‘Sara Ali Khan, Janhvi Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut are the true Pilates girls’: Fitness trainer Namrata Purohit

A serious accident introduced her to the world of pilates when Purohit was a teenager and hasn’t looked back since. In fact, she said that Pilates was “the closest thing to magic that [she] experienced”.

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In a recent interaction with indianexpress.comthe 28-year-old, who has trained actors like Sarah Ali Khan, Ranaut Kangana, Kareena Kapoor Khanand others, spoke about the basic principles of pilates and the myths associated with it, the obstacles he faced in the early days of his career, how one can ensure overall fitness, and which celebrity he has the most fun doing Pilates with, among others.

Extracts:

You have been practicing Pilates for many years, tell us about your journey. How did you start and what interested you?

I started pilates when I was 15 years old. I had a hard fall from a horse and it shattered my knee. I had to immediately undergo surgery. After the surgery, I did many things to get fit and feel pain free, but nothing seemed to make me feel 100 percent.

Around that time, my father, Samir Purohit, was organizing a pilates course in mumbai And I prayed to be in it. Four days after the course, for the first time in a year, I was absolutely pain free! I even went back to playing squash and played nationals that year. Pilates was the closest thing to magic that I experienced and I felt that if it could help me, it could help a lot of people.

What were the challenges and obstacles you faced in the early days?

The initial challenge as a studio was to make people aware of how to exercise. There were many misconceptions associated with Pilates; people thought it was just for stretching or that it was just for women and things like that. We had to gradually break these myths and convince people to give it a try. The good thing is that once they tried it, there was no going back!

Besides Pilates, what other form of exercise do you love and would recommend to others?

I love training with electrical muscle stimulation (EMS). I think it’s an incredibly smart way to train and get the best out of your body in a limited amount of time and without causing any impact on your joints. It works your entire body in one go, and if done correctly, can be extremely beneficial for people at all fitness levels, including those who may need rehab, sports personalities, and more.

It is a 20-minute training that is done once or twice a week, depending on the needs and requirements of each individual.

What are the basic principles of Pilates and what should a beginner know?

There are five basic principles that we follow when performing the exercises, including the principle of breath and core engagement, as well as full body control and alignment.

As a beginner or someone [who is] New to Pilates, I would recommend starting slow, understanding the movements and the machine, and being patient. Pilates, as a form of exercise, focuses heavily on posture, alignment, and form. It also works every part of the body and each and every muscle, some of which you may never have felt before. It takes a little time to understand the principles and begin to perform the exercises correctly. In fact, the more you understand, the better your own connection with the body, and the more you will feel each exercise.

Over the years, have you had to bust many myths regarding Pilates?

There are many myths that we have had to break along the way. One myth is that pilates it is only for women; in reality, it was started by a man for men at war. Another myth is that Pilates is just for flexibility or slow. While, yes, Pilates does make you focus on form, it works on all aspects of fitness: strength, endurance, balance, etc.

You have trained many celebrities, who is the most motivated and disciplined?

Honestly, I feel like every celebrity I’ve ever trained has been extremely disciplined and hard-working, getting my job done way ahead of time! Each and every one of them is super focused, they know they have a goal to achieve and they give their best.

Who enjoys doing Pilates the most and makes the session interesting and fun?

This is a very difficult question, but I think Sara [Ali Khan]Janhvi [Kapoor]Kangana [Ranaut]Dhvani [Bhanushali]addit [Rao Hydari] and ileana [D’Cruz] right now they are really enjoying Pilates. They are the real ‘Pilates girls’!

Many people want to lose belly fat; What would you advise them to do?

First I would tell them not to look at the scale too much or obsess over it. Look at general fitness, include a mix of strength-based exercises like Pilates, cardio; eat well (not less) and sleep well.

Besides exercising, what are some other key health factors to consider?

Key health factors other than exercise are [having a] good nutritional plan, good quality sleep and rest. It is important to balance all these aspects to be healthy and achieve your goals.

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