Let’s be honest, the January month is dedicated to planning our fitness new years resolutions and purchasing our brand new Nike or Gym Shark fitness clothing, not to mention stealing a few pieces of the Christmas dinner and late Christmas present leftovers and chocolates that take so long to eat our way through. The February month is when we really action our new year’s resolution of getting fitter and healthier and clearing our minds to work on improving and bettering the self. OurSoch took this opportunity to talk to our Bhangra dancing and fitness-fused Charu Singh (Instagram: @brownbillo) on tips and advice on fitness.
What were your New Years fitness resolutions this 2019?
I honestly didn’t have one this year. I read somewhere that when you start speaking your goals out loud your mind tricks you into thinking that 50% of the task has been done so you don’t work as harder. So I decided not to make a New Years resolution and just do what I do on the daily to make me healthy mentally and physically.
What is your daily fitness routine to reach those goals?Â
Ok so I know I said I don’t have a resolution BUT I do have fitness goals. I know kind of confusing. My daily fitness routine differs. I USED to be stuck on the cardio machines and barely saw change. So I started to experiment; I do tons of strength training, tabata, HIIT workouts. All these still involve cardio and weights but you aren’t stuck on a machine for an hour so it doesn’t get boring. I usually warm up with basics like squat jumping jacks and stretching. Then depending on the day it’s usually the body part exercises like pull-ups and curls for upper body and squats and lunges for lower body etc. I usually end my workouts with a quick 5 mins run because it makes feel like I killed it.Â
How do you work around the Desi dietary lifestyle of pranthe, chole pature into maintaining a diet that fits your goals?
So that’s where you need to BALANCE. I do have the parathe and chaat and butter chicken but its not everyday. It’s mostly on my cheat days. when I first started I didn’t stop eating roti. That’s what my body was fed since I came out of the womb so like I couldn’t stop that. Instead of having two rotis twice a day I had one roti once a day, that way I got the homemade cooked meal and I didn’t feel I was banning the Indian foods completely.
What is your favourite gym wear and why?
Honestly people who know me know that my favorite gymwear is GYMSHARK!!!! I tell everyone to give me gift cards of it, it’s not exactly the cheapest. The clothes are so comfortable and honestly worth the money. Also, most leggings are squat proof which is huugggeeeee.Â
What do you tell yourself to stay motivated when at the gym?
It’s hard. There are days when I take my pre-workout and just kill the workout and walk out like a boss. There are days when I can barely finish my workout and no song or podcast helps. There are definitely days when I drive to the gym, sit in my car for 15 minutes and then drive back home. Honestly, this is something no matter how fit you are it’s something everyone struggles with. My best advice to people ( and to myself) is that take it day by day. You will have good days and bad days. On your bad days move on, don’t beat yourself up on it. Take that bad day lesson and visualize ok I’m here and this is where I want to be and well today was just working out so it’s ok tomorrow I’ll kill it. Have a game plan and give yourself a break.Â
What fitness and health advice would you give to our readers who are trying to find a fitness routine that suits them? YOU ARE YOU. Your fitness journey ( whether you are trying to gain or lose) is NOTHING I repeat NOTHING compared to the really hot girl or really buff guy in the gym. There journey and struggles are different and so are yours. When you start comparing your body to someone else’s that is when you do more damage not only physically but mentally. I speak from experience, one of the worst things you can do on this journey is compare. Regardless of where you are in your journey, look at YOUR accomplishments and be proud. Compete against yourself not others. If you did 5 pushups today then be like no that isn’t good I will do 8 push-ups tomorrow because I want to beat myself NOT someone. Appreciate yourself and watch how your body and mind change.Â
What fitness website would you recommend to our readers?
So I definitely think that bodybuilding.com (https://www.bodybuilding.com/index.html) is an amazing all in one site. They have everything you possibly need, with all the advice and tips required regardless of your experience level.
Charu Singh (@brownbillo) is a 23 year old Delhi born south asian, who grew up in Boston MA. She works as a manufacturing associate for a biotech company called Moderna Therapeutics. Aside from biotechs, she also has a passion in all things related to beauty and does makeup tutorials and makeup looks on Instagram.