Indian tennis star Sania Mirza knows how hard it is to get back to feeling normal after having a baby, but with hard work and discipline she managed to feel like herself again. Mirza, 37, shared a picture of herself wearing black leggings and a brown t-shirt, posing at the gym in front of exercise machines. “February so far 💆🏽♀️✈️💫📆🔐🏃🏽♀️🧳🍔🌰🏋🏽♀️☕️ and some more ✈️,” she captioned the post. Here’s how Mirza lost 57 pounds to be in the best shape of her life.
Mirza exercises with a trainer to get the most out of her workouts and training. “There are some basic routines we do every day like the warm-up routine, which involves a lot of core exercises, around 20 to 25 minutes of running and strength and speed training,” she told the Bangalore Mirror. “There are some days in the week, depending on the schedule, where we also do explosive, balance, endurance training and sometimes we also do Plyometrics.”
Mirza worked hard to get back into shape after having a baby in 2018. “After you give birth, you have to start from scratch,” she told the Times of India. “Being an athlete, I am used to being fit and strong, and I had taken my fitness for granted. I got a reality check when I got onto the treadmill and found out that I could not walk for more than three minutes. The first two months were extremely tough because I was not allowed to do core exercises and could only do cardio. I did that for two-and-a-half hours every day and followed a strict diet.”
Mirza has a “cheat” day once every ten days. “I have been gluten-free for the last few years and it has been working for me,” she told the Bangalore Mirror. “But I believe in moderation and I do have cheat days. I also go on a complete processed sugar-free diet. As tennis players, we are on a high carbohydrate and protein diet, so I eat gluten-free pasta and rice and chicken. I avoid flour and wheat completely.”
Mirza overhauled her diet and fitness routine during her postpartum health journey. “After I had lost 15-17 kilos, I moved on to weights and my core recovered,” she told the Times of India. “I did not cheat on my diet for four months. I stopped consuming dairy products, gluten, processed sugar and red meat. I would eat spinach, fish, eggs, chicken and continued to consume carbs. Whoever said that carbs are your enemy, is not right; they can be your friends, too.”
Mirza is grateful for all the help she received with her son when getting back to training. “Since I am an athlete, I feel sleep is important, but if he is awake, then I am awake, too,” she told the Times of India. “Without my husband, parents, sister and my entire team’s support, I would not have been able to go back to my training and do what I love. As they say, it takes a village to raise a child.”