With over 15 years of experience in Pilates, yoga, personal training, and nutrition under her belt, Radhika Karle (proprietor of Mumbai-based fitness studio, Radhika’s Balanced Body) is one of the most sought-after fitness and wellness trainers in the country. Her roster of clients like Sonam Kapoor, Nargis Fakhri, Kirthiga Reddy, Naina Bachchan, and Nisaba Godrej is testimony.
A quick scroll through Radhika Karle’s Instagram feed will inspire you to give wellness a go. Instead of intense workouts and crazy moves, her feed demonstrates easy to do exercises whilst busting Pilates myths and features nutritious recipes that are delicious and suited for culinary rookies.
She has been spending much of time during this lockdown period creating videos on demand for several fitness platforms. Her aim to get fitness into every household across the country. Radhika has fused the philosophy and Yoga asanas with the Pilates movement to create a form of mindful movement that she truly believes heals both the mind and body.
Women Fitness team catches up with her on her profession, fitness, diet, and mental health during these challenging times.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
From being popularly called the “Pilates Guru” to training famous celebrity faces and recently launching your own cookbook, you have had a journey of your own. Now that you look back to share more input on your journey as a Pilates specialist?
Ms. Radhika Karle:
Pilates happened when I was doing my Fellowship in Adolescent and Sports Medicine at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. I went to sit down on a chair to start typing my patient notes and a doctor pulled the chair out from behind me by mistake. I fell hard onto my tailbone and bruised it. I was a bigger runner then and the doctor who examined me told me I could not run for several weeks and should try Pilates instead.
I found myself in a room full of women in their 40’s and 50’s moving beautifully through mat Pilates exercises like Saw, Roll Up, Teaser, and Open leg rocker and there I was, in my 20’s and not able to even touch my toes! It was a serious wakeup call and love at first movement!
I am 42 now and happy to say I can move like those ladies back in my first Pilates class 20 years ago.
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 © 2020 Women Fitness Org
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Share your fitness philosophy? 5 key factors to a strong, flexible physique.
Ms. Radhika Karle
Do what you love as far as your workout regime is concerned and you will be more likely to stick to it. Having said that, I also think it is important to add resistance training to your routine to gain muscle mass as muscle is the fat-burning machinery of your body.
5 Key factors to build a strong, flexible physique:
- A flexible mind
- Pilates
- Working the entire body
- Doing weight-bearing exercises
- Training with an experienced professional
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You have worked with some of the leading celebrity faces in the industry including Sonam Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez tell us how do go about planning their diet and fitness regime since they have very tight schedules? Key factors you keep in mind before planning an individual plan, since everybody is unique.
Ms. Radhika Karle :
The one thing we always do before starting a new project/film is set goals. This can vary from being able to do a handstand to running a 10K to feeling good in a swimsuit – the goals are set based on the movie/project or based on what they want to achieve personally. Varying the goals up also keeps them motivated and on track.
As far as tight schedules are concerned, you just have to be creative with what little time you get sometimes – we do full body workouts with compounded exercises which means you are working legs and arms together at the same time!
And yes, understanding your client well is MOST important so you can create personalized plans. I know Sonam’s favorite foods, what she dislikes, what she is allergic to, what she craves from time to time…all this helps to create a well-balanced nutrition plan.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Do you follow any particular diet? 5 superfoods you enjoy eating throughout a unique day.
Ms. Radhika Karle:
- My meal plan is simple:
- 5 am wake up – ½ L water and fruit
- 6 am workout
- 7:30 am breakfast – varies because after all, variety is the spice of life!
- 10:30 am – yogurt, mango (as it is in season) and chia seeds
- 1 pm Lunch – it is almost always homemade, Indian, and mostly vegetarian
- 4 pm – cup of coffee – my one vice! With nuts or sometimes another fruit
- 5:30/6 pm dinner – I eat very early – aim at this being before sunset
My top 5 super foods:
- Dahi/yogurt
- Chia seeds
- Pistachio nuts
- Lemons – add them in everything
- Haldi/turmeric – this too gets added into many things
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Do you think that your mental wellbeing plays a very important role in physical fitness? What do you do for mental wellness?
Ms. Radhika Karle:
100% is does! That is why I have recently launched The Happiness Project with Dr. Nishreen, a Behaviour Therapist. We do sessions that combine mental exercises that help bring you to a better mental state and then follow it up with a Pilates session.
I do a morning Gratitude meditation by Deepak Chopra. This has helped me a lot. And Dr. Nishreen has taught me several techniques – one of which is journaling.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Any 3 Pilates exercise you would suggest that our readers can do in the ease of their homes and without equipment.
Ms.Radhika Karle:
Mat Pilates can be done anywhere without equipment and by all. My top 3 moves:
- Bridges
- Swan
- Side Bend Mermaid
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You recently added another feather in your cap with the launch of your book, Pure & Healthy, tell us more about it. How did you stumble upon it?
Ms. Radhika Karle:
The publishers, Roli Books, reached out to me to helo Vidhu Mittal with this book. This was her third book and she wanted to work with someone who really understood nutrition and food. They thought I would be the best fit and the rest is history…
Pure & Healthy takes us back to foods our grandparents cooked which are healthy, indigenous, and easy to prepare. We have also added some of the present day “super foods” which are filled with good nutritional value.
Pure & Healthy is very easy to follow as it has step-by-step instructions for each recipe along with nutritional value and an easy to follow meal plan in the index for various people whether you are looking for weight management or have a specific condition that needs nutritional guidance.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Sometimes people targeting weight loss tend to feel a drop in motivation when they don’t get quick results. How do you motivate your clients when they feel the same
Ms. Radhika Karle:
The motivation to move your body starts from the mind. And I honestly believe that a healthy body works only when the mind is in the right place. And a healthy body comes in all different shapes and sizes.
Ms.Namita Nayyar
How would you define “Women-Fitness” for our readers
Ms.Radhika Karle
I would define Women’s Fitness as:
- Feeling happy and good in your own body
- Finding a form of movement that makes you feel strong and builds confidence.
- Staying positive and telling yourself some positive affirmations every day.
Ms.Namita Nayyar
5 Tips for working women to stay motivated with tough routine?
Ms.Radhika Karle
- Make the time for yourself.
- Do things that make you happy.
- Set goals – small ones and long term ones and keep checking in with them.
- Make it a lifestyle – not a trend that you will stop doing after some time.
- Make your wellness your priority as you only get one body!
Ms.Namita Nayyar
This one is a tough one you best celebrity client and a lazy one? How & Why.
Ms.Radhika Karle
Hahahahaha….that is tough! The best one and the lazy one are the same person… I’ll just leave it at that.
Ms.Namita Nayyar
One exercise that can serve a good stretch before rolling out of bed in the morning.
Ms.Radhika Karle
Angels in the snow…you do it lying on your back and it stretches out the entire body will nourishing the discs in your spine!
Follow Ms. Radhika Karle’s journey on:
- Instagram-https://www.instagram.com/radhikasbalancedbody/?hl=en
- Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/RadhikasBalancedBody/
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 © 2020 Women Fitness Org