Sheetal Patil, Head Coach
Fitness involves the performance of the heart and lungs, our musculoskeletal system and, since what we do with our bodies also affects what we can do with our minds, fitness also influences psychological aspects such as mental alertness and emotional stability.
When clients join Netrin, most share a common goal: achieving physical fitness. It's no surprise - the benefits are well-known, from preventing illness and injury to boosting energy levels and enhancing appearance.
I want to share a very inspiring journey of one our clients. As a coach, it was a pleasure to see her work towards her goals a day at a time, a month at a time, to achieve “physical fitness” despite the many challenges she faced.
Initial Challenges
Greeshma is a young IT professional in her early 30’s. We identified various aspects she would need guidance and training for to reach her goals.
Endurance and strength - lower back pain, breathlessness with stair climbing
Physiology - misalignment in her menstrual cycle patterns, lack of energy throughout the day
Nutrition - unable to feel hunger naturally, and higher body weight
Psychological - self confidence, lack of social support towards the changes she wished to make
Setting Goals
Upon understanding her goals, barriers and current fitness level with the Checkpoint test we set a few clear, simple and achievable goals
Exercise for short durations at least 3 - 4 days each week for the first few weeks.
Climb 1 flight of staircase each day at home and at work for the first few weeks
Start incorporating fruits as snacks in place of salty/fried foods
Get up and walk around for 2 -3 minutes or do some of the warm up exercises multiple times a day
At the start of her journey with Netrin, Greeshma preferred to exercise indoors only and showed a strong resistance to go outdoors. Understanding her preference, we started her with short duration (15 - 20 min) training in HR Zones 1 and 2 for cardio and some low intensity, isolated and compound strength exercises that she could easily complete at home.
With the goal of building consistency first, her total training hours for the 1st month were 14 hours with an average daily training load of around 15 to 25.
Sweat, smile, repeat: Consistency is key!
Greeshma started experiencing the benefits of this effort within 2 weeks of starting the program. She felt a sense of freshness throughout the day and was more rested with same number of sleep hours. While her back pain still continued at this point but, she was successful in being able to climb 4 floors without any breathlessness.
As we continued with her training, she felt comfortable to exercise for 30 minutes each day. Her work and sleeping patterns were still the same as before.
Eating with intention: Progressing towards health
We provided Greeshma with general nutrition guidelines to support her goals, starting with improving at least one meal of the day and provided guidelines on how to read and understand food labels.. Eating a healthier breakfast – make wise choices out of the options available to eat.
In a month, her feeling of hunger was back. This was a critical improvement since natural hunger signals are regulated by hormones like ghrelin (which stimulates appetite) and leptin (which signals fullness). These hormones work together to maintain hunger and satiety in response to the body's energy needs. When we eat without feeling hunger, whether due to emotional triggers, stress, or habitual snacking, we may end up consuming more than our body actually needs. This is often referred to as "mindless eating1."
The challenge Greeshma continued to face was an inablility to get her periods. Few years ago, when she had experienced irregularity in her menstrual cycle, within a month of daily physical exercise, her cycle had regularized. This was not the case this time and was a cause of anxiety for her. We suggested her to meet with a gynaecologist for the same.
Building momentum, one healthy choice at a time
By the end of 5 months of training, Greeshma improved her sleep hours to 6-8 hours per night from the initial 4-6 hours, and had made positive changes in her meal patterns - reducing sweets, fried snacks, and tea/coffee intake.
She had shopped for new clothes to fit her improved physique with reduction in body fat percentage where in before she used to hide behind lose fitting clothes.
Her exercise duration on the weekends had increased to 45 minutes while comfortably completing HIIT sessions as well. Oh, and the back pain… absolute history!!!
It took nearly six months to get her to exercise outdoors at least on the weekends. This is a psychological barrier commonly faced by many, and for some it can be due to lack of safe and accessible outdoor facilities.
Outdoor workouts feel better than indoor exercise for a variety of reasons, ranging from the physical benefits of fresh air and sunlight to the psychological rewards of nature’s calming effect. Exercising outside also gives you a boost of Vitamin D, reduces stress, and increases motivation, making it a fun and energizing way to stay fit.
Eight months into training, along with her gynaecologist, we continue to make changes in her lifestyle to help manage her PCOS. PCOS is a condition influenced by both genes and the environment. Certain genetic factors can make someone more likely to develop PCOS, while lifestyle choices like being sedentary, malnutrition leading to weight gain can increase the risk. Being overweight can make PCOS symptoms worse because it leads to higher insulin resistance, which can intensify issues like irregular periods.
Bye-bye couch potato, hello fitness hero
The journey in her own words -
“A person who forgot to enjoy walking now looks forward to outdoor cardio sessions. A person who hated running is now preparing for a 10k run. A person who struggled with years of sleep deprivation is now finally able to sleep on time. Almost a year with Netrin has transformed me so much that I love the changes & the new me.”
Greeshma has come a long way in keeping her health and fitness as a priority. Within the past 1 year, she was actively exercising for 336 days with breaks in training only due to illness and yes, scheduled rest days are very much a part of her training plan.
Her plans were customized on a weekly basis as we closely montiored her training load and recovery for each session. Her accountability manager (AM) added layers of motivation and support making this journey less overwhelming. Netrin’s friendly community challenges kept pushing her to give her best effort.
As a coach I take tremendous pride in her achievements. In a world where work can feel like it never ends, mindfully switching off is more important than ever. It has been a long battle for Greeshma to actively keep her work “at work” and dedicate time for herself each evening, be it to spend time with her family, meal prep for the week, or develop new hobbies. Her journey is a testament to the power of small, consistent changes. Greeshma has showed that with the right mindset, guided structured training and by trusting the process, you can breakdown the barriers and achieve your goals.
Ready to start your own journey? Identify one small change you can make today and build from there. We would love to hear your goals. Do share them with us and let’s inspire each other to reach new heights!
Your Health is Your Greatest Asset—Connect with us to Train Together to Protect It! 💪
Sheetal Patil, Head Coach at Netrin, is India's first American College of Sports Medicine(ACSM)-certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist. A cardio fitness specialist, a gym enthusiast and a dedicated, albeit somewhat reluctant marathoner, Coach Sheetal not only cherishes the camaraderie of fellow runners but also relishes the culinary delights post-run.
References
Physiology, Obesity Neurohormonal Appetite And Satiety Control
Anthony Y. Yeung; Prasanna Tadi.
Comments