Fitness & Sports had the opportunity to meet Meghna, a lady who fits into her roles of spouse, mother and career diplomat with grace and poise. She shareS her positive outlook and the important role fitness plays in enabling her to live a fulfilling life.
Here is what Meghna has to say…
Who is Meghna
This is an easy one. I am a woman and with all that being a woman sometimes can entail, such as, I am a daughter, a mother, a spouse, an employee of the European Union and an individual with the potential to be stubborn until the unachievable seems almost within reach.
A few years back I would put myself in one category but with age and experience, I realised that the most defining part of me is that of a mother. I suppose the correct answer to that question would be, I am 39 years old, I have lived in Sri Lanka for three years and was in Addis Abeba and Kabul before this but all this is just fact-stating and a walk in the park compared to getting the homework done of a 4.5 year old!
My Love For Fitness, When Did It Begin?
I was not always a fitness freak. I was never chubby and never really needed to make an effort to be fit. Like all young girls I associated fitness with having a good figure. I did however admire people who had the determination to get onto this seemingly difficult lifestyle. When Emilie was born, I was naive enough to think that this change too would be managed by my body. Then when I came to Sri Lanka in 2013 a year and a half after Emilie was born, at the airport, the guards ever so kindly said ‘Madam, in your condition, you shouldn’t go through the usual security x-ray, just pass through instead’. I realised that they thought I was pregnant! When I was not. This got me thinking if I actually was as fit as I thought I was. Even before I bought spoons and forks, I was in the gym 4 times a week. Thinking back, I remember wondering how long it would take to go back to my usual Body Mass Index (BMI). Now I know, it isn’t about the BMI, it is about general management of one’s lifestyle and actions.
How Has Fitness Given Me Strength In My Different Roles In Life?
It has transformed me completely. The life I lead or we all lead is by and large stressful. We take from one energy chamber and give to another or that’s what I did. I was either, taking energy from my work and putting it into home management or vice-versa. I think I am far more balanced now but also because I have far more energy. I don’t need to steal energy anymore and energy is in abundance. I run after time but I don’t run after energy anymore. Getting back to the question, knowing that you have the willpower and the physical capacity to do things can only strengthen you in all roles in your life. Fitness gives me that strength both mentally and physically to do all the activities I need to do in my life and to enjoy life.
What Do Me And My Family Eat?
We are a multicultural family so our eating habits are varied. I am vegetarian while my spouse and child eat practically anything. There is a lot of grilled fish/chicken during the evenings, plus salad. While they dig into that, at my end there will always be lentils or a chickpea salad + bread. All of us though eat ample portions of green vegetables. Mornings are fruits, cereal, biscuits and eggs at times while lunch is often rice and curry/pizza if we are terribly starving or the fantastic Halumi/Mango salad at Café Kumbuk.
What Keeps Me Motivated?
Internal motivation comes from understanding that 1 hour every other day does not mean that time from my family is stolen. That 1 hour adds more quality to the life I lead with them than anything else. I recently met a girl and asked her if she wanted to join me at the gym and to which the reply was that she likes to spend time with family after work. I sway between understanding her response and not completely understanding it. I do want to spend time with my family but if perhaps the 1 hour in the evening is stealing family time, then 1 hour in the morning could be done. There is always a way to make exercise possible because it enhances the quality of the time you spend with your family. I have always believed that just having the energy to have a fun filled family time is one of the things that keeps me motivated.
The Role of Family, For Personal Happiness and Wellbeing
It is not possible to do all that I do without the support from those around. My spouse is into sports (rugby, tennis, running) and so that the moment he sees me lounging about, overeating or generally being lazy, he props me up and goes to the gym, with me in tow! It’s very annoying when it actually does happen but also motivating knowing that I can make general chitchat with my husband while trying to do a clean and jerk! Yes, family is the foundation for my personal happiness and a happy home is what life is all about! Being fit and healthy enables you to enjoy your loved ones and have a positive approach to live life to the fullest!
