Afreen Khan – A Motivational Story Of A Magical Transformation

• What were the major milestones that gave you that “extra” motivation boost?

Even though fitness is a lifestyle and a deep rooted passion for me ,  being crowned the FACE OF SOUTH 2018 in MRS INDIA EARTH pageant gave me a lot of boost .I was not only fortunate enough to join the stage with beauties all over the country but also got specially recognised and applauded for my physical strength in the fitness round of the pageant. After the pageant I was featured by renowned platforms like Decathlon Sports India, Womenly ,Body and strength etc for my transformation journey from an overweight unhealthy mother to a fit mom and a fitness influencer. My journey of fitness began when I lost 15 kgs weight post partum and inspired many others like me towards health and wellbeing on the whole. I was never an athletic person all through my childhood but now I am breaking barriers set for myself and many other women who are scared to try their hands out at anything which is not in their comfort zone. Today I lift heavy weights and do calisthenics which has increased my strength and agility to a great extent. I have more than 25k followers on Instagram that support me in my passion for fitness .It hasn’t been easy but every day is something that I look forward to and that’s my real motivation.

• What does your daily routine looks like?

I start my day as early as 6 am by doing strength training for around 90 mins in the gym and then  get back to begin my official work. Being an entrepreneur my work actually has no fixed timing and can get extended to late evenings but that one hour that I spend in the gym is my me time and I don’t let anything take that away from me.

• What is you favorite type of work out?

I do a combination of cardio and strength training. I love doing compound movements like deadlifts but right now my focus is calisthenics. I am learning body weight training and that is the reason I am much stronger from inside than I was when I did only weight lifting .I feel that strength when doing movements like push ups, frog stands  and headstands which are not easy to perform as they need lot of stability and core strength.

• Do you supplement your weight training and cardio with any other physical activities?

Apart from regular workouts in the gym, I like to go for a walk or an outdoor run a couple of times in a week. Its a good break from the usual monotony and also a great way to connect with the nature.

• What are some of the biggest training mistakes you’ve made?

One of my biggest mistake was working out to please others or compete with them in some way. When I started working out , it was because of the constant digging n humiliation by the people around me who somehow made me feel my weight was a measure to my worth. And that’s why I wanted to lose weight so that I m somehow considered worthy .But this is a very shallow idea about health or about anyone’s worth that our society conditions us to. However  with the passage of time and with my own learnings and growth ,I  realised that fitness has become a way of life, rather than a means to an end.

Afreen 2 Years Back

• What are some of your best training tips for girls who wants to look as good as you?

Like I said , I started my fitness journey for others but now my growth is mine, I have no inhibitions about how people judge me or the way I look .Cause when I got serious about it and started growing, the same people tried to question me that I m a wife and a mother now, so what’s the need of all this? Which actually made me laugh cause this time I knew better than to decide my worth based on their opinions. So I would tell all the girls, don’t do it for anyone else, don’t do it to prove anything, do it for your own self .Do it cause it’s your body and it deserves the best from you. Whether you are single or married or a mother, your health and well being should be your priority not something that you need excuses for.

• What does your post-workout nutrition and supplementation look like? What does your daily meals look like?

I do carb cycling when I feel I have hit a plateau but other than that I follow intermittent fasting on a regular basis wherein I follow a 16 hour fasting and 8 hour eating window. My regular diet includes whey protein shake with water ,chicken salad, 16 eggs and 2 rotis with veggies a day.

• What is the next step in your career?

I really want to  inspire and empower as many people around me as possible about the importance of health and fitness, specially for women with kids as according to our conditioning we are made to believe that working out is only for looking good and looking good is only for actors or models but this notion needs to change now.We as mothers should set examples of being healthy and fit for our children all through their life and not restrict fitness to a particular age or profession or status. I am working on spreading this message to as many as I can and hopefully someday every woman will include fitness as a part of her day to day life as a means of self love.