Becoming a mom is a special milestone in any women’s life.
But, this milestone comes with something that all women hate: “Post Pregnancy Weight Gain”.
As we try hard to fit into old clothes, it’s a long struggle with our body shape and weight. It not only makes us sad but also makes us vulnerable to a plethora of health issues.
And, the struggle of India’s finest Tennis Player, Sania Mirza wasn’t any different.
But with her determination and love for fitness, Sania has done something that most of us can’t even think of.
Soon after the birth of her son, Izhaan Mirza Malik, Sania went back to the rigorous workout routine to get fit. And to everyone’s surprise, Sania lost 22 kgs in four months!
In conversation with TOI, Sania Mirza opened up about her post-pregnancy weight loss, healthy living, body shaming and her journey from 89 kgs to 67 kgs.
Sania shared about her Post-Pregnancy Weight Loss
“I lost all the weight by myself. It was just with cardio and my knowledge of fitness. It was also restricted because I couldn’t do weights. I was killing myself. I would do 100 minutes of cardio, an hour of kick-boxing and an hour of pilates. That was my day, that’s how I lost weight.”
“My point is every celebrity doesn’t go under the knife to lose weight, people work hard. My training has been good so far, but as the work load increases, I don’t know how my body will react. I’ll have to play it by the ear.”
Sharing about her gym routine, Sania continued,
“I do a lot of core, because that is the toughest. I split my training into two sessions. It’s weights and strength in the morning and in the evening, it is more plyometric and cardio.”
Also Watch: Sania Mirza Workout Video For Losing 22 Kgs In 4 Months
Describing the happiest fitness moment, Sania shared,
“Core comes both times because it is the weakest, thanks to childbirth. The doctor told me that she had to strip my abs apart to take him (Izhaan) out. It’s like having eight torn muscles and having to get it back to full strength.”
“Three weeks ago, I started feeling my abs for the first time, it’s the happiest I have felt in this journey. I touched my abs and I actually found something hard there. I wanted to go and eat a whole cake.”
Revealing how she lost 22 kgs in 4 months, Sania quoted,
“The physical journey is tough because you have to start from scratch and it’s your whole body. But I have enjoyed it because for 9-10 months, I did what I wanted to, I ate what I wanted to which I never did all my life.”
“I was very sure that from the day I delivered my baby, everything would change, and literally from the next day onwards, I was on a healthy diet which was how I was able to lose 22 kilos in three months.”
“It’s been challenging obviously, but also self-realizing in many ways. I still have a little bit to go, but I am almost there. You can have a c-section, your core goes completely soft, but you can still be back.
“It has been extremely challenging, but I have enjoyed it. Also, it was very satisfying to know that I could get back from 89 kilos, which was the weight I was on the day that I delivered. He’s barely four months old and already last month, I was 67.”
Talking about her determination, she stated,
“I’m extremely determined. A lot of people came up to me and said, how have you done this, we didn’t think you would be able to do it. So many people, some of who are close to me, said, we thought that for a year you’ll be like this.”
“Which is fine also, but it is not who I am.”
“ I have won three bets with people who said they’ll lose weight before me. It was fun things like that which made me see how determined I am or how stubborn I can be if I want something. No matter where you are, if you want your body to get back into shape physically, you can do it.”
“Healthy is the way to go in life. Regardless of whether or not I play tennis, I would not feel good about myself if I looked in the mirror and saw that I didn’t look or feel a certain way. It’s not just about how you look, but how you feel.”
Sharing about how women are judged for their looks, even when they are pregnant, Sania said,
“Women are always judged by the way they look. The physical appearance is what people notice first before they know your intellectual ability. If a woman and a guy walk into a room, it is the unfortunate truth that the woman is going to be judged by how she’s dressed and by her looks.”
“Which is also why women players get questions of ‘what are you wearing for the next Grand Slam’ while men don’t. When I got pregnant, I wanted to embrace the weight. I have always been fit, I looked a certain way, felt a certain way.”
“I also wanted to experience how it is to be pregnant. That is the time when a woman does not care about herself and you realize that you care about the baby even before the baby comes into the world. I just embraced it.”
Further opening about body-shaming, Sania shared,
“There’s the typical mindset of ‘She’s become so fat’. Fat has now become a swear word. For me, I want to be healthy because I feel better. If you feel better if you’re bigger, that’s fine. It’s a personal thing. This is something that has to change, the mindset.”
“Why is a woman always subjected to, pregnant or not, what weight she is, what weight she’ll become? You cannot body-shame people for how thin or fat they are. Because first of all, it is not your problem, it is not your issue.”
“Most of these comments are from men, which is the amazing part. I would like to tell them, I would like to see you produce a human being and see if you get fat or not.”
“Every woman goes through this. You are either too fat or too thin or too tall or too short. You have to be the best version of yourself. I’m lucky that my body has gotten back to where it was, it’s because I have good metabolism.”
Also Read: I Touched 102 Kgs. My Confidence Was Shattered: Sameera Reddy’s Weight Loss Struggle
Concluding her journey, she added:
“The reason why I put ‘#mummahustles’ on my social media stories is to show as a mother you can still be fit and you can still live a certain life. It doesn’t mean your life is over because you have become a mother, your life has just begun.”
Thanks, Sania Mirza for inspiring all new moms to believe in themselves and in their weight loss journey.