Losing weight is probably the most uphill battle fought by the average person. As someone who understands this, Ramona’s initiative uses 25 minutes of your time to gear you towards fitness. She is currently Hollywood’s top celebrity trainer, boasting an exclusive clientele of Anne Hathaway, Scarlett Johansson, Dakota Johnson, Jessica Alba, Tom Welling, Halle Berry and plenty more. Ramona wanted to bring Hollywood quality training to her fellow Indians and thus was born MyHomeFitness in Chennai, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Pune.
Ramona’s fitness regime mantra is a 3-2-1 programme which is wellness of the mind, fitness of the body and peace for the spirit. The 55-year-old trainer has specialised in the industry for the past 30 years. She recently finished training the lead actors of the ’50 Shades of Grey’ franchise – Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan. “I have three walks of training in my regime – different kinds of cardio which also includes dancing, strength training and core training for your abs,” says Ramona.
The biggest problem, she adds, for successful fitness is to get it initiated which is a task by itself. Talking about other gyms in comparison to hers, Ramona says, “A lot of people join a gym and never go, because they are not well motivated or find it inconvenient.” Ramona trains her trainers in such a way that they come home and work out with you, which is convenient. What’s more is that this training does not even involve most of the equipment seen in fancy gyms and yet, every part of your body is put to good use in this process of exercising. From the heart to the muscles, cardio and strength training cover it all. There is also a meditation session either before or after the training that set the mood for the routine.
This entire training session spans only 20-25 minutes every day, which works effectively for those who do not have much time on their hands. On the difference between training Indians and Americans, she says that every human body is the same and every reason given by an individual around the world for not being able to work out is similar, but what set each person apart are the different places the fat rests in. While it is not any kind of spot training, this regime helps in training a specific part along with everything else, keeping you fit holistically. It, therefore, helps people plan their own diet.
Now, the amount of time it takes for a rather heavy person to lose a generous amount of weight is approximately three months and all the weight they shed will efficiently be used to build the muscle tissues which ares quicker and much healthier. One can only lose quarter of a kilo every week. Affirmatively, one would also be able to feel how they are losing the weight during their training period. “Building muscle tissues burns more calories and that’s what the core of the training is all about,” explains Ramona. When the body gets tuned to burning calories for muscle tissue building, one wouldn’t have to work or train as hard. However, in a gym, it is important to work at least an hour every day for five to six days to see some good amount of change. “We keep the heart rate elevated for a good 20 to 25 minutes here, which will show you better results in a small time frame than perhaps, slogging in a gym for an hour,” she assures.
Ramona reveals that ultimately it is the mind-set of every individual that decides the level of motivation. She adds, “For me, it is a philosophy to train myself physically and emotionally.” Ramona’s programme also offers set training, where one can bring in her group of friends and when the trainer comes in, there’s good music, different exercises every day and that makes it more fun. She says that a personal trainer is always better as they will help you feel motivated to do your work out no matter what state of mind you are in. Celebrities have personal trainers to keep them on their feet and help them feel motivated.
“I have trained Jessica Alba for a good 12 years and she always needed somebody to help her get up and motivate her, especially post her pregnancy,” recalls Ramona. Talking about losing post-pregnancy weight, Ramona says that it can be a little tricky as one cannot burn a lot of calories due to breastfeeding and, they must eat a certain number of calories their doctors have advised them to consume –eating for two people is a lot of calories. “For losing the pregnancy weight, I began a programme named ‘Baby bulge be gone’ which initially starts with 20 minutes, elongates up to 40 minutes and then up to an hour. So, every month, the time increases,” Ramona adds.
The post-pregnancy training begins with core, then cardio and finally, the strength which slowly gets you back on track physically and mentally. Fancy equipment always requires space and too much dependency on that will only stall your work out sessions. However, bodyweight training doesn’t require any such big machines. Once in the groove, that can be done at any location with literally anything that is found as a tool for exercise. “You can use water bottles instead of weights or pack bands that fit inside your bag and do it absolutely anywhere you want to,” says Ramona.
“Finally,” she concludes, “it is important to write down goals and set a time frame to achieve it. It is necessary to plan, to make it feel like there is some progress. Bodyweight training and home fitness do not just reduce exhaustion level, they always make you feel mentally strong and healthy. From this programme, I only wish for people to take away a better quality of life. Exercising elevates your hormones; helps you stay positive, and makes you smile more.”