Belleboss Interview : Priya Gabi

THE BELLEBOSS SERIES

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I hoped that with this series, I would find a way to appreciate the incredible South Asian women of our generation, who are breaking boundaries and paving new paths for themselves. Moreover, I would like you to take a little bit of your time to realize how incredible the women around you are.

Especially if you are a woman! I know that at least one woman’s story in my #BelleBoss series will inspire you to follow your dreams, your vision and most importantly your heart. Even if that means breaking a few rules and many societal prejudices along the way.

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Could you give us an introduction to yourself?

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My name is Priya and I am 23 years old. I am a personal trainer and I suppose I have earned the right to say I am a fitness influencer now too. My work is based primarily in the West Midlands for but my online coaching service spreads worldwide, meaning I am fortunate enough to have clients from Canada, America and even Dubai.

I always have a hard time describing myself because I still feel like I’m discovering more of who I am every day. If I had to give a brief insight, I would say I am someone who likes to see the positive in situations,

I am strong-willed and a hard worker, I am also very straight to the point (something that is a determining factor of how well I get along with someone – I don’t know how to sugar coat at all).

Aside from fitness, my other passions lie in music and food. I am literally listening to music 80% of the day – it helps me get through most situations in my life along with food, food makes everyone happy!

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 What inspired you to start your fitness journey ?

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During university, I came to a point where I was unhappy not only with my appearance but the person that I was – I had let my insecurities control me to a point where I believed that they defined me.

Admittedly, when I started going to the gym, I was focused and motivated by the physical changes that I would eventually see. However, as I continued on my journey, I noticed the positive changes it had on both my health and mindset. This allowed exercise and the gym to become my safe haven and my escape whenever I didn’t feel my best – and for this reason, I am always incredibly proud that I took the plunge and started going to the gym by myself (despite my hesitations).

 

What inspired you to become a certified PT ?

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As I started my venture into fitness blogging on Instagram, I began to receive messages from different girls who would be asking for my advice.

They’d ask how they can achieve their goals, how they can improve their nutrition and health or they would simply message me to tell me how inspired they felt by my account.

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The more this continued to happen, the more it made me realise that this is something that I could make into a career.

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I already have the innate passion for fitness and to help others, the next step would be to get the qualification so that I can actively begin doing this in my everyday life.

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Having just graduated in Psychology, it was a risk to pursue something entirely different but it is definitely not something that I regret doing at all. Even though building something in this industry is not the easiest, when work doesn’t feel like work, it confirms to me that I made the right decision.

How has nutrition changed for you as you started your fitness journey? 

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So when I started training during university, my nutrition didn’t change massively because I was still inconsistent with my training for about 2 years. I focused on having typically healthy foods, cutting down on sugars and snacks but I was never perfect at it straight away.

I would go on a night out and the next day, be too hungover to cook that I would end up ordering Domino’s (literally a 2min walk away from me) and eat nothing else for the rest of the day apart from convenient food like snacks – laziness at it’s finest!

Just to add though, I am in no way promoting that eating like this is okay but we are also all human, and one bad day of eating isn’t going to ruin all the days you have eaten well – so enjoy that pizza guilt-free!

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Since moving home though, I don’t have days like that anymore – my life and goals are more focused and I have far more discipline than I used to.

I keep an eye on calories and macros, not strictly, but enough to know that I am eating correctly for the physique I want to achieve.

I opt for wholefoods that are minimally processed and highly nutritious, whilst still allowing myself to indulge in a brioche roll or packet of crisps now and again! It’s about learning to create a balance so that you are fuelling your body correctly without feeling deprived of anything – this is the key to sustainability.

Do you have any tips for those who are reticent to go to the gym to boost confidence?

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My main tips would be to go the gym at a time where it would be quiet (tends to be early in the morning); this is because nobody is around you to make you feel pressured to finish your set or question yourself about whether you’re doing something correctly.

Also, go in with a plan – a good idea is to educate yourself via video demonstrations of the exercises you plan to do so that you can just get on with your workout because you already know what you’re doing.

Other things that help to make my gym session enjoyable is to create a playlist of all my favourite music that makes me feel good and also buying new gym gear – because I still get excited to wear new clothes to the gym!

 

 

My last main tip that I always give is to set yourself clear goals and remind yourself of their importance to you and why you need to achieve them.

Remember that you are the only person who is able to make them happen, nobody else.

So, even though you may feel uncomfortable stepping into the gym at first, fight against it, the more you step out of your comfort zone, the easier it will become for you.

You will eventually reach a point where nothing phases you about the gym anymore – just like I have.

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How do you shoot your instagram fitness videos ?

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I use my iPhone8 plus and a tripod I bought from Ebay. I do have a new camera though so it’ll all be shifting soon to, hopefully, better quality content!

 Do you have any tips for women to start weight training/lifting weights?

Firstly, it would be to encourage them to not be afraid of the weights section.

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The myth that weight lifting makes you look manly often deters women from it. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth – weight lifting gives the curves and toned body that many women aspire to have.

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My other tips would be to make sure that you practise proper form with lighter weights first and then start increasing the weight once you are confident enough to.

This is not only to prevent you from injury, but to make sure you’re actually targeting the muscles you want to work on.

Lastly, focus on mastering the compound exercises before you move straight to isolation movements. Compound exercises involve more than one muscle group in one movement; they are vital for creating overall strength and so are a must in your workout routine if you’re a beginner.

 Do you have any favourite music/playlists to listen to when you work out?

Yes I have a few – they are all on my Spotify: priyag_

I listen to different ones depending on how I am feeling – sometimes I’m in the mood for some rap to get me pumped or some RnB to help me focus!

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How can potential clients get in touch with you?

They can reach me, ideally, at pri_fit@outlook.com for all enquiries. I can also be contacted via Instagram DM, however, they fill up fast hence why emails are preferable to make sure I can reply to everyone.

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That is the end of this interview! PLease scroll down to check out all the other amazing women who have been interviewed.