Tahira Kashyap is opening up about her transformation – in her workout clothes. In a new social media post, the writer shows off her amazing body and discusses her health journey. “It didn’t happen overnight neither was that the aim. The aim was to get fitter, a better version of myself. I had decided 4 years back in 2020 to commit to my Insta family that I will show up in the gym. I share this credit of this incredible yet tough journey of fitness with this lovely platform,” she wrote in the Instagram post. “One more time #IShowedUp.” How did the 41-year-old change her approach to diet and fitness? Here is everything you need to know about her lifestyle habits.
Tahira was an athlete at a young age. “I was in my school’s basketball team, and captain of the girls’ cricket team. I was also a runner, and played javelin throw and shot put. When in the gym, I could lift the entire rack of 12 plates of weight when training the lower body,” she told Mid Day.
In 2018 Tahira was diagnosed with breast cancer. After chemo and surgery she slowly regained her health. “The surgery involved removing lymph nodes around my right arm, so I’ve been advised against lifting more than five kilos to prevent inflammation. But, there’s nothing stopping me from challenging my lower body. Whether it takes me four months or a year, I will go back to being as strong I was,” she said. She started by walking for 60-90 minutes, “with my drains,” even while undergoing chemotherapy treatment.
For over a decade Tahira has suffered from Irritable Bowel Syndrome. “I’m intolerant to gluten, nuts, eggs, pulses and mushrooms. Also, I’m vegetarian,” she revealed about her diet.
Tahira advocates the importance of mental health. “I never treated my body, mind and soul as one entity. I always thought physical health was important, and mental toh kuch hota hi nahin hai. So, I exercised a lot. But I think [the cancer] was a manifestation of the negativity that I had been harbouring. Had I gone to a doctor, I would have been declared clinically depressed. But I chose to cry every night instead of visiting one. I was living a dual life. My husband was shooting; I would spend hours at night crying, and put up the front of a happy person in the morning so that I didn’t look like a loser before my children, who were aged two and four then. It was only after I practised Buddhist chanting, and focused on my mental health that things changed. In a way, I’m glad that [I was diagnosed with cancer] at a time when I was strong enough to deal with it,” she told the publication.
Tahira considers her workouts functional training – she lifts weights and does exercises so she can perform other tasks. Kettlebell swings help her pick up her child, running in place with her trainer helps her race, and mediation and breathing helps her mental health.
“The most powerful personal victories often come from moments when we push through, even when it seems impossible. Sharing some moments where #ishowedup at the gym and flexed a muscle or two despite all odds,” Tahira wrote in a post. In those moments of sweat, hormonal upheaval and struggle, I found my anchor, a place to reset and refocus! Nowadays, hitting the gym has become a consistent reminder that showing up for myself is the best way to respect myself.”