We stumbled upon Swetha Devaraj Instagram handle that documents her inspiring life starting off as a health care professional turned into full time fitness coach. Today, Swetha is a full time fitness trainer & starts her day at 4 am.
Women Fitness team catches up with her on fitness, diet, lifestyle in a candid conversation!
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
During your undergraduate days in the USA, while you traveled to India what bothered you was the lack of fitness trainers & depth of knowledge. What motivated you to become a full-time fitness trainer besides being a health care professional?
Ms. Swetha Devaraj:
Well, mainly it was the lack of trainers with efficient knowledge to guide people, and of course, I was always passionate about teaching and mentoring even when i was in the US as I used to work as a tennis pro teaching at country clubs in New York every summer during school days. Plus 9-5 job made me feel like I had a lot of extra time before and after and I wanted to be productive. I am someone who has a lot of energy and I thrive on multitasking so naturally, I was drawn towards being a trainer at NCF in Bangalore while I worked at the hospital.
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:
As a child and presently share sports that have dominated your life? How have they helped you at the physical, emotional & social levels? Share the role of physical fitness to women and young girls especially in today’s sedentary lifestyle?
Ms. Swetha Devaraj:
I was always into sports from the time I was a little girl, be it school sports day or outside. I competed in track and field and table tennis initially but later in my teenage years got into tennis and competed in and around India playing junior ranking national and international tournaments until I was recruited to play college tennis in the US as well as pursue my undergrad degree. You know what they say, one thing led to another and I got into long distance running right after college in the US and also explored crossfit. But distance running sort of stole my heart and still does. All infall being involved in sports brings a sense of discipline into ones life and thats exactly what happened to me.
I loved the discipline and the energy I got from being physically active doesn’t matter which form. Which in turn had a huge impact on my mentality – strong, confident and ability to believe that I can achieve or face anything. So my message to anyone including men, women and young girls and boys is playing sports is not just to get rid of boredom, it builds your character, it nurtures you to be a better person and take things that come your way in the right spirit plus keeps you fit and functional from inside and out.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You played a lot of State, National and ITF junior events. Went to the U.S. at 18. It was in the US that you realized your true potential in tennis, playing for the team. Played at the No. 1 or No. 2 spot usually and got to play against some of the best players in NCAA from all over the world and won. Throw some light on the same. Most memorable part of those years.
Ms. Swetha Devaraj
Indeed playing college tennis in the US was one of the best things that happened to me and moulded me. That gave me the exposure to be in a team and get along with players from different countries and culture, standing up for my team when it mattered the most without looking at barriers. Most importantly I enjoyed the sport so much because in India there was a lot of pressure to do well in sport but in the US, It was different and I had the whole team for my support. There was no rat race and we were in it together.
Till today couple of my best friends are from the tennis team I met in the US. One was my doubles partner Sarah jo Peters from Hawaii and another one from Kerala called Nitya Miranda. I have won individual events while I was there but The most memorable moment has to be when we won the SWAC conference championships in the year 2008 as I was senior in college and we hadn’t won it in 4 years. So it was quite spectacular to go through that small victory and I know every college athlete in the US will vouch for this whether its a big school or small… the feeling is priceless.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You have participated in marathons & races? According to you what kind of fitness level are essentials. Your best experience ever. 5 significant key factors to keep in mind while preparing for the marathon?
Ms. Swetha Devaraj:
Yes, I love running. It’s my meditation. I don’t run to win, I run because I enjoy it. When I was training in tennis as a young kid, I had an amazing gentleman who helped me a little with mind work, Mr. Raghu told me that whatever I do I should try to enjoy it, then only I will do well. It took me a while to implement that in tennis but my brain had processed it very well by the time I became a runner so overtime I competed I never ran to win, I still don’t and I make sure I run races in scenic places so I can enjoy my run and at the same time it is challenging. I have run more than 30 races in and around the world. Won quite a few as well but I feel like I won’t those because I would enjoy running and really got into the spirit of running. But of course I trained specifically for these races and I worked very hard during training times so that whatever my coach’s goals were for me, I could achieve that without struggling.
To run long distance,
- You have been patient,
- Be willing to put in the effort into something very boring and
- Be open to cross-training like weight training and functional fitness as its very important for all runners to focus on strength, proper nutrition,
- This is a game-changer as its very important to eat to perform,
- Lastly supplements that will repair you, build you and keeps you healthy.
Running is a high-impact sport and the joints and muscles go through constant wear and tear so strengthening for the sport is essential.
My best experience to date was the Bromo half marathon in Indonesia which I won but had no clue I won and I was just. Happy I finished the grueling uphill race with a view of the spectacular mount promo volcano.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Share insight into your daily fitness routine? What form of exercise do you enjoy the most?
Ms. Swetha Devaraj:
I run everyday, almost every day but it’s different every day with distance and intensity. But on the days I do short runs, I lift heavy. On the days I do long runs I keep it to a short HIIT session. I practice animal flow attest 2 or 3 times a week. I also love incorporating CrossFit workouts and a lot of hand balancing.
I really can’t pick one because I would be lost without any of these but for sure running is my go-to workout, I can’t start my day without it.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Working women often complain finding it hard to balance personal & professional life, leaving them with less time for fitness & workout?
According to you how significant is fitness? How do you go about balancing being a health care professional & a trainer?
Ms. Swetha Devaraj:
I truly believe that if we want something we will go after it and once we prioritize things then we can get organized and somehow we will make things work. Women are superhumans, we are made to multitask, how we do it is unique for each person. I highly suggest all women make it a priority to work out that will help them above and beyond just being physically fit. It also makes everyone efficiently handle things at home, work, and personal lives.
Currently, I have given up my hospital job as a vascular sonologist but when I did, I used to start my days at 4 a.m. to train people and then go off to the hospital. It felt like I needed more hours in a day because there was so much to do and so little time. Earlier, I worked out around 4-5 am and trained clients at 5-6 am, took group sessions at 6-9 am, run to the hospital, and after 4-5 pm its the same cycle of training clients till I came home and did online training till I passed out. But these were the initial stages when I was trying to optimize things.
Now I run an online training company called “sweatyninjas” with my business partner Devrath Vijay where we train clients all over the world holistically and make them fitter, healthier, and more independent.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
What is your advice on eating healthy? Do you ever indulge in your cravings? What type of diet do you follow to manage weight & strength? At times you have talked about intermittent fasting and carb cycling?
Ms. Swetha Devaraj:
5 things I live by –
- Eat to perform.
- Less is more.
- Make sure you know what you put into your system.
- Whatever goes into your system should help you to optimize at the cellular level.
- Detox.
I practice a plant-based diet. I was a hardcore meat-eater 6 years ago, and haven’t touched meat ever since after being influenced by some of the documentaries that threw light on what’s happening to our planet from the meat and dairy industry.
Occasionally I indulge in dishes made by my mom that may have dairy but nowadays even she makes sure to substitute them with plant-based items. I do indulge in cravings once or twice a week but in moderation. Except for meat nothing is off limits those days including alcohol but everything in moderation.
I’m a big fan of fasting as it promotes autophagy (cellular repair), improves cognition (tons of research on how overconsumption impairs brain health), builds discipline, tolerance, and resilience, more energy in the body as cells are being repaired constantly, faster recovery, etc. I do restrict certain carbs at certain times of the day for some part of the month as for my body type, carbs can make me lethargic, but for women, carbs are very important especially when the body is producing estrogen and progesterone in your monthly cycle. But nutrition is more important than physical activity. I pay attention to everything that goes inside starting from making my own electrolytes, to eating a balanced meal that helps me recover and the supplements that not only make me stronger but also sharper in the head.
Ms.Namita Nayyar:
You have stated “self-care does not mean you are being selfish”. Please elaborate.
Ms. Swetha Devaraj:
Yes, one more thing I believe in is “if you are happy, everyone around you are happy” so when you are self sufficient, happy and content with ourselves, positive about even the negative, confident to face anything, you will naturally care for others and you will have only the good things to give others. All this happens when you take care of yourself first and there is nothing selfish in this because this is only gone benefit others around us. This is hard to do but once it clicks, you will be invincible.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You have had a tough marriage & divorce. Your piece of advice of women going through the trauma & where to seek help?
Ms. Swetha Devaraj:
I will be honest, this is the toughest question to answer, I still don’t know how I got out of that phase. I am not going to act as I know it all but my advice is to not stay in any relationship that’s toxic to you. Ask yourself and if you doubt even for a single second, then get out, rest will come to you if you hold on to your decision. This particular thing is not easy in India as each family is different. But I suggest family is your best bet and they are not there, turn to friends, seek professional help to get counseling.
Practice mind works through mediation, make sure you get into workouts of any forms, especially in a group setting, functional training gyms or running groups, where you will make friends and that will allow you to be busy or focus on something positive, build a support system of your own. It is very important to have your own set of friends at times like these. I put myself in a situation where I could not have either But something that helps me is constantly telling myself that “I am enough and I should be able to get out of whatever I am in!”
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Your word on body shaming? Motivational quote you live by?
Ms. Swetha Devaraj:
Remember each body is different and unique and we should all learn to be comfortable in our own skin, but if you are not then do something about it instead of sulking.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
5 diet & fitness myths you have been able to shatter with experience?
Ms. Swetha Devaraj:
- “Women shouldn’t lift heavy”, its the biggest myth that you will look like a man if you lift heavy.
- “Men and Women can follow the same thing when it comes to eating”. Women are very different as we have our cycles. With men, its pretty straight fwd but women need to eat for their cycles
- That “men should not have soy products, as it will make you grow boobs”, if that was the case then there wouldn’t be boob jobs for women. It’s only people (both men and women) who have estrogen dominance in their bodies that should be careful but do not have to stay away from soy products. And specially fermented soy products are awesome for everyone.
- “There isn’t enough protein in plant-based diet”. Plants have all of the essential Amin acids (tons of research on this).
- “You can’t lift heavy and be a long-distance runner”, your body is capable of handling hormetic stress meaning the ability to adapt responses of biological systems to moderate environmental or self-imposed challenges through which the system improves its functionality to more severe challenges.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Your future plans & upcoming projects?
Ms. Swetha Devaraj:
Right now, my partner and I are building the online training company and expand it further so we can reach people all over the world with training that will educate them for a better living. There are animal flow workshops coming in which I teach the movements in a two day workshop and certify others to become certified instructors.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Message for WF followers & your fans?
Ms. Swetha Devaraj:
All the women out there, start paying attention to yourselves, listen to your body and pay attention to your cycle, explore more options to find out about how your hormones function because if you figure out your cycle and the hormones, you can be a multimillionaire 🙂
For everyone else out there, just stay active, practice ethical behavior, be nice each other and spread positivity …. The world needs it right now!!!
Follow Swetha Devaraj’s journey on:
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