Celebrity fitness expert, Reebok fitness ambassador and entrepreneur, Shivoham's (formerly known as Dheepesh Bhatt) personal transformation came about when he went from the socially active party animal Dheepesh Bhatt to the spiritually inclined Shivoham. There are several aspects of Shivoham's current thinking that did not resonate with his former self; thoughts that evolved over time and prior experiences.?
"Every name, every word has an energy attached to it. We feed off this energy and are attracted to it. Personally, I was attracted to the energy of 'Shiva'. The name happened to come to me when I decided to leave behind the lifestyle that was linked to the name Dheepesh Bhatt. I realised I needed to be referred to by a new identity socially, once I mentally manifested into my new Avatar," says Shivoham.
"Shivoham came to me when I was performing push ups one day.?Shivoham is not just a name, it is a state of being; it means that I am the consciousness that is Shiva.?Shiva, not as in the Hindu deity. You can call this energy or whatever else you want to, whatever that energy means to you.?Shiva simply means supreme consciousness," states Shivoham.
"That is what I aspire to be through every word and every action. Balance is the nature of the ultimate reality. Everything in reality in nature is in its ideal balance; right from the chemicals within our body to the elements in nature, time and space. The balance that I create within myself filters into every other aspect of my life; be it my work, my diet or my exercise, which is primarily CrossFit. Unlike what some people may want to believe, Shivoham does not have a religious connotation for me; it is a state of being in balance within," adds Shivoham.
Shivoham
Shivoham made early inroads into tinsel town by training the likes of Aamir Khan, Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham. As a CrossFit coach Shivoham was the founder of the first CrossFit box in India, CrossFit OM. He is currently the co-founder SHIVFIT, along with his partner Vrinda Mehta. The ideology behind SHIVFIT is to combine the benefits of the fitness of the body as well as of the mind. As Shivoham rightly puts it, ¡°Not only with regards to fitness, but life is mind over body.¡±?
4 years back I was a someone who's lifestyle was symbolic of any regular guy in Mumbai. I used to party 3 times a week and went along with whatever else came with all that partying. This is before I met Vrinda. We started to have deep spiritual conversations during the time I started training in her studio. She would speak and I would just listen.
This is what personally brought a deep-seeded shift in attitude within me. I started to lose connection with the Dheepesh Bhatt I knew myself to be. I started wanting to disassociate from all that used to be me, including my name. I decide Shivoham was the name more suited for the person I was becoming. This renewed sense of spirituality brought a lot of balance and wellbeing within me and it is this balance that flows into everything I do, including CrossFit.
Shivoham
Vrinda Mehta, my partner in life, is responsible for my transformation and is the person responsible who helps me keep pursuing my quest for self-discovery. She is the one who taught me that physical fitness cannot be sustained without mental wellbeing. As Vrinda would say ¡°your happiness does not depend on anything outside of yourself. It has to come from within you¡±. My motivation has always been to strive for that happiness.?
Shivoham
People struggle a lot more in their minds; if they can't cope with their own thoughts and emotions, the stress that accompanies it will disallow them to be physically healthy for too long. Even science is in complete agreement with this fact today. The advice I would give to any fitness enthusiast is to please follow some sort of practice for your inner wellbeing, because unless you are in a good space in your mind, no amount of dieting or exercise can help you.
Shivoham
Every fitness routine helps your mind release the 'happy chemicals/ hormone' serotonin, which help reduce your stress levels. CrossFit is one such fitness routine. The nature of the workout and the intensity gets you into a space where you are completely tuned into that moment; where nothing else around you can distract you. This kind of a state of mind can be compared to a meditative state (of extreme concentration and focus).
Also, the chemicals released after a workout like CrossFit are the same chemicals that are released when you feel a high. Though this can be a very short-lived high, in that moment your mind is completely stress free. The idea is to try and stay in such a state through most of your day.
Shivoham
Stress in small doses is actually good for you. It has developed a bad rap over time as we're constantly enduring high doses of it, more often than not, which negatively take a toll on our mind and body. Exercise can add to your stress if you do not have clarity and a reasoning for what you're doing.?This also often happens due to poor guidance and a lack of foundation up front.
It is often the obsession for quick results, lifting more weight than you can handle, the disappointment of not looking a certain way that causes more stress in the mind than the body. Through a proper, progressive CrossFit training program you can build intensity that benefits your mind and body positively over time.?
Shivoham
To my knowledge SHIVFIT is the only fitness program that blends fitness for both mind and body in the manner it does. SHIVFIT BODY teaches you the physical aspect of the program, which includes programming a workout that combines power lifting, weight lifting, gymnastics, isolation training, etc.?
The SHIVFIT MIND program is designed to teach you the art and science of manifesting life the way you wish to experience it, to remove stress from your life and to be truly happy. The body and mind program work together, as the body follows the mind. A healthy mind leads to a healthy body. Non-members are also welcome to join the mind workshop that we hold for newbies, once every 4-6 weeks.?
Shivoham
Mental health is a prerequisite for physical health. Depression is a relatively new epidemic and many people understand what depression really means. Put it simply, it means that you are unable to cope with the thoughts inside your head. One of the reasons is because we were never taught how to handle our mental space early in life.
Using the SHIVFIT MIND PROGRAM Vrinda Mehta teaches you how to enjoy living your life by truly becoming happy within oneself. She aims to teach you the science and the art of being happy.
Shivoham
I absolutely loved swimming and competing. If you love competition and a specific sport, then you should follow doing what you love. There is no point in doing something that does not make you happy. Competition can be healthy, provided you fully understand what competition is. If you notice, an athlete typically has a very strong foundation, mentally.
A true athlete competes because he/she is passionate about their sport and for the love of pushing themselves in it, not just because they want to compete with another. Even if they don't win they're happy because in their mind they gave it their best shot. We have programmes for athletes to help them visualize their victories and happiness within.
Shivoham
A celebrity's training, diet and lifestyle revolves around the role they need to play for a movie. So, they are not necessarily on a consistent program but spend their time preparing for the exact look and body they need for the role they need to play. Besides, they always have a full-time man Friday who prepares meals for them through the day, so they remain fuelled. However, they do have a very strong mindset and determination.
There's nothing wrong in aspiring to look like your favourite celebrity. But a layman working in a 9-5 job often has a different set of priorities and needs a consistent plan to work around his/her lifestyle to achieve the look of the celebrity they idolise. It may take them a long time, sometime even years, to get there. Visualisation and clear goal in mind is the key to achieving the body you dream of in both cases, however.?
Shivoham
Personally, I absolutely love the initiative that Reebok has taken with Reebok Unrest. It helps provide a platform for fitness enthusiasts to get together, compete wholeheartedly, gives people a sense of being part of a community and encourages them to adopt a fitter lifestyle.?My role in this even was to conduct a CrossFit competition. I find it extremely satisfying when I am able to share with people what I love doing, which is CrossFit.
Shivoham
There are a dime and dozen WOD's, but here's one off the top of head:
-15 deadlifts
-15 push ups
-15 sit ups
-15 burpees
Do as many rounds of these movements as you can in 20 minutes.
I have released a book called 'The Shivfit Way', published by Penguin India. It's a book on fitness with basic movements, accompanied by 60 different workouts, for anyone looking for more workouts designed by me.?