“You’re going to cover an event about fitness?” My 18-year-old doubled up in laughter. Though annoyed at the reaction, I had to admit that he had a point. I’m one who firmly believes that exercise was invented to make my life doubly difficult, not to mention my fitness-freak husband. My incendiary statements about exercise should have set countless gyms afire.
Yet here I was at the launch of Dr. Sheela Nambiar’s book Gain to Lose , trying to look as if I fit into this crowd of impeccably turned-out women who obviously took the topic seriously.
The launch itself was a fairly quick and no-nonsense affair. Shobana Kumar, poet and member of the Coimbatore Arts and Theatrical Society (CATS), opened the proceedings by asking the chief guest to release the book.
Once the book was shown and the photos taken, Shrivyshnavi Annush, director of online fashion portal Pookari.com and chairperson of the Coimbatore chapter of the FICCI Ladies Organisation, spoke of her nine-year journey to fitness. She had most women in the audience nodding in agreement as she spoke about how her family would trot out familiar misconceptions about women and working out. “I am glad I can give my mother this book,” she said, amid general laughter.
The misconceptions around women and fitness were among the topics that Shobana and the author discussed during their conversation. It was evident that Sheela had no patience with beliefs such as “Women will become bulky if they train with weights”, or “women who do weight training develop chest hair and a gruff voice”.
“No, no and no,” she exclaimed emphatically. “All that has to do with the male hormone testosterone and nothing to do with weight training. In fact weight training not only helps you lose weight but also makes you stronger to cope with all the myriad tasks that a woman has to deal with.”
And with that we came to that much-discussed topic: Weight loss. With her leading questions, Shobana covered a range of topics dealing with weight loss: From finding time, to diet and dealing with issues like anorexia and bulimia. Sheela’s answers were practical. Speaking of advising teenagers, she said wryly, “We’ve all been there, done that. That’s an age where you know everything. So if you’re advising a teenager who has a specific problem, she’s more likely to listen to you. But the others... they may listen but the attitude is ‘oh well, another lecture’.”
The other aspect is the teenager’s access to the outside world. They try to emulate what they see as ideal; one that is largely media-driven — said with a ‘sorry’ to the couple of journalists in the audience. “But who is to say what is ideal?” she demanded rather fiercely. In any case, she says, “your life is more than just a number on a weighing scale.”
Shobana also raised the question of Sheela’s own journey into fitness. “There was no epiphany as such,” said the doctor. “I began practising in 1994 (she’s an obstetrician and gynaecologist) and was advising many of my patients about the need to stay fit. About six years later, I decided to get trained as a fitness and lifestyle consultant.” Given that this is her second book, Shobana wondered about the research involved. “There’s plenty,” said Sheela. “It’s a huge field and there are plenty of journals to current findings. Like the set point theory I mention in the book.” This theory posits that once the body recognises a weight at which it can function optimally, weight loss becomes difficult. “The only way you can counter it is by building muscle. If you’re focussing on cardio, you’ll struggle to lose weight.”
Exercise is really not part of our culture, said an audience member. Sheela agreed but insisted that change had to be made. “We have yoga but, given how much our lifestyles have changed, it doesn’t address all the needs.”
To Shobana’s question about what troubled her most and what gave her hope, Sheela’s responded, “The fact that many women are not able to work out is very troubling. They have to work at home, then at office… They need support from friends, families and employers. We have lots of talks and discussions on what women should do but how much they can do is debatable. Hope… the fact that so many people are turning up for events like this. I hope it makes a change in someone’s life.”
Published - March 24, 2016 05:01 pm IST
