Episode 3: My Journey To Stay Fit with Vinodini Iyer

2 months before

1. What made you take up this journey of staying fit?

I have always had a slender frame since childhood. But as years passed, with the arrival of my son and the obvious weight gain that followed, I realized that it wasn't so easy to keep the weight off as in my younger days. That's when I actually started watching what I was eating. I tried to keep myself active, although I started exercising only a few years back. I am not regular when it comes to exercises, especially since I am not a gym person at all but I do enjoy walking and doing a few stretches at home. I recently undertook a detox program after noticing that my weight was going up at an alarming rate. It helped me pull down a lot of those pounds. I am yet to get to my ideal weight but I'm now determined on not letting the scales tip on the higher end.

2. What's the biggest challenge you faced on this journey?

The biggest challenge I faced on this journey was my erratic work schedule. My work as a visual merchandiser for retail stores required me to be either glued to the computer for the whole day, travel and live out of suitcases for days or be on my feet for long hours to set up and beautify stores. So, my lifestyle would swing between sedentary or extremely draining physical activity. In such a scenario maintaining a healthy diet pattern and exercising regularly was the biggest challenge I faced. I would try to work around it by doing the right things on days when my body could cope with it physically.

Before joining TBC fitness group

3. Did your family support you in this journey? In what way did you need their support?

My family has always been supportive when it came to fitness, especially my mum and my son. My

mum would always coax me to go that extra mile and help me through this journey by preparing healthy and wholesome meals. My son is a fitness enthusiast himself, would encourage me to exercise regularly.

4. How much do you think diet is part of your journey?

For me, what I eat contributes to 70% of the end results. I have never been regular with exercise but it is only the healthy eating habits that have helped me keep fit. Thankfully, both I and my mum are blessed with small appetites and that helps. As per Hindu beliefs, the right portion one should consume for a meal should be the size of what fits into your palms and I follow this rule meticulously. I try to eat something every two hours and keep myself hydrated by sipping on the water all through the day.  Being a foodie, I do have my cheat days but I try and balance it on other days.

5. How can joining a group of dedicated weight watchers help you? Do you feel our group TBC Fitness has motivated you in any way?

I believe any group activity can keep your motivation levels high in the particular activity you're pursuing. For example, I recently started going for brisk walks with a friend in the neighborhood park. Before that, I used to walk alone on my terrace and I wasn't really regular with that routine. However, ever since we have started walking together, I and my friend enjoy this activity thoroughly and we try to make sure we don't miss it even for a day if we could avoid it.

TBC Fitness has especially made me aware of how committed others are about their fitness regimes and in turn motivated me to stick to my own fitness commitments. Both Rubina and Janaki try to keep everyone going by their own passion for fitness.

6. How can we as a group improve?

I feel the only small change we could make is by coming out with alternative methods on how the members could include exercise and diet changes in their routine, besides doing the regular gym and diet plan. We could probably brainstorm on such topics someday on a live chat, maybe on Twitter.

7. What is the one line you would like to say to those who are still thinking if they should or not start a fitness plan.

Go for it, the results are worth every bit of the efforts!

After joining TBC fitness group

Meet Vinodini Iyer

Vinodini Iyer is a design professional and a creative specialist. She has worked in the retail sector as a visual merchandiser and a fashion stylist for various well-known brands. Having worked closely with fashion brands she has always been fond of dressing well. Her motivation for a well-balanced lifestyle comes from her desire to retain a healthy glow and wear whatever she wishes to without stressing on the sizes.

Her professional assignments keep her on her toes, allowing her to explore new places and indulge in spontaneous adventures. She writes on various topics of her interest, namely, food, travel, fashion, parenting, and self-help. Her blog ifsbutsandsetcs.com  is an amalgamation of her thoughts, experiences, pieces of fiction and poetry woven in her mind which find themselves translated into narrations in her writing.  She is a published author with her short stories published in anthologies and she looks forward to releasing her solo debut sometime when the time is right.