CHENNAI: Anyone can have a body like mine, says international Pilates and fitness expert Vesna Perièeviæ Jacob. It is a tad tough to take her word for it, given her perfect figure — well-toned muscles and flat abs. She cements her statement saying, “Trust me, I was obese, say 15 to 20 years ago. I used to be a basketball player when I was a teenager. That’s when I suffered an injury, and had to undergo a surgery. I had to take rest for months, and this left me gaining many pounds.” But Vesna, the fighter that she is, resolved to get back to shape and tried different workouts, before settling on Pilates. “If you saw my pictures from back then, you would never be able to recognise me,” she confesses with a laugh. And shortly after, adds on a more serious note, “So, if I could transform my body into what it is today, I think any one can. It just requires dedication,” says the Delhi-based fitness instructor, who will be holding a three-day Pilates workshop in the city between December 3 and 6.
The workshop will focus on how to make one’s body fit, recoup from an injury faster, and eat right, besides a few fitness tips from Vesna herself.
For Vesna, fitness is not just restricted to the physique, but also includes mental and spiritual aspects. “One can say that to be spiritually fit, one needs to go to the Himalayas and meditate, but I believe in seeking spirituality while still continuing a modern way of living,” says Vesna, who has two books — Work it out Without a Workout and Fit to Fight: The Complete Manual on Self-Defense for Women — to her credit, besides several articles in popular magazines, and TV shows. “That’s where exercise comes in. It helps reduce the stress, which is increasing in today’s lifestyle. It increases your heartbeat rate, as well as the intake of oxygen, thereby making you refreshed, active and more focused,” she adds. And it doesn’t matter if one is clocking in 10 hours at work, exercise can still be squeezed into one’s schedule, she says. “Take a three to five-minute break every 90 minutes and indulge in exercises like squats, jumps and push ups. These, one can do, without seeming too odd in an office environment. Our body is meant to move, and it doesn’t matter, where it is moving — be it gym or an office cubicle,” she leaves us with some alternative-gym food for thought.
The workshop will be conducted over three days, at Aura, the spa at The Park Chennai, between December 3 and 6. To enrol, and for more details, contact 9884493601.