HYDERABAD: It’s never easy to pick yourself up and be motivated to work on your fitness, especially if you’re a single mother, having just given birth to your child.
But Hyderabad-based K Abhimanika has not only battled post-maternity depression to keep herself fit, she has gone one step further and took part in beauty pageants, winning the Mrs Asia Pacific Universe 2016. Now she is gearing up for the next big one in July. Abhimanika believes that it was her passion towards fitness that made this achievement possible in the world of fitness and modelling.
“My mother is a classical dancer. So at a young age, I was trained under her. However, as I progressed in my life, I stopped dancing. I finished my engineering and took up a job at an IT firm as a software engineer. I had put on enormous weight and weighed about 70 kgs after my son was born. I started feeling depressed and stressed. That was when I started dancing again,” Abhimanika shares.
Once she began dancing, Abhimanika then started focusing on her fitness, as she was determined to lose weight and get back in shape post-pregnancy.
“My weight began to affect me. So I decided to take up yoga. Soon I started looking good and I was feeling good as well. I then never stopped,” she says, excitedly.
From being a fitness-conscious mother to a beauty pageant winner, Abhimanika has come a long way. She says entering a beauty pageant happened by chance. “Once I was talking to a friend who advised me to send my pictures to this pageant. Without giving it much thought, I sent the pictures and soon I realised that I had won it. It was surreal,” she explains.
Following her successful foray into modelling, Abhimanika started taking part in more pageants and also won the Mrs India South, Mrs India Talented and Mrs India Fitness pageants.
“Initially I went into this just as a learning experience. I must say that my eight-year-old son Tavish has been extremely supportive and is my biggest motivation factor. Without him by my side, I don’t think I would have been able to do this,” Abhimanika expresses.
And while modelling has its own demands, the single mom says that there are a lot of misconceptions about the profession, which must be addressed.
“People think that models are anorexic and that they won’t be able to become models unless they lose a certain amount of weight or go on an extreme diet. However, the key is to be yourself and to just eat right, be fit and healthy. That way, it’s just like any other profession,” she observes.
She, however, does admit that modelling has brought about a inside-out change in her. “My talking style, and walking style – everything changed once I began modelling. It made me feel more confident in my approach and I have started enjoying it,” she reveals.
Her new-found confidence also led her to start her own company called Abhimanika Entertainment Concepts in 2014. “As part of this company, I do dance choreography, event management, etc. Mainly, we do choreography for weddings, sangeets, etc,” she informs.
While she maybe a successful model, Abhimanika is still extremely conscious of her fitness and advises youngsters not to use external substances to lose weight.
“It took eight to nine months for me to lose weight and get in shape. It was a completely natural process. I was not on any supplements.
I would only tell youngsters and other mothers to eat right at the right time, have proper sleep and be on a regular diet. Also, after delivery, mothers will have stretch marks. They need not worry about that. Instead be comfortable in your body and focus on your fitness,” expresses Abhimanika, who believes in the slogan ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’.
After winning Mrs. Asia Pacific Universe 2016, Abhimanika is now gearing up for the international pageant Mrs. Universe, which will take place in a few months time.
“It will take place in Europe in June or July. I have already started preparations for it,” she added.