Fitness Diva Of The Month – Sonali Swami
She recently won the Fit Factor by Body Power India and Muscle Mania, held last year. Sonali Swami is a certified Zumba and Bowka instructor and recently proved to the society that body building is not just meant for men. She has done her hotel management degree from Institute of Hotel Management Gwalior and schooling from KendriyaVidyala, Calcutta. Breaking the barriers of the society, we all have something to learn from her. The most important thing being the way she balances her family life with her fitness career.
Sonali talk about her expedience in an exclusive interview with Abraxas NU.
You recently won the Fit Factor by Body Power and Muscle Mania, how do you feel about your success?
It is an amazing feeling. To get into the fitness field, you lead a very hard life, you stick to a routine, follow strict diet plans, spend 4-5 hours in the gym and push yourself even more every day. It’s not at all easy. I won at a time when I didn’t even have a personal trainer. I did everything myself. As soon as I got to know about this competition, I started training non-stop and gave my 100 per cent in it.
Hotel Management to Zumba and then weight training, what inspired you to get into the fitness field?
Although I did hotel management, I always loved dancing. I took classes for dance as well as aerobics. Very few people know that I am also a kathak dancer. After having my second child, I wanted to lose weight and become fit. However, cardio was just not sufficient enough. That is the time when I realised that weight training would definitely benefit me. After that, I got into it and now I have the much talked-about six pack abs.
Tell us little a bit about your family? Do you think it is hard to balance between family and the fitness career?
Currently, I am based in Bangalore. My family consists of my husband and two children. The credit of my success goes mainly to my husband, who has supported me throughout this difficult journey. I have been married for the past 15 years. According to me, it is very important to balance between your career and family. Thankfully, it hasn’t been much of a trouble for me because my children are old enough and are pretty independent. Giving time to family is extremely essential and is a must.
Girls with a six pack are still a lesser known thing in India. What are your thoughts about it and what are you doing to promote it?
I think things are gradually changing in India as people are becoming more open about the concept of female fitness. Go on Facebook and you will find hundreds of girls trying to compete with each other on the fitness space and I am sure that things will be even brighter in the near future. I myself want more and more women to enter into this field. We currently have a Facebook page in which we motivate other women. We also hold seminars and workshops to make the idea of female fitness known to people. I will try to do as much as I can to promote female fitness.
Tell us about your daily fitness routine and about the classes you hold.
I start my day with 30-45 minutes of cardio and then go for my classes. If not, then I run the treadmill for half an hour. My main work-out is in the evening. I train people mainly in Zumba and Bowka. Zumba is a Latin dance fitness workout with a lot of leg work. It includes both low and high density excercises. Bowka, on the other hand, is a non-stop one hour class and is a mixture of street dancing and martial arts. Bowka has no choreography. Between both of them, Zumba is much more popular. I also teach Bollywood dance numbers.
What are your future plans in the fitness space?
After winning the Fit Factor by the Body Power India and Muscle Mania in 2014, I wanted to go for overseas competitions. Since my coach is from Australia, I am planning to take part in the body building competition in Melbourne, which is likely to take place in March or October. I might also take part in the Body Expo Fit Factor 2015, nothing is confirmed though.
Tell us about your diet.
In the off-season I consume 1800-2000 calories every day. Two months before competitions start, I lose this weight by fully dedicating myself into fitness training. I consume eggs, fish and chicken on a daily basis, as they have high content of proteins. Also, a large amount of salads and vegetables, which keep me healthy throughout.
Girls with a six pack look attractive and sexy. Do you agree with this?
Yes, definitely! Our society still thinks that six pack abs are meant for men and not women. According to them, women should behave in a traditional manner and not get into the fields meant for men. However, as I said, things are in the process of changing and now men and women both are appreciated for their hard work.
Who are your role models in the fitness criteria?
I consider every woman in the fitness field giving her 100 per cent as a role model. Personally, I look up to DeepikaChowdhury.
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