BENGALURU: While many parents are neglecting their body and health and blaming their busy work schedules for it, here is Jyothsna Venkatesh, mother of a class 10 student Sania Naidu, who set forth to achieve her goal of being fit at 40. “Last year when I turned 40, I wanted to do something challenging. From childhood, I always wanted six-pack muscles. But I wasn’t able to achieve it since I was overweight. I took a New Year resolution in December 2018 to work on building six packs. That’s where it all started,” says Venkatesh, who won a gold in the Rage Classic All India Body Building Championship under the Figure and Fitness category.
The 41-year-old freelance fitness trainer was the oldest among the participants and won the title in her first attempt. “I have been participating in beauty pageants and grooming others at the competitive level since last 20 years. Initially, I wanted to get six pack muscles.
While working on this, I noticed some positive changes in my body. I went ahead and started completely concentrating on the fitness part with three-hour-sessions at the gym and a balanced diet,” Venkatesh said, adding that avoiding food may not always give one the figure they desire. “Many think that avoiding certain foods makes them fit. It’s completely wrong. It is all about right food habits and lifestyle. When I started balancing my diet with right amount of carbohydrates, protein and fibres, I saw a drastic change. I reduced my body fat from 25 to 14 per cent. It took nine months to get six packs without consuming any kind of supplements.”
Today, she is not less than a celebrity in her friends’ circle. “After winning the championship and getting a makeover, a lot of my daughter’s classmates have started following me on Instagram and they keep telling her, ‘Your mom is such an inspiration’. Some ask me how they can grow their muscles. I just love all the attention now,” Venkatesh laughs.
The body builder is now preparing for the international championship that will be held in Goa in December. “If I win the upcoming championship, I will get a pro card and I will be recognised as an international athlete, which is my biggest dream. I will be eligible to participate in any international competition.
Apart from that I’m planning to open my own gym next year, where I will have an exclusive studio for women above 35. They feel like their life is restricted to bringing up kids and looking after their homes. I really want to motivate these women. Life is all about challenging yourself and age is just a number. In addition, there are many people who believe that body building is just for men. I really want to break this stereotype. I want women to have feminity and grace along with the strength of a man,” she concluded.