Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You have participated in marathons & races? According to you what kind of fitness level are essentials. Your best experience ever. 5 significant key factors to keep in mind while preparing for the marathon?
Ms. Swetha Devaraj:
Yes, I love running. It’s my meditation. I don’t run to win, I run because I enjoy it. When I was training in tennis as a young kid, I had an amazing gentleman who helped me a little with mind work, Mr. Raghu told me that whatever I do I should try to enjoy it, then only I will do well. It took me a while to implement that in tennis but my brain had processed it very well by the time I became a runner so overtime I competed I never ran to win, I still don’t and I make sure I run races in scenic places so I can enjoy my run and at the same time it is challenging. I have run more than 30 races in and around the world. Won quite a few as well but I feel like I won’t those because I would enjoy running and really got into the spirit of running. But of course I trained specifically for these races and I worked very hard during training times so that whatever my coach’s goals were for me, I could achieve that without struggling.
To run long distance,
- You have been patient,
- Be willing to put in the effort into something very boring and
- Be open to cross-training like weight training and functional fitness as its very important for all runners to focus on strength, proper nutrition,
- This is a game-changer as its very important to eat to perform,
- Lastly supplements that will repair you, build you and keeps you healthy.
Running is a high-impact sport and the joints and muscles go through constant wear and tear so strengthening for the sport is essential.
My best experience to date was the Bromo half marathon in Indonesia which I won but had no clue I won and I was just. Happy I finished the grueling uphill race with a view of the spectacular mount promo volcano.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Share insight into your daily fitness routine? What form of exercise do you enjoy the most?
Ms. Swetha Devaraj:
I run everyday, almost every day but it’s different every day with distance and intensity. But on the days I do short runs, I lift heavy. On the days I do long runs I keep it to a short HIIT session. I practice animal flow attest 2 or 3 times a week. I also love incorporating CrossFit workouts and a lot of hand balancing.
I really can’t pick one because I would be lost without any of these but for sure running is my go-to workout, I can’t start my day without it.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Working women often complain finding it hard to balance personal & professional life, leaving them with less time for fitness & workout?
According to you how significant is fitness? How do you go about balancing being a health care professional & a trainer?
Ms. Swetha Devaraj:
I truly believe that if we want something we will go after it and once we prioritize things then we can get organized and somehow we will make things work. Women are superhumans, we are made to multitask, how we do it is unique for each person. I highly suggest all women make it a priority to work out that will help them above and beyond just being physically fit. It also makes everyone efficiently handle things at home, work, and personal lives.
Currently, I have given up my hospital job as a vascular sonologist but when I did, I used to start my days at 4 a.m. to train people and then go off to the hospital. It felt like I needed more hours in a day because there was so much to do and so little time. Earlier, I worked out around 4-5 am and trained clients at 5-6 am, took group sessions at 6-9 am, run to the hospital, and after 4-5 pm its the same cycle of training clients till I came home and did online training till I passed out. But these were the initial stages when I was trying to optimize things.
Now I run an online training company called “sweatyninjas” with my business partner Devrath Vijay where we train clients all over the world holistically and make them fitter, healthier, and more independent.
