Healthy Holidaying with Deepika Rao

When you imagine a holiday, is it always about food and enjoyment? Does it make you worry that you will be cheating with your diet and workout routine? You might want to know about the very possible concept of a "healthy holiday." You can enjoy yourself to the fullest, and eat the best food, without compromising your health. Want to know how?

Read on to know about Deepika Rao from 'The Fit Foodie Travels' whose retreats are the healthiest and happiest holidays you could imagine. Her expertise, however, isn't limited to just that. In a conversation with SocialBoat, she talks about 'Fit Foodie Travels' and much more.

Starting with Fitness

Deepika had never been a sporty child but she completed her education and training as a microbiologist. Before being completely involved in the fitness industry, she worked closely with health and medicine for a long time. Her friends and colleagues would often advise her to step into the shoes of a fitness trainer. Finally, she decided to certify herself as one.

"For me, doing my certification was like revisiting my master's. I had studied it all in detail earlier. But it was a good, refreshing experience."  

While doing her certification she trained a couple in her neighbourhood who were looking for weight loss to help them in the process of becoming new parents. When they finally made their dream come true, it was a happy day for all!

On her own, Deepika had a postpartum phase that wasn't without challenges.

“I struggled with putting on weight, not shedding it,”

she says. One thing that she wishes for is that she would have known more about proper nutrition during pregnancy. Proper nutrition is extremely essential for new mothers.

Finally, Deepika decided to take a leap of faith and started her ‘The Fit Foodie Travels.’

“Since then, there has been no looking back.”

Food and Fitness- Both are Priorities!

The idea and conception behind ‘The Fit Foodie Travels’ is new and unique. Deepika explains that the venture started out as a montage of all the things that she liked doing. It was a coming together of travel, fitness, and food.

“People often have this misconception that if you are passionate about food, it is impossible to be fit. The two, however, are not mutually exclusive.”

Deepika, through ‘The Fit Foodie Travels’ is proving that a passion for travel and food does not have to compromise with a passion for fitness. All three can go hand in hand, and in fact, can complement each other.

Originally based out of Hyderabad, she organizes retreats in different cities, where people can come and relax, while also enjoying the best kind of food that it has to offer and being particular about fitness.

“It is like a healthy holiday. It focuses on enjoyment and healing.”  

Present and Future

Along with the ‘The Fit Foodie Travels’ retreats, Deepika is also training clients on a one-to-one basis and is working with corporates.

As for the future, she has three main goals. Firstly, she wants to make her online program more scalable. Secondly, focus on ‘Erde,’ her healthy food line from ‘The Fit Foodie Travels.’ And lastly, organise more retreats and create awareness about the concept of a healthy holiday that ‘The Fit Foodie Travels’ talks about. While the pandemic proved to be a boost for the online fitness training, it halted progress for the retreats. The goal is to work towards it now.  

Social Media and Authenticity

Deepika agrees that the role of social media in our lives is undeniable. Businesses, especially, have been using Instagram to boost their sales and marketing, and hence it is an inevitable part of ‘The Fit Foodie Travels’ as well.

Talking about what she wants to do with her Instagram, Deepika says,

“The goal is to be honest about fitness, and tell people that the dream body isn't real. Being healthy isn't just about looking a certain way.”

She also shares information and experience through her ‘The Fit Foodie Travels’ blog.

What it Takes

With so much on her plate and a long list of goals, Deepika’s daily schedule is tightly packed. She wakes up at 3 a.m. and after spending some time with herself, she works from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. The afternoon is occupied by business planning, and she makes sure to go to bed by 8 p.m.

“The schedule now comes very naturally to me now,”

Deepika says.

“People work out with music, I work out with Netflix.”

Deepika’s approach to almost everything in life is unique and refreshing. Be it her workout method or her idea of enjoyment, it always has a twist. Fitness too, isn't just about one thing. It can be achieved through non-conventional methods too.

For more such stories, visit SocialBoat.