Harman Sidhu today is a well-known postpartum fitness influencer. She gained a lot of fame with her amazing post-pregnancy transformation. She has been inspiring users ever since via Instagram to stay fit, healthy and beautiful.
Being a mother of a 4-year-old daughter, she perfectly balances her professional & personal life.
Women Fitness team catches up with Harman Sidhu on her postpartum weight loss, diet, fitness routine & lifestyle in a candid conversation!
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You left a professional career as an educationist and choose to become a postpartum fitness influencer? Share the series of events that led to this shift in your professional life?
Ms. Harman Sidhu:
Well it was not really something that I planned or always wanted to do . Like any other women who becomes a mother I just took a lil break from my existing job as a teacher and coordinator from the school and hoped to join it back as soon as I could . I had a C-section and suffered major postpartum depression I was so consumed being a mother that I just could not imagine or think of going back to my job . It was just too much for me to do . Once I mentally and physically got the hang of motherhood all I could think of was I want to look and feel like my old self this is not me.
And honestly somewhere I had this pressure that my husband is a bodybuilding fitness coach he had so many amazing transformations to his credit and I felt like the world would not just judge me but him too if I was not able to loose my weight postpartum all this stress added up and made life miserable.
My husband calmed me down and told me that I just need to start leaving the rest to me and that’s exactly what I did. So during my long never-ending breastfeeding sessions I would keep scrolling through Instagram desperately trying to look for Indian women who had a c section and who lost all the weight and I would get so mad and I would keep telling my husband why can’t I find anyone Indian women for inspiration I mean I have no option but to follow fit moms across the globe except for India and he said you know if you can’t find one just be one. That made me think so I just started to share my journey and I was overwhelmed with the response. Since then there has been no looking back I didn’t feel like going back to the old job I turned full-time into content creation instead of following into my husband’s footsteps in the fitness world and turning into a coach. I felt like content creation is something that made me way happier.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
At what age did you conceive & did you suffer with issues like morning sickness Was it a normal delivery or a c-section?
Ms. Harman Sidhu:
I was 28 when I conceived and I suffered major morning sickness I was on medication from day one of my pregnancy to the day I delivered. I also had severe eczema during pregnancy. I had a C-section not a planned one which literally put me in shock .
FULL INTERVIEW ON NEXT PAGE!
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar, President womenfitness.org and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2021 Women Fitness Org
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Post childbirth, you faced health-related issues like postpartum infections, stretch marks, excessive bleeding after delivery, vaginal discharge, breast problems, etc. Can you throw light on how you coped with every health challenge & come out of it?
Ms. Harman Sidhu:
When my daughter was born I suffered a lot from breast engrossment for good 7 to 8 months. Except the feed feed feed I could not do much followed by some hot and cold compressions that were helpful . Also expressing milk by hand helped reduce pain . I had stretch marks which I was prepared to get as I had really put on a lot of weight during pregnancy almost 30 kgs. So the stretch marks really never bothered me as the years passed they turned silvery grey not very visible. I suffered major postpartum depression which honestly only started getting better when I started to take care of my body .
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
How would you describe your journey from a mom to a postpartum fitness influencer? 5 reasons you felt a responsibility as a mother to reach out to other women for guidance?
Ms. Harman Sidhu:
Like I mentioned before I was looking for some inspiration some real life mom women who stay at home women who are hands on moms and despite of all that they lost the postpartum weight and managed it all I wanted to see that.
Reason I felt the need to reach out to other women were
- I wanted other women to know that you know taking care of your health and body is not selfish .
- Wanting to fit in your pre pregnancy clothes is not a dream impossible.
- A weight loss / fat loss journey of a mother postpartum is different it’s going to have a lot of challenges of it’s own so be prepared.
- I wanted to be there to tell them in advance how training with a baby would look and feel like so that they are prepared to manage things their way .
- To assure them that it’s possible to be your old self even better even if you’ve had a c-section you can be the best version of yourself and that have patience it’s going to take time just as much as you took to gain the weight in 9 months .
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Your daily exercise & fitness routine? Cardio, weight training, stretching etc. How do you like to kick start your day ?
Ms. Harman Sidhu:
Well now that we are home I’m very grateful we have a well equipped home gym I prefer to get done with my workout first thing in the morning. My training includes a combination of cardio strength training and yoga for flexibility.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
What tips & routine you followed regarding diet when losing pregnancy weight?
Ms. Harman Sidhu:
Postpartum I think the most difficult thing to do is manage you diet the reason could be all the 9 moths of eating what you like post that if you are a breastfeeding mon you will understand the hunger . All I would say and have been saying is start small dont make very drastic changes to your diet don’t drop your calories all of a sudden. Do it gradually that’s the only way to go and go longer and to stick to your diet program.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Describe the routine you followed to shed extra weight after childbirth?
5 myths related to Pregnancy & childbirth that need to be busted?
Ms. Harman Sidhu:
I started with walking followed by body weight training at home . Once I settled in my routine I started to work on my diet one meal at a time . Dropped calories gradually increased protein. And once I had lost 16 kgs I finally joined the gym and started my muscle building journey with my husband and coach .
5 myths that need to be busted :
- C sector moms do not lose weight postpartum
- Breastfeeding moms cannot lose weight
- You should continue eating for two even during breastfeeding
- You should not exercise during pregnancy
- Women feel extremely happy during pregnancy and even more after childbirth.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Your daily diet pattern? Any specific diet you follow? Foods you have top in the list and 5 foods you keep to minimum?
Ms. Harman Sidhu:
Thankfully I had huge help and the best one I would say for my husband being my coach he has never restricted me of any food as such . I avoid excess sugar that was one thing I started doing right from the start . Conscious tracking of my food I know it’s extra work but definitely worth it. So once you track you know what to increase and what to decrease. Me and my husband strictly follow Macro counting most of the year.
Foods to minimize in diet I would say refined sugar ,refined carbs , junk and fried food .
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Supplements from your experience essential for women in their 30’s-40’s?
Ms. Harman Sidhu:
Top recommendation would be protien if you can’t manage it with your diet or if you are into bodybuilding it’s must . Second I would say the ones that I take on a regular basis are Vit C , Omega 3 multivitamin and BCAA during my workout. I would also say that pleas consult your doctor before adding any supplements .
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Females always fear stretch masks and try everything possible to get rid of them? Your say on the same?
Ms. Harman Sidhu:
Like I said before I have never been ashamed of my stretch marks and I have never done a thing to hide them or try to get rid of them .
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Skin & Hair care routine you follow?
Ms. Harman Sidhu:
I believe and I practice what goes inside is way more important than you apply on your skin or hair . For my skin I moisturizer and hydrate on a regular basis morning evening and that’s all . And for my hair a sulphate free shampoo a conditioner followed by a hair mask weakly is all that I do .
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
As a Mom how do you go about giving a healthy diet to your daughter? 5 essentials every mom should follow when planning a diet for her family?
Ms. Harman Sidhu:
Well absolutely I mean that’s priority in my house I try my best to put healthy food on the table for not just my daughter but us too . I have fussy eater she’s knows what’s healthy but she would not eat and so I have to make an extra effort to be creative with her food .
All I would say is except for fries she eats no junk food no cold drinks no packed juices she’s almost 5 years old and I think that’s an achievement. I would not say what you should or should not give your child rather I would say practice what you preach eat what you want your child to eat a healthy well balanced nutritious diet and lead them to healthy food and healthy eating habits it may feel like a long journey but it’s going to be worth it .
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Your future plans & projects? Your husband’s role in your success.
Ms. Harman Sidhu:
Well I don’t know what the future holds for me as it is what I’m doing currently I had not ever in my dream even though of it . Me and my husband do have plans which should come to life soon and I will be so happy to share that then. And as far as my husband he’s been my biggest support not just as a coach that’s something anyone can pay him to do but I feel as a husband as father whether it’s equal parenting or babysitting while I workout he’s done everything for me to be the women I am today .
Behind everything that I am today he’s right behind me supporting me physically mentally emotionally to do the best I can in life.
Harman Sidhu on Social Media:
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar, President womenfitness.org and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2021 Women Fitness Org