#MySafecity with Kinetic Living
Renita Siqueira is currently working with Safecity as the Communications Officer. Watching movies, reading books and listening to music are a part of her staple diet. She believes in being herself and making a difference one step at a time. Passionate about making the world a better, just and happier place, she pens down some of her thoughts on her blog- ren-creations.blogspot.in.
#MySafecity chat with Urmi Kothari from Kinetic Living
Safecity had a #MySafecity chat with Urmi Kothari, the Founder of Kinetic Living in Twitter’s #BlueRoom on 19th October followed by an intense but exhilarating workout session by the expert herself.
Urmi has had a great journey which began by playing basketball in school on a friend’s whim which she discovered that she really enjoyed. From there she has experimented with dance, pilates, trained in yoga and martial arts in Trivandrum and went on to create her own company.
Even in school and college, fitness and academics always went hand in hand without compromises to either. Her coach never differentiated on the basis of gender, so she never felt any different being the only girl playing with boys. She didn’t adhere to gender roles either. She dabbled in Advertising as a Copywriter but realised her real happiness lay in fitness. “No work is too small. That has helped me stay grounded and keep working hard. Initially, I got clients through word of mouth and now we have a brand called Kinetic Living!”
The past year has been equally taxing and rewarding to her. She says this is just the beginning of the boom in the fitness industry. Earlier people didn’t consider sports as a career option, but now it is. Busy with boot camps and different events she stills ensures she gets time to workout herself, which she calls her ‘me’ time.
Talking about the importance of fitness and safety she says, “I was harassed when I was in college. At that time I didn’t know what to do. Now I feel safe and strong and it’s amazing! Take charge, you are responsible for your body. Get fit, get strong. Let fitness help you evolve as a person. Don’t stop working out just because you fit into that dress. The more aware you are of your body, the more you understand it and become situationally aware. Kinetic Living aims to maximise your physical quotient along with awareness quotient.”
When we asked her about the importance of accessing public spaces for fitness while ensuring one’s safety she said, ” There are cool spaces out there, you don’t need to restrict yourself to gyms. At the same time, you should be careful and take important decisions based on how you feel. Self-defence is most important for safety and you shouldn’t spare a thought while defending yourself against a perpetrator. That being said, sometimes freeing yourself (if held) and running away instead of thinking you can fight a group of attackers is, in fact, the smart thing to do. Just because you are fit doesn’t mean you have to defeat those men. Your safety comes first.”
She is a Nike trainer and was a part of the recent ‘Da Da Ding‘ commercial by Nike. She spoke about all the other amazing women she met while making the commercial. “It feels amazing that I can reach out to so many more women. Fitness isn’t just a part of my life, kinetic living is my life and I want to be known for who I am not what I am!”
It was truly wonderful seeing the passion and enthusiasm in her talking about fitness and all that it means to her. We ended the chat with Urmi and Supreet Singh, our Director, doing headstands in the #BlueRoom with Ashwini Syed, our Training and HR Manager. You can watch the entire #MySafecity chat here on Periscope.
The chat was followed by a workout session by the expert herself for the members, interns and volunteers of Safecity. Though intense and strenuous for us she recommended it as a basic fitness session for anyone at any place at any time. Tired though we were at the end of it, there was a sense of accomplishment and happiness on each of our faces for being in one of Urmi Kothari’s sessions. We wound up the event with a Q&A with her about fitness regimes and diets.
You can have a look at the entire workout session here on Periscope.
Kinetic Living conducts Bootcamps within the city, brief alternative fitness retreats on weekends, regular semi-private group sessions and personal training & lifestyle coaching in Khar Bandra and Goregaon East. You can check out more details on the website.
