted to have a lean body. So one day, about three years ago, I just decided to join Zumba. When my stamina gradually increased, I wanted to join a more intense cardio session and I joined the gym. I follow Deepa and Gurbani Judge (VJ Bani) on Instagram and they serve as an inspiration every day. The changes I see in my body and the stamina I build are what keep me going.
‘Fitness centers have mushroomed but aren’t fully systematic’
The changes aren’t apparent immediately but when you see them, they give you another motivational blast to work out. Personally for me working out is my stress buster and it helps me clear my mind. It’s not necessary that you need to spend three to four hours at the gym and work out. Just a little healthier choice of food and a little bit of exercise will definitely make you more feel much better about yourself.
I don’t follow any specific diet but I had been bulking up for about two months to gain muscle weight so I have been eating equal amounts of protein and carbs. I plan to further reduce carb intake and take more protein slowly.
Striving to be healthy and fit
Bipashi Tuladhar
When I went to the States, I gained 40 kilos in three years because I would keep eating all the oily fast food. When I came back, I struggled with my weight for about five years. My stamina was so bad that if I walked for 10 minutes I would start wheezing. I honestly thought I would die and that really scared me. I immediately called my friend Kriti Limbu who is a certified fitness instructor and she charted out a food routine for me.
I didn’t start out too big, only made little changes in my diet. I started out with eating oats instead of rice and gradually moved to having boiled and steamed food. It really isn’t as bad as it sounds. I still put spices in my food but I avoided fried food at all costs. I lost so much weight from just eating right that I decided to join the gym in January this year. I made a promise to myself that I would go for 30 days and see if it worked for it. I stuck to it for 30 days and I lost about 9 kilos.
I felt better about myself and so much lighter too. After this, I haven’t looked back. I work out five to six days a week where I do Zumba for an hour, one to one and a half hours of cardio and one to one and a half hours of weight lifting. If I cannot make it to the cardio sessions in the evening, I fit in a jog in the morning. It’s getting colder though so that only happens once in a while.
Inspiration Hollywood
Priyesh Shrestha
Watching Sylvester Stallone in all his Rocky movies working out to the beats of “Eye of the Tiger” is what inspired me to join the gym around two years ago. When I did, I found that I really enjoyed going to the gym and working out. It’s the one time of the day I really look forward to. I change my workout routine every three months and currently I’m doing a three-day split that consists of push, pull, and leg day. Push workout includes workouts that don’t use the triceps whereas the pull workouts don’t use the biceps and forearms.
I have no restrictions when it comes to food. Food, for me is love, and unless they are allergic to it I believe people should eat what they want, when they want. Training is not just about the external ‘gains’ you make. The internal gains outweigh the external gains. Sure, you start looking better but the internal growth that it makes you go through is powerful. You begin to understand that work and consistency are of paramount importance in training, as it is with everything else in life. The real values of working out and training for me have been who I had to become in the process and every lesson it has taught me.
