Fitness should be very intrinsic to our routine

Fitness should be very intrinsic to our routine
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Fitness should be very intrinsic to our routine

Highlights

Meet Hannah Sim, an Oxfam Trailwalker who has turned fitness into a social mission.

Meet Hannah Sim, an Oxfam Trailwalker who has turned fitness into a social mission. For her, good health is not just about losing weight but creating a society where everyone has an equal access to health and well-being

Hannah Sim is an inspiring trainer and influencer with more than 10 international fitness certifications to her name. As a personal trainer, group exercise and lifestyle management coach, she also has the goodwill of thousands of individuals, she has helped to get fitter.

You may have also seen her in various ad films, modelling for brands like Samsung, Godrej, Pepperfry and tons of others. This level of success however did not come easy to her but what held her in good stead was the motto "If you don't want to do something you will find excuses, but if you want to do something, you will find a way!"

She found this sense of purpose early in life when she tackled her personal weight-loss journey as a challenge.

Hannah weighed over 90 kilos as a teenager, but then worked her way out from this phase by studying fitness with unwavering focus. She started running marathons, training in CrossFit, learning aerial silks, lifting weights, and taking classes in Zumba and martial arts.

She says, "Fitness should be as intrinsic to our routine as brushing our teeth. My personal journey has taught me that fitness, just like life, can never be one-dimensional. That is why associating repeatedly with Oxfam Trailwalker has been so rewarding because here I am not just aiming to get fitter but also doing my bit to make the world a better place."

Even though she has achieved multiple honours as a fitness icon from the American Council Of Sports Medicine, The International Health Sports And Fitness Festival (IHFF), and has also won the 100km Oxfam Trailwalker, Mumbai, she remains committed to the larger meaning of a healthy society.

Hannah shares, "I wouldn't call it being inspired. Rather I was an obese teenager and while I had a lot of friends and was extremely good in studies, somehow felt a little out of place in social gatherings, school outings etc. Especially when I used to go shopping and every second store said they had nothing in my size, that affected my morale. So, I think it started with wanting to lose weight, studying and understanding that fitness is not aesthetics alone."

The journey was difficult for Hannah, she says, "For a foodie and lazy kid like me, at 90 kgs just moving was difficult. I never had the confidence to join a gym, thinking what people would think of someone so obese. So, I started with stair climbing while listening to music. Alongside I started reading up and researching about fitness. I did understand that one can out-train a bad diet, So I drastically reduced my food intake. That was a challenge and the willpower to keep going since 35-40kgs was a lot of weight to lose. But once I started seeing changes, it only got better and made me work harder. six months down the line I had lost 40kgs."

About her inspiration she says, "To me when I did the 100km Oxfam Trailwalker Challenge, watching the army/navy team racing and finishing it in 13 hours was inspiring. A mother of two children, taking out time to work out is inspiring. When I did the Everest Base Camp, where everyone was struggling, the porters who were carrying tons of weight were climbing with ease. That's inspiring. So, we should look for inspiration every single day. That said, I do look up to every single sportsperson."

She says, "I may be internationally certified in various fitness domains but I realise that a society needs a lot more to be really healthy. We need equal opportunities and social and economic equity to make our world better and that is what Oxfam tries to do via its many initiatives."

The theme of this year's Oxfam Trailwalker Challenge, #walkinmyshoes has moved her deeply and she says, "It is no secret that the second wave of Covid-19 hit India's marginalised communities the hardest.

As they continue to struggle to get affordable healthcare and livelihood opportunities, they also have to deal with severe discrimination. Oxfam's fundraising 'Walkathon for a Cause' hopes to change this and I feel privileged to help in whatever way I can." Despite being virtual, the challenge is designed to test physical endurance but still lets participants decide their own pace.

They can walk either for 100 km in 10 days or cover 50 km/ 25 km in 10 days.

She adds that she is also amplifying this message to encourage more people to join the walkathon and says, "All of us can be the change we want to see in the world and watching others suffer from the sidelines is no longer an option."

For every women

• Firstly, don't only look at the scale. We are not walking out, with our weight written on our foreheads every day.

• Second, do not be afraid to lift weights or take Protein-rich food.

• Third, no, you aren't going to get manly or bulky. You will only get stronger, and your bones will thank you for it.

• Lastly, don't train for aesthetics. Train to get fitter, stronger, faster, more flexible, to increase your stamina. The looks and aesthetics will follow.

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