“I have re-discovered myself” Shruti’s Story

“I invested in a personal trainer at the gym but my weight just went up and up.” said Shruti.

“I was eating healthy, exercising, doing yoga, training and I did not understand why I couldn’t get results. There was a constant fight and noise in my head; I did not appreciate myself in the mirror. Honestly, I felt like a failure and I needed a solution. I kept looking at the transformations on Body Smart’s Instagram page and wondered if I would ever have a story to tell.”

Thankfully, Shruti took action, messaged us, jumped on a call and enrolled on our life-changing 1:1 fitness, nutrition and mindset coaching program FINALLY getting the results she deserved.

She was paired with coach Alex, who said “Shruti is the epitome of the “Cut the BS” attitude. From the moment we started working together, she took whatever action was necessary to reach her goals. When she wasn’t in a deficit, she immediately took a look at tracking and improved.”

“When she felt she wasn’t putting in enough effort, she reached out for extra accountability and then took it upon herself to motivate the group in case anyone else was also struggling. Shruti has now lost 12kg, reduced the mind monkies in her head, eliminated the knee pain she was experiencing and started to believe that she is powerful and unstoppable. And she is right.”

We asked Shruti to tell us more about her life changing journey of coaching with Body Smart.

What was life like for you before Body Smart?

Shruti said, “I moved to Dubai almost 4 years ago. Currently, I lead the Learning and Development function for a UAE based company. My work is quite sedentary and mind consuming. Settling into a new country all by yourself with no support system was a challenge. I am on my toes from morning until I hit my bed at night and I have to be accountable for everything personally as well as professionally.”

“I am mindful about eating; I balance my meals and junk intake. I know the difference between physical vs emotional hunger. Consciously, I move more, park my vehicle far away or take stairs. I walk inside my house later in the evening instead of lazing on the couch. I love walking.

What attracted you to Body Smart coaching?

I fumbled upon BSF on Instagram. Might have been a transformation story as I watched a lot of those then. When I started going through the pages, the images and stories struck me. The women looked real and the transformations genuine, also, whatever I read it resonated with what I was feeling internally. I dropped a message and Jaymie reached out instantly, scheduled a call with his partner, Jim. Of course, I had my inhibitions and doubts about it as there is a lot that’s been selling on social media. On our first call, the only question Jim wanted to know was why this was important and honestly, I did not have a real answer to it. It came it me on my first call with my coach Terry when I really thought why it was important. All I wanted at that moment was someone who could lead me to where I wanted to be and tell me where I was going wrong.

What results have you achieved so far? Mentally, physically, emotionally or other wins?

Emotionally, I have never felt better. I am at peace with myself and with that comes a lot of clarity in life. I think about the future and what can I do better, professionally and as a human being. I am learning to forgive and not carry the burden. I am learning to take a stand in my personal relationships. I am much stronger physically and my body shape is better. The weights I lift in the gym, I never thought I was capable of earlier, I could do planks of 2 min, I can run on the treadmill, do squats with weights, enjoy deadlifts all without a trainer. The pain in my knees is gone, noise in my head has vanished, my heart is full of gratitude and in the whole process, and my body is 12 kilos lighter ☺

What kind of things were you doing in the past to try to achieve these results?

Strength training, cardio, yoga, Zumba, all other fitness classes etc. I tried Keto a couple of times but couldn’t sustain for more than 2 weeks, no carbs diet, n junk food diet, fat loss supplements, intermittent fasting, etc.

What was different this time around? Why did this work for you?

I always thought I had a healthy lifestyle at least for the last couple of years. I was going to the gym, doing yoga, Zumba and various other fitness classes. I was never much into eating junk food and ate home-cooked food most of the time. Despite all that, I kept on piling kilos on my body (I gained 10-12 kgs in a span of 2 years). I would start exercising and not fitting into clothes or an extra pound on the scale will completely puncture my enthusiasm. I was frustrated; I could not understand what was wrong. My struggles were only mine, I did not really have anyone to share or discuss and figure out a solution. The trainers at the gym take accountability of only 1 hour but what happens for the remaining 23 is never their problem.

This time, the difference was education, reasoning and logics. I always say it is an education program. I learnt the importance of consistency, building sustainable habits, moving away from old mindsets and breaking myths. I never valued the importance of small daily actions and compounding effect. I learnt that a healthy lifestyle is not about going to the gym and lifting weights but an overall mindset of understanding that not all days will be the same, listening to my body, praising my body, and moving away from being perfect.

I have never before thanked my body after a workout, which I do now as a practice.

What was the coaching journey like for you in terms of mindset, nutrition and fitness support? How did you find it?

Journey with Body Smart was one of a kind. When I started, I never thought it would continue to an entire year. I wanted to get in, do whatever it took to reduce my weight and move away from coaching in four months. I knew habits are not built overnight but I hadn’t considered how consistent long-term efforts will eventually lead to results. I remember Terry talked about the compounding effect of habits and at first, I could not relate to it. However, I do understand how sustainable behaviours and habits are built now and I love seeing the compound effect of my consistent actions.

With Body Smart, firstly, I had someone to talk to and understand my struggles, my challenges, my limitations and my body. I had a coach for the first time in my life who was willing to work with me, understand me, listen to me and provide me solutions that would work just for me.

Secondly, I had a community of like-minded women across the world who had similar challenges; we celebrated our successes and lifted each other on not so good days. There is so much knowledge sharing beyond expectations.

Thirdly, we worked on a plan that would fit my lifestyle. We incorporated activities that my body would enjoy and I ate what I wanted to. There were no diet plans but education about how different food would help. I ate almost everything. Moreover, there was the education on everything we did, why we did and how it is going to influence the results. My mindset, my emotions, my lifestyle, my habits, everything got challenged and channelled in the direction where I wanted to head and I never felt alone even for a day!

It has been a development journey and not a weight loss program for me. I have re-discovered myself, physically, mentally and emotionally.

What advice would you give yourself looking back to before coaching, or to someone who is sitting on the fence herself?

If you genuinely care about yourself and want to experience what you are capable of and challenge your own boundaries and self-inflicted limitations, this is the place for you. If you need real change, real knowledge, meet real people, have real conversations, real struggles, wins, and celebrate yourself. Invest the time in doing rather than thinking about it and as they say “the best time to invest in your fitness was 10 years ago and the second-best time is now” – do it. You won’t regret it!

To start your journey with Body Smart coaching, apply here.