Dialled in to Wellness
Aparna Punnakkal, now a fitness expert, jogged through many sectors before she found her real calling. And since then, she has been focusing on achieving the right balance of life, having realised early on that spreading yourself too thin for work means that you are not gaining anything of real value from life except for perhaps more money.
Engineering, journalism, human resources, event management and fitness – it certainly has been a long ride for Aparna Punnakkal who can now say that it is the sector of fitness and wellness that she has finally settled in. Aparna spent her early years in the Middle -East before having to move back to India due to family reasons. After integrating herself here, she took up engineering as it was the most “parent approved” option. However, her inclinations were towards more expressive, adventurous and people-related avenues and hence she shifted to journalism, from where she moved to other avenues. After working in HR and event management, she eventually found her passion in fitness and wellness.
Entering Fitness
Aparna joined as a Zumba trainer in the OG Cult.fit centre in Bengaluru and spent a good part of the last decade evolving with the brand. Over the five years that she was engaged with Cult.fit, she worked in multiple roles from training, centre operations and eventually helping create the Cult.live product.
From content planning to execution and also being in front of the camera, Aparna and her team built a product that revolutionised the ‘at home’ fitness concept in India that kept millions of Indians fit during the pandemic. After this stint, Aparna joined a women’s health start-up as their Health and Fitness Programming Lead where she realised that her true calling lay in working with individuals and groups in helping them elevate their wellness. She thus started pursuing her career as a personal trainer.
Be Positive
Aparna’s approach always has been positive reinforcement, kindness, and sustainable fitness practices whether it comes to her career, clients or her own self. In a male-dominated industry, being taken lightly is common for women.
“When I started off as a personal trainer, at first, the going was slow,” she admits. Facing left-handed compliments and ‘mansplaining’ was routine, which sometimes triggered an imposter syndrome. She therefore focussed on one client at a time and worked on building scientific, custom- built programmes.
Focusing on being the best at what she could do and working with commitment and diligence instead of external validation gave Aparna the impetus to soldier on during tough times. Holding on to her values and appraising her skills and knowledge helped her shed all doubts and got her to the top.
Transitioning to personal training, she encountered pervasive biases, as fitness is often seen as a male- dominated realm focused solely on heavy lifting. However, through education, awareness, and advocacy on social media, perceptions are evolving, Aparna notes. She has been fortunate to collaborate with progressive brands, prioritising female-friendly policies; a stark contrast to her previous experiences in event management…
