“I was one of those weird ones who never really had a specific dream. Now my
dream is to live life to the fullest because we really don’t know how much time
we have left here in this world, and to balance out my work life with my kids,
family and some fun,” says Nisha Madgavkar, the Secretary of Goa Triathlon
Association, who kissed her trophy of the Ironman 70.3 in Colombo Srilanka – a
long distance 113-kilometre triathlon race organised by World Triathlon
Corporation. The race consisted of a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile cycling and
13.1-mile run.
This inspirational woman, at the tender age of 12 years, became
the first swimmer from Goa to represent India in Singapore for the Asia Pacific
Aquatic Championships in 1991. Nisha comes from a family of sports oriented
people and sport has always played a major role in her life. As a child, she
enjoyed swimming and participated in many swimming events, winning most of
them.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
“The downside of throwing yourself into sports is that you don’t
really have any interests outside of that sport,” says Nisha, a woman who plays
the role of an exceptional mother, a good wife and a strong sportsperson.
According to her, a lot of issues, comments and failures may
pull us down in this world, but if we are going to take every bad situation and
criticism too seriously, we will be doomed. It is also not wise to use health
issues as excuses to hold us back from doing what we want. “I never ran till
the age of 36 because I was told I have small feet for the size of my body. Then
I watched a video of a blade runner and thought to myself, ‘any feet are better
than no feet’. So I decided to get up and start, take it slow, take my time,
but get up and do something.”
Nisha, who is now 40, believes that age is not a limitation. She
says that the main thing is not to think or say ‘at this age’. “I really do not
feel a day over 25. One look in the mirror tells a different story though, so I
don’t spend much time in front of a mirror anymore.” One can start working out
at any point in life, the earlier the better, and must follow it gradually so
that one doesn’t strain their body too much and wind up with injuries, she
advises.
As part of her daily health routine, eating healthy is very
important to Nisha. “If a person can minimise the intake of sugar and processed
food, it is very beneficial for the body even at later stages in life. Team it
with a little exercise and every woman will be as healthy,” she says.
Many women like Nisha Madgavkar have come to understand that the
life of a woman doesn’t end after matrimony and bearing children, but goes on
as long as one is willing to not give up. She advises every woman to start
keeping healthy from a younger age so that you live and age well.
There
is nothing that can stop this phenomenal woman from exploring her dreams, as
the saying goes: It is never too late to chase your dreams.
