Special Feature : Swapna Cavale
by Ramya Badrinath
I had heard of Swapna from a few of my friends who were is awe of how she had successfully achieved the health goals she had set for herself & I was keen to hear her story. I caught up with her over a phone chat & below is her story.
Swapna moved to Australia 14 years ago with her husband and daughter & she was almost 40 then.It was when she went for her Medical fitness tests for Permanent Residency did she learnt that she was diabetic. This came as a rude shock to her as she usually someone who ‘ate on time’,has been traditionally ‘vegetarian’.
The next few years she would spend trying different health tips and tricks to keep her diabetes in check. She also joined a gym and spent a good year or so strength training, which helped her achieve some of her fitness goals. She rapidly saw drops in sizes. Her new GP prescribed her a modified diet of Indian millets, which also helped her correct her food habits. In her words ” While I was physically active, drinking lots of water, I would still see my weight yo-yo. I was still snacking a lt (albeit on healthy food such as nuts) & generally dissatisfied with my fitness levels“. She had reached a weight plateau. She then enrolled for a low-calorie /low-carb based food program under the mentorship of her friend Kirti Chopra & dropped about 6 kilos.
Her quest for sustainable food habits inspired her to research & read more about wholesome fitness & more importantly sustainable fitness. That’s when she stumbled upon the golden concept of Intermittent Fasting. So when I asked her the secret to her new vivacious avatar, her glowing skin and her amazing fitness levels she said
→ 16:8 Intermittent Fasting
→ A balanced diet – I eat without restrictions & try to avoid processed flour & sugar.
→ I drink a lot of water & sometimes I need to tell myself to cut down to avoid over hydrating
→ I use a lot of millets, Clarified butter and Coconut oil in my cooking
→ I walk on an average 5-6 KMS a day and listen to my favourite music while I am doing so.
→ I always walk when I talk on the phone ! You will rarely find me sitting in a place for long
What do you advise people who want to start on this journey, I ask, & she says
→ Research well & start with a 12-hour fasting. Fasting is not a foreign concept to Indians, We have always had fasting as a
part of our cultural habits.
→ Incorporate moderate exercise & try to bring in one small change at a time – like walk and talk on the phone
→ Learn to love yourself & your children will learn from you on how to self-care ; make fast food a treat , not a norm.
Check this link she shared to start your own intermittent fasting journey
ssia.site 