A mom and a bodybuilder

She sports a six-pack and could easily give any man, with a six-pack, a run for his money. Mother of two, 38-year-old Sonali Swami, believes one must pursue what one wants in life.

No wonder, Bangalore’s only woman bodybuilder’s determination, commitment and discipline got her a top slot at the ‘Fit Factor’ competition held at ‘Body Power India 2014’ in Mumbai this year. This competition was held in India for the first time.

“I was the winner in this competition, which was judged based on the overall muscle quality and symmetry, overall fitness as well as the stage presence and personality,” says Sonali. Sonali, after completing her hotel management, worked for some time before she got married.

It is only after she had her children that she decided to give bodybuilding a try. “I was always into fitness but the idea to take up bodybuilding dawned on me much later.

I had to mentally and physically prepare myself,” she adds. Sonali has also had her stint in martial arts, zumba and bokwa fitness and is a TRX suspension trainer which is imperative for lifting weights.

Her day starts at 5 am and by seven, after packing her children to school, she hits her training session. “I manage my time in such a way that I have enough time for pursue my passion, manage the house and finish all the training before my children return from school. The rest of the evening is spent with them,” she observes

Holding Sonali’s hand at every step is her husband Sanjay who not only supports her passion for bodybuilding but keeps a close watch on her diet.

“My husband makes sure that I don’t miss my training sessions and eat the right kind of food. But we have one ‘cheat day’, when we permit ourselves to binge on everything we like,” explains Sonali. 

Sanjay pitches in, “It is clearly her disciplined lifestyle and determination that has got her this far. We are proud of her and I’ve always let her do what she wants.”

On asking how she felt when she won the competition, Sanjay says, “The feeling is inexplicable but I am glad that her hard work has paid off. More than anything, I was thrilled when I saw people queuing up to take her autograph and congratulate her when she won the title. She became a celebrity of sorts,” he says excitedly. 

 Sonali confesses that she is often asked what she eats to stay fit. “The first thing I tell people is to be patient and not expect instant results,” she says.

“I include a lot of veggies in my diet and avoid red meat but have generous helpings of chicken to keep the protein levels high,” she observes. She says she couldn’t have got this far without the support of her family, which includes her parents and parents-in-law as well. “When my mother-in-law saw the trophy, she was thrilled and said that I should work hard to bring home more of them,” she says. 

Sonali is working hard for the next ‘Fit Factor’ competition which will be held in Bangalore in August.