As we hear more from Fitness Model Monica Gupta, we gain a deeper understanding of how sheer motivation and encouragement followed by strong will power can bring sea change in a person’s life. Having started her fitness journey in the midst of an already happy married life, with 2 kids and a family to look after, this homemaker slowly made her way into the fitness world by training for various competitions. Having said this, it also happened that she became the first fitness athlete to be the winner of two gold medals representing her home state Jammu and Kashmir UT, apart from having a few remarkable achievements to her credit. Being the proud owner of a pharmacy shop for many years now, she has also been selling a few nutritional supplements and other products that are intended to help individuals to obtain enough nutrients for their body. Falling in love with fitness and body building post joining the gym had led her to accept new challenges. Driven by strong motivation and will power to succeed in her professional career, she started training really hard at the gym in the last few years by learning and practicing the art of performing several workouts as well as training for weights in the gym. In an exclusive chat, Monica Gupta talks to Claus from Sportz Business Insights about her journey and experiences in fitness and body building, her sudden love for body building and how it happened, her fitness routine, the tremendous support and encouragement extended to her by her husband and all her family members and the numerous awards and achievements that she has under her belt. This interview covers more on the fitness journey of Monica Gupta and what she intends to do in the future.
Q Can you tell us a little bit about yourself…
As you all know, I am a fitness model who has been balancing both my domestic affairs at home as well as my professional career. It has been a journey that has seen the best and worst side of mine. Being a mother of two kids hasn’t been all that simple. Before I had taken to fitness, our family had been busy running our own pharmacy shop over the past many years and it continues to function even today. Several sacrifices made by my family members have been responsible for what I am today. When I started preparing for competitions, I had received tremendous support from my husband to whom I owe a lot even today, since he had always stood by me like a rock at all times. I am also proud of the fact that I was the first fitness Athlete from Jammu and Kashmir UT to represent India in bodybuilding championships that was held in the year 2017, for which I will always be thankful to my family members.
Q What got you motivated to enter the world of fitness and what attracted you the most about body building?
As I would always say, fitness and bodybuilding happened to me by accident. I never had any plans earlier to train for bodybuilding. Being a home maker having to grow up two kids had kept me busy at one point of time. However, certain incidents had taken place during such a period that had brought in some changes in me, when I had started to think of fitness and staying healthy. While being busy with my daily chores at my home in the kitchen during this period, I had suffered some injuries and had to bear severe pain on my knees and joints. Besides, I had many other problems that were connected with it, which was the trigger point for me to think of my health and fitness. This period saw me completely confined to my home for more than a month without being able to do much activity. I had also gained about 15 kilos in the process which further shattered my confidence. At this point of time, I am lucky to state that my husband had come up with a suggestion and asked me “Why shouldn’t you hit the gym to improve your fitness?” Initially, I was feeling shy and was reluctant to join the gym. Ultimately, I made the decision of joining the gym. In the first two months at the gym, I had done some cardio workouts. Subsequently, I started strength training too and I should say that when you do weight training, your bones are strengthened. Moreover, it also helps you stay fit and young. After seeing some good results and receiving appreciation from a few individuals, I was able to gain some confidence and I decided to train every day at the gym. After winning a few awards, I began to feel a lot more motivated and started to concentrate on making a career in bodybuilding.
Q Can you let us know about the titles or awards that you have won till date?
I have participated in many competitions associated with bodybuilding and physique in the last few years and I was lucky to have been a winner in some of them. I had been a winner of Ms. North India gold and Ms. North India silver in the Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships held in the year 2017. I had also participated and won the title of Miss J&K in the Bodybuilding Championships competition and was awarded the gold medal for the years 2017 and 2019. Further, I have participated and reached 5th place in the athletic physique competition which was for the title of Miss World for physique athlete. Besides, I have also won a bronze medal after participating in the Miss India athletic physique competition that was held in the year 2020.
Q Could you tell us any specific thing that you liked best about being in the fitness industry?
I have always loved being a part of the fitness industry, ever since I started this journey, as it had changed my outlook towards health and fitness and made me realize how it was important for me to lead a fit and healthy life. There have been many experiences in the last few years that have helped me improve my personality as a whole. There have also been days when I had gone through a lot of stress. I had been able to overcome it whenever I used to hit the gym. I would feel a lot relieved once I start lifting weights, as lifting weights would somehow keep me cheerful all the time.
Q Can you suggest any nutritional supplements for our readers which can be consumed to remain healthy?
I would personally recommend Ashwagandha which is an Ayurvedic medicine that can help you fight stress and give you a good night’s sleep. I would also suggest all of you take fish oil which is a healthy dietary supplement that can provide a lot of benefits for your health. In addition to that, my strong suggestion for everyone would be to include a diet that is rich in calcium and protein.
Q Normally, how would your training routine be like, and have you been training for anything recently?
I have been recently training twice a day for bodybuilding every day. Currently, I am also training for participating in the international championships that may be expected to take place sometime during the month of September 2021.
Q Can you let us know of any exercises or diet that you had been following in bodybuilding which has consistently produced the best results for you, which you would be willing to share for our readers?
I would personally recommend everyone to do some abs and leg workouts every day. Moreover, I strongly recommend everyone to include squat exercises in their workout schedule as part of their daily exercise routine, as I had been doing the same every day without fail and it had produced really good results for my body.
Q Tell us some of the best moments that you would cherish even today in bodybuilding.
I don’t remember many, but I would definitely consider the day when I held our national flag in my hand after I had participated in the Fitness Physique World Championship and had reached 5th place in the Miss World athletic physique competition to be one of the best moments in my career.
Q Where do you see yourself over the next few years?
I have bagged several titles till date. To name a few, I was the winner of Miss Jammu and Kashmir, gold in the years 2017 and 2019. I have also participated and won the titles Miss North India, gold as well as Miss North India classic silver medal in the Body Building Championships held in the year 2017. As of now, I am working on my next dream project, which is to participate in the highest ranking professional female bodybuilding competition to win the Ms. Olympia title.
Q Would you like to share any other tips or suggestions on bodybuilding for our readers?
My suggestions are that if you take up something, you should always stay focused consistently, until you achieve the desired results. The same applies to bodybuilding too. You have to set priorities and goals for yourself and consistently focus and work hard, without getting bored or losing your patience or enthusiasm when things do not work as you may have imagined. Don’t lose hope and stay focused on your goal, as there is never going to be any short cuts to success.
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a health advice. We would ask you to consult a qualified professional or medical expert to gain additional knowledge before you choose to consume any product or perform any exercise.
