Anushansha Shukla: Constituting Her Home Gym

Have you dreamed of having your own corner at home where you can go and work out without having to go to the gym? What is stopping you? Perhaps all you need is a little push. This story of the coming together of Anushansha’s home gym might be of help!

Anushansha's fitness journey towards her home gym.
Anushansha's fitness journey towards her home gym.

Have you dreamed of having your own corner at home where you can go and work out without having to go to the gym? What is stopping you? Perhaps all you need is a little push. This story of the coming together of Anushansha’s home gym might be of help!  

From a More Active Generation

Sports have been a part f Anushansha's life ever since her childhood.
Sports have been a part f Anushansha's life ever since her childhood. 

Anushansha had always been interested in outdoor games since childhood. She happily declares that she is from the generation where kids played actual physical games outside, they weren't restricted to mobile video games that cause harm. However, as time passed, technology overtook and she moved to higher classes, the influence of sports in her life reduced a little. In college, she took up playing professional sports again and played district-level cricket. But it lasted only so long. After graduating, she started working as an Assistant Manager at a private organization affiliated with US healthcare, where she was required to work the night shift.

“After being in the system for 2-3 years, I had become extremely lazy because my entire schedule had turned upside down. When everyone else was asleep, I was awake and when everyone else was awake, I was sleeping. I started to watch a lot of sitcoms, adding to the laziness.”

Reversing the Course

After being on a fitness hiatus for a while, she returned to it with determination.
After being on a fitness hiatus for a while, she returned to it with determination. 

On a random day in 2017, Anushansha was asked by her mother to climb four floors to check the water level in the tank. On the second floor itself, she started puffing and panting.

“I was taken aback by what had happened to my capability at the age of 23.”

From that day on, Anushansha brought changes to her lifestyle. She would run for 20-25 minutes every day, followed by some cardio. However, due to the lack of awareness back then, she was excessively exercising without giving her body the nutrition that is required. Her body did change for the better but she says that her progress would have been so much better had she taken care of her nutrition as well.

During this while, she also got a gym membership and became a regular there. Anushansha had clearly defined her focus. The lack of strength had pushed her towards fitness and that is exactly what she wanted to regain. A good body image would be an added benefit but not her primary focus.

The Coming Together of Anushansha’s Home Gym

Anushansha designed her own home gym for working during the lockdown.
Anushansha designed her own home gym for working during the lockdown. 

While she was at it, COVID made an appearance, and gyms were shut down. For a while, Anushansha stopped working out but finally, she made a decision to make her own gym at home.  

Anushansha starts telling her story of her home gym by saying,

"Necessity is the mother of all invention."

The first thing that she brought for her home gym was a resistance band from Decathalon. This was followed by some dumbbells. After this, a lot of the equipment that she currently has, she won at giveaways and contests. Some of it was sent over by the company that she works for. All these things from several different places found their home in Anushansha’s home gym,  

“It was really exciting putting it all together like that."

Her family was also very excited about it even though she keeps its doors locked for the safety of her niece who is little and curious about all the equipment.  

Anushansha is very pleased with her home gym. But on comparing the experience of going to the gym to working out at home she says that the gym was more accessible and of course, had more advanced equipment. There were several machines for working on one body part. At home, she has to adjust according to the equipment that she has at her disposal.

“With all the weights there, one rep is enough at the gym, but a home I've to repeat more times. It requires some calculation but I make it work.”  

Instagram and Improvement

She records herself for feedback and posts her recordings on Instagram.
She records herself for feedback and posts her recordings on Instagram. 

Working out at home gave Anushansha a kind of ease and comfort and she started focusing on improving herself. One hack she discovered was to record herself and analyze the recording.

“The best way to give yourself feedback is to record yourself and then watch the video. Because others might be a little kind with the feedback but only you can be the best judge.”

With time, Anushansha’s videos turned out so well that she started posting them with some additional information so that people who watched them would also learn something or revise what they know.

Motto

She believes in enjoying herself in everything she does.
She believes in enjoying herself in everything she does. 

From running to going to the gym to setting up her own gym to sharing her progress on social media, Anushansha’s characteristic is to enjoy the process. This is also the motto of her life, and one of her fitness motivations.

“I just want to enjoy everything I do and I am aware that fitness plays a very important role in the enjoyment.”

Additionally, Anushansha also believes that one must eat everything they like, but moderation and mindfulness are important.  

Anushansha has come a long way, but there is still a longer way to go. She aims to get a certification as a fitness trainer soon so that she can start imparting all that she has learned. And she continues working on herself and her Instagram page, simultaneously.

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