Simran Khosla
Simran Khosla is a nutritionist and a lifestyle coach who represented India in the Women Economic Forum in 2019, a platform that acknowledges women entrepreneurs from around the world. She was felicitated as a Young Leader and Innovator in the same. Simran works as a full-time lifestyle coach through her Instagram, and helps people become fitter, healthier version of themselves by giving them customized fitness plans and goals.
We were in conversation with her, see what you have got take away from her
What was your starting point of being a nutritionist/lifestyle coach?
Being a lifestyle coach wasn't something that I had always thought that I would be. I have an educational background in finance and would put all my energy into studies. But somewhere along the line, I knew that I wasn't really happy from within. I had thought of following a conventional career path in commerce, but I was so dissatisfied from life that I sunk into depression. Four years ago, this is where fitness found me. Being healthy gave me a purpose, set my mind off the negativity. A run in the park would make me happier than good grades ever could. This is when I realised that being fit could bring a positive effect on a lot more lives, and that people just needed to be more aware of what happiness a good lifestyle beholds! Hence, I took up on myself to bring good health to their doorsteps.
What does your morning look like?
I start my day with a quick workout. It gets me charged and pumped up, putting me in a better mood instantly. I also like to drink around a litre of water, as 7 to 8 hours of sleep can make you quite dehydrated. I'm more into marathons and weightlifting, which I've been doing for around 4 years, and have started doing pilates and yoga recently.
What could be changed about how we treat health and fitness?
I feel that we don't take health as seriously as we should. In my life as well, I feel that health should have been a part of me from the very start. Good eating habits and exercising should be incorporated into a child's early care. When he asks for chips, give him an apple. That is how are you make someone adapt a healthy lifestyle. A way forward step would be having a separate curriculum for the health enthusiasts, where you can choose being a lifestyle coach or a fitness guru as a career.
Tell us something about your international award at WEF,'19. Also, what would you tell someone who wants to be what you are?
So, Women Economic Forum is a platform that gives recognition to women entrepreneurs from around the world for the work that they are doing and how it is making a difference. In 2019, I had the chance to represent India in the same, and I won an award for Young Leader and Innovator. It is a great feeling to be felicitated for something you believe in. Little changes can help you lead an exponentially better life! If someone wants to follow the same path that I did, I would want them to find the determination that's required to make things happen. Nowadays everyone wants an unconventional career and being a social media influencer tops the list. When I started out my journey two years ago, I didn't have a single other person to name who was a lifestyle influencer. If you want to do what I do, you need to completely transform yourself into a person who others draw inspiration from. You need to leave your comfort zone and live the lifestyle you preach till the very last strand. If you can do it, then welcome aboard!
What's a common fitness belief that is actually a myth?
That lifting weights makes your muscles bulge out like those of Arnold Schwarzenegger! A lot of times I've seen women shying away from weightlifting due to this misconception. Women can't match the testosterone level of men; hence our arms will only become more toned and not bulky. Also, people with huge biceps take some form of steroids to make them grow. Plain weightlifting will only do you good!
Women come with a set of complications in health. What kind of diet will work across seasons?
Good, natural, wholesome food works for every individual, and of course that needs to be customised according to what works best for you. If a person is suffering from PCOS, sugars need to be reduced and healthy fats need to be increased. If you suffer from diabetes or thyroid, you need your hormones to be at peace and not experiment a lot with your diet. Include greens, omit processed food and you should be good to go. Women shouldn't be drinking coffee or alcohol during their periods, as it amplifies the discomfort.
What is more effective? Diet or exercise?
You'll see a lot of people breaking up the priority to 70% diet and 30% exercise. However, I prefer the model of 100% diet and 100% exercise. If you are fuelling yourself, you need to burn it out too. You lose weight in the kitchen, but to tone your body you will have to hit the gym. You supposedly can lose 10 kg by following the correct diet, but your body will still be out of shape unless you use the gear to shape it into perfection.
How can we incorporate fitness into our busy work schedules?
Every person, no matter how busy, does have 20 spare minutes every day. The time you lie on the bed and scroll through your feed, can easily be given to working out or dedicated to eating healthy. You can complete a full body workout in 20 minutes, and if you follow it 5 days a week, your fitness goals aren't that far away.
What are your thoughts about the brand Skyria? What do you feel about the Skyria's Ambassador program?
The clothes are really, really comfortable and are great for exercising in. I personally prefer their padded bras over the non-padded ones. I also love their trackpants and have been using those regularly. Good workout clothes make you feel agile and motivate you to hit the tracks, hence it a win win! The Skyria Ambassador program is great for creating ground level awareness among the people about the benefits of good health and an active lifestyle. You need to feel connected to the cause in order to practice it, and stories of regular people taking health seriously and making a profession out of it build the connection quite well.
Here are Simran's favourite Skyria workout clothes: