Puja was struggling. There was no more enjoyment in her life. 

The restrictions caused by the pandemic had her trapped in a suffocating shell.

Anxiety gripped her and she withdrew from all aspects of life except work.  

“It was a tough time, I couldn’t recognise myself anymore and I just wanted to be whole again. I felt like my whole life was falling apart.”

Fortunately, Puja recognised that burying herself in work and pulling 14 hour days was not sustainable. Working hard gave her an illusion of control but it came at a great cost: her well-being.

Exercise As Therapy

Before lockdown, Puja was an avid gym goer. She would get into the zone and switch off the world while she sweated it out. When the gyms shut, she lost that sacred time. As a creature of habit, Puja felt lost without her gym routine to ground her.

After lockdown, when the gyms opened, Puja’s counsellor suggested she rejoin a gym since exercise was so integral to her well-being, but Puja had lost all her drive.

She wanted to feel excited about life again but didn’t know where to start.

Self Care Is Not Selfish 

As a deeply compassionate person, Puja would always go out of her way to help and support the people in her life.

But she didn’t offer herself that same courtesy.

“I was just not being kind to myself, I would feel guilty if I put myself first. It took me a while to understand that I had to fill my cup first before I filled others.”

Winning The RNT Scholarship

Puja had been aware of RNT for a while. So when she found herself struggling, she knew that she would find the tools to pull herself out again with RNT.

“I had been thinking of signing up for a while, so when I saw the 5 year anniversary scholarship giveaway, I thought I’d try my luck. I was absolutely amazed when I won!”

RNT’s core mission is to see the world transformed one individual at a time. So when Puja applied for the scholarship and sent us her story we wanted to help. We knew that with a little bit of support, she would be able to turn her life around and thrive.

Embracing The Process

Since Puja used to work out all the time before lockdown, she enjoyed the RNT rhythm. 

“I crave routine and I had lost that along the way. So RNT’s structure worked so well for me. The nutrition piece was a bit harder to get used to.”

With the support of her coach, Puja figured out a meal plan she enjoyed.

“I now have 4-5 recipes that I love. My meal plan has foods that I enjoy eating. I eat the same breakfast and lunch, but dinner is a bit more varied. I batch cook my dinners on the weekend so it’s easy when I get back home from work.”

Puja had never thought to focus on protein before RNT.

“It’s only after I signed up to RNT that I realised how little my protein intake was. Now the RNT way of eating keeps me feeling full and satisfied. I also find it helps me with muscle recovery after my workouts.”

Photoshoot Confident

Puja never imagined she would feel confident enough to pose for a photoshoot.

All she was expecting from her journey was to get her energy and enthusiasm back.

“I had seen all the incredible transformations on the website and looked at the photos but never believed it could be me.

But as I neared my goal weight, my coach convinced me to book it in. I hesitated at first and then decided to go for it. I’m so glad I did! I felt so confident on that day, I almost couldn’t believe it was me!”

Living The Lifestyle Solution

Throughout the journey, Puja was continually surprised about what her body could do, and by what she could achieve.

She was in the best shape of her life, but now she had to switch out of the fat loss mindset and into the maintenance mindset.

“I found it hard to switch to consolidation and I found weight gain difficult. But I knew that it wasn’t wise for me to stay at such a low bodyweight. I decided to focus instead on crystallising the structure. So I continue to weight train 3 days a week and do some cardio twice a week. My breakfast and lunch stay the same, and I have more choices at dinner time. I now know that there are no “good” or “bad” foods, you just have to make sensible choices. This is liberating!”

The Physical Is The Vehicle

Puja’s RNT journey more than liberated her from her shell, it helped her fly. 

When we asked her how the physical has been the vehicle to transform other aspects of her life, she said:

“I never thought RNT would turn my life around. My social anxiety was something I had been working on, I got a better handle on my anxiety only after I signed up. Now I am more confident at work and in my abilities too. I don’t mean to sound too dramatic, but the RNT process has improved both my mental and physical well-being. It’s given me a new lease of life! The me of last year would not have signed up for a photoshoot or agreed to come on a podcast.”

The Podcast

Puja’s story is so remarkable that we invited her to be our guest in Ep. 338 of the RNT Fitness Podcast. In this episode, Puja and Akash peel back to layers of her anxiety and what it took for her to embrace life in all its glory again.

In this podcast she says, “I feel like I finally have self belief, I know I can do bigger and better things in the years to come.”