‘Twining’ fitness to work-life balance

For a non-sportsperson, a working mother and a professional, Trupti Lendghar-Jadhav, Test Lead, Ericsson, fitness has become a passion in the past few years. With tough night-shifts to cater to, this mother of two who is always on her toes, gradually realised the importance of maintaining her stamina and building a workout schedule that continues to motivate her for achieving her fitness goals. An integral part of her lifestyle, fitness has gone beyond the initial benefits and translated into raising her own benchmarks and staying fit with zero mood swings. She has also introduced the joy of exercise to her eightyear old twin daughters who are often a part of her aerobics routine. The ability to handle herself better both physically and with greater mental strength at work and home is the ‘oxygen’ that comes with daily practise for this yoga, aerobics and zumba enthusiast

“Although people are aware and also agree on making lifestyle changes for fitness, most of it fails when it comes to following it with determination. There is a need to train our minds to understand that we are actually not that busy. If we devote an hour for fitness, it is going to re-fuel our next 23 hours,” said Trupti Lendghar-Jadhav, Test Lead, Ericsson, Pune.

Reversing the pain parameters

Trupti’s long work hours were dedicated to her night shifts for around 2-3 years that took a toll on her sleeping patterns which she countered by switching to a workout regime and gained through the related benefits. Once she started with her workouts, she starting eating healthy food and improved her lifestyle resulting in feeling fresh throughout the day. “On the work front, I was leading a team and my fitness enabled me to become disciplined in my approach to work. I learnt time management, and found time to exercise which I had been putting off as an excuse citing-lack of time”, said Trupti.

The second trigger to adapt to a healthy life style was her severe back pain. Five years ago, Trupti, a mother of twins, was also facing other ortho related problems of the knee and suffering from toe pain. This was when she realised the need to strengthen her body, by incorporating a regular exercise routine, as she strongly wanted to get rid of her pain points. “I was also gaining weight due to my sedentary office set up and was not too happy about it. Within 2-3 months after I started my fitness routine, my orthopaedic pain had become Iess severe and this inspired me to continue with my exercises,” she said.

Trupti’s prime goal is to live a healthy life, without any major ailments or diseases, which she believes is largely dependent on the mind and the body. “Also, I see my daughters as my motivators, we keep inspiring each other. I also like to see myself fitting into all my favourite dresses,” she said.

"I try to mix and match with different postures and intensity, and tune in to energetic music to keep me going"

The 6:6 daily grind

Trupti follows a 6 day workout schedule incorporating a six-meals-a-day balanced diet. She has incorporated a good combination of Yoga, abs, lower and upper body exercises, including aerobics and High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) as part of her cardio regime. The last day of her fitness time table is focused on relaxation stretches, to ease out for the weekend. Her typical workout is for a dedicated 60 to 90 minutes, comprising of warm ups, high pace cardio, Suryanamaskar, yogaasanas, stretching and pranayama (breathing techniques). “I try to mix and match with different postures and intensity, and tune in to energetic music to keep me going. I do aerobics along with my 8-year old twins, which gives me both happiness and health”, said Trupti.

She propagates eating at fixed intervals, small meals at a time. “With 6-small meals a day, I try to have a complete and balanced diet, including all the vitals. I do not refrain from having sweets if I do desire. But, I try to limit all forms of processed food and prefer to focus more on local food and the available variety,” she said. Trupti makes sure to have at least two fruits each day, a plateful of salad, sprouts or any one type of daal (lentils) with vegetables, along with either rice or chapatis and her daily dose of nuts and ghee (clarified butter).

The lockdown challenge

For Trupti, the most challenging phase was to reboot her exercise regime which had taken a complete backseat during the pandemic outbreak and the ensuing lockdown mode. There was a gap of almost three months, as Trupti’s productive time was all blocked with extra chores at home, with no maids to help and the added office workload. She was also preparing for a few certification exams on the professional front. “Each passing day would kill me from inside as I blamed myself and was not feeling too good about the lack of fitness. Finally, I did start off after a gap of three months, and I feel elated to have picked up my workout routine from where I had left off,” said Trupti.

It was initially difficult as she missed going to the gym and was overloaded with household chores as well as office work. “However, I have always put motivation factor ahead of me, and though it might be challenging at some hours, it is not difficult. I do go on guilt trips if I happen to miss my workout for any reason, which I almost don’t”, she said.

Reverse the lockdown blues

• Stick to a routine and plan your time as if to mimic actually going to the office.
• Balance work and personal life by working in a different room, without being disturbed or impacting office work.
• Take short lunch and tea breaks.
• Build a meaningful relationship and spend quality time with kids as a stress-buster.
• Reading for relaxation.
• Program some flexibility in work schedule; allow to also switch off work at fixed times of the day.

"I learnt time management, and managed to find time to exercise, which I had been putting off as an excuse citing - lack of time"

The power of All

Trupti has been an eager participant at the fitness workshops organised virtually by her office during the lockdown period. “Although they were virtual, I found them very helpful”, she said.

Besides being a self motivator, she also encourages and guides her colleagues, friends and family to start some sort of physical activities. “Some of them have started with Yoga, and are seeing good benefits, especially with underlying with issues of flexibility, body pain etc. I have also guided my mother and my daughter to perform few basic Pranayama’s, which they have been practicing daily.”

Building mental rigour

“Nothing is impossible and you can do it, is what I follow the most. Once this thought crosses your mind, you are strong enough to handle everything”, said Trupti.

Undoubtedly, her daily fitness routine has made her mentally stronger even when confined during the lockdown and the ongoing work from the home regime. Yoga has helped her to stay calm and keep her grounded and sane. “I am able to focus well at work, without any distractions and with full concentration. I have been engaged all day in some sort of activity, so yes except for missing travel, lockdown has not affected me very much. Accepting and moving on with the current situation has become much simpler as a fallout of practising daily fitness. Besides, I also invest some time in meditation and breathing,” said Trupti.

Mind Tips:

• Never give up, even in difficult and challenging situations.
• Do not get bogged down by the current situation which is going to take time to ease.
• Accept certain situations and circumstances the way they are.
• Adapt, accept and move on, to make life simpler.

Back to the future

Trupti’s constant will to succeed has added a few dimensions for self improvement. “There are a few yogaasanas, which I am not confident at and have not practiced them yet, my immediate goal is to work on those. I want to extend my plank limit to five minutes which is currently about two to three minutes and I would like to engage more into meditation and ‘dhyana’,” she said.

“Let us all make a conscious effort towards enhancing our overall physical and mental health through regular workouts, healthy food, sleep and lifestyle, for long lasting fitness and happiness”, signs off Trupti.