From counting cash to counting calories
We all know those definite moments in life that change you forever and for good. And then there is no looking back. During her stint at HSBC, Shetty learned the contemporary dance to stay fit. She then took up a job with the fitness club. “I loved dancing and Zumba was a different experience altogether. But after this, I got married and stayed at home for several months. One day, my husband suggested that I teach Zumba. So with one student in a friend’s studio, I started my journey in 2011,” Shetty reminisces. Two and a half years later, her brainchild, The Tribe Fitness Club, was born in Indiranagar. This marked the beginning of a stellar fitness career which has only seen new heights over the years.
The changing fitness scene
From just one student in her first class of what is generally considered a group activity, Shetty has now created spaces across Bangalore for people to meet up socially, workout and have fun in the process. She later discovered Cross Fit, which she introduced at her fitness centre as well.
And how do Indians who love Bollywood jhatkas adapt to Zumba? Shetty’s answer is insightful: “Zumba is a cardio activity. It is an international dance fitness style. The core movement is dance with the use of Latin music, maybe a little English. We add our own flavor to it with Bollywood numbers too.”
All for one and one for all
Shetty’s The Tribe Fitness Club now has three branches across Bangalore in Indiranagar, Whitefield VR Bengaluru and at Linked In Bangalore. The brand is a representation of sheer hard work while making fitness fun. Having witnessed an overwhelming response in the city, Shetty says the centre has everything a group exercise format needs – yoga, pilates, indoor cycling, you name it. “We are not gyms, as we are against using traditional machines. We prefer using group activities and peer motivation to get each other going,” the fitness instructor adds.
Wellness Guidelines
Some pointers for the ladies from the Zumba expert herself:
- Women must start weight training. No, we will never bulk up like men. We are made very differently. Weight training and body building are two very different things. Women must weight train to maintain a strong muscle mass, strong bone mass and to age gracefully.
- Brisk walking burns fat. If one cannot go to a gym, brisk walk for 30 to 45 minutes and burn FAT.
- Weight loss is not measured by standing on the weighing scale. It is measured by inch loss. If you fit into one of your old denims, you are on the path of successful weight loss. Logic: Muscle weighs more than fat. When you exercise, you lose fat and gain muscle. So the weighing scale can show more, but you are actually dropping sizes, which is what the real goal is.
- Weight loss is only possible with a combination of right eating and exercising, never exercise without coordinating a healthy diet.
- Sweating is not the real proof of a good workout. Rate of sweat depends on your body type. Some sweat plenty, some don’t. So don’t judge a workout based on how much you sweat, do it for a month and see what it does to your body.
- Supplements are not medicines. Vitamins, calcium, iron etc., need to be supplemented, as the foods don’t have 100% nutrition that you require. Lack of nutrition will leave you prone to illness.