THE SPOTLIGHT: KaurStrength

Mar 1, 2015: Since we both dedicated the month of February to researching about ways to improve our own health and fitness, we thought who better to interview for our monthly feature of The Spotlight other than Beant Kaur aka KaurStrength.

I have been following KaurStrength’s journey for over a year now and all I can say is she is pure bad-ass! She has truly inpsired me to look after my own health, body and general well-being. Last year, I started training and ran my first 5K race for Cancer Research. My target was to complete the race in under 30 minutes but towards the end, I started to lose momentum and slowed down. I needed motivation and it came in the form of KaurStrength and having to remind myself how she constantly pushes her boundaries. Suddenly out of nowhere came this sudden rush of adrenaline and I was on my way again having completed the race in 35 minutes.

KaurStrength was in Thaliand at a Muay- Thai training camp over a month ago and also in the UK two weeks ago for a last minute training camp she held in the midlands. Despite her busy schedule, she kindly offered to be a part of The Spotlight to share her story and unleash the power of the core!

1. Tell us about yourself and the story behind KaurStrength?

My name is Beant Kaur and I am from Vancouver, Canada. I’m a fitness enthusiast and I started Kaur Strength as a way to share my journey in health and fitness. I noticed there was a lack of a female presence in health and fitness within the Sikh community and thought that by starting Kaur Strength I could encourage and help fellow Kaurs around the world with their health and fitness goals. With my passion for health and fitness I decided to put myself “out there” and see where the universe would take. My Instagram page is a natural extension of myself and I hope to use this platform to speak my mind, share my insights and thoughts pertaining to holistic health and benefits of daily exercise.

2. Have you always been into health and fitness and if not, what was the turning point for you?

I have been into health and fitness for as long as I can remember. I would always be playing outside as a child with my brothers or other kids on the street. I took a liking to basketball and played throughout elementary and high school on the school teams. I started focusing on taking my fitness to the next level a few years ago and I am continuing to work on it. With my dedication and discipline, I know I will progress and continue to break boundaries and take my mind, body, and soul to the next level.

3. What were you doing before you started Kaur Strength?

Before I started Kaur Strength I was training at a local Muay Thai gym, lifting weights and trying to improve in all areas of fitness. I was and currently am working as an auditor – finished my BBA degree and almost completed my CA Designation. (Yes- quite surprising that I have a business and accounting background!)

4. What challenges/obstacles do you face on a day-to-day basis in training?

With my job as an auditor, I am required to travel around BC to different cities for weeks at a time. Sometimes the hotel I am staying at does not have an adequate gym facility in which case I have to improvise to get my workout in. Also traveling to small rural towns I sometimes do not get the proper food I need to fit my diet. Despite the fact that I have to travel quite a bit for my job, I will still workout everyday at my hotel and will try my best to source out the best food. I sometimes also pack training equipment and food in my suitcase which I will use throughout the week. Where there’s a will, there’s a way!

5. How do you like to unwind after a long day of workouts?

After training I like to stretch, shower (of course haha) and then have a protein shake, eat some clean food and read a good book.

6. What’s your motto (or the alternative way we often like to ask this question is, ‘If you had to, what would you get tattooed on your forehead?!)

“Meditate. Train. Evolve. “- this is the mantra. As Sikhs we are meant to become the best and strongest version of ourselves in every aspect of life. (spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally). If we are not mediating, training and evolving in all aspects of life then we are truly missing out on the essence of this life. Our bodies are intelligent and amazing machines, and I truly believe everything can be found within.

7. What advice would you give to fellow Kaurs (or anyone else!) that finds it difficult to incorporate health and fitness into their life (especially as we live in a fast paced society)?

“Unless you love the body and unless you understand the body, you cannot grow spiritually. The body is the temple of your soul.”-Osho. You will often see me refer to training as my “meditation”. I feel an inner transformation and mental transcendence each time I train. When I train I do not think of anything else except for the task at hand. Its impossible to think of other things while you are deadlifting 100KG or squatting 80 KG. The mental focus required to lift heavy weight and do things your body has not done before along with the inner and outer transformation is what keeps me coming back again and again. The shaheeds and martyrs in our history gave up their lives so we could be here today. They did not intend for us to be lazy and average human being. We are meant to be elite warriors and truly experience this body in its entirety. We cannot do this unless we train our bodies! If we do not have our health then we have nothing. Put your health and fitness as a priority in your life and you will see the positive changes occurring in all aspects of your life. You will be a happier, healthier, and stronger version of you!

8. In your experience, what are the highs and lows since you started Kaur Strength?

The highs of Kaur Strength are when I receive emails and messages from fellow kaurs/singhs telling me how I have encouraged them to start training and how they are so happy to see a Sikh woman training hard. When I was in the UK and India, people constantly come up to me in random places to tell me they follow me on Instagram and are inspired by my journey. Though I feel like I still have a long way to go in terms of reaching my goals and being on an elite level of fitness, I am still humbled by the amount of love people have shown me throughout the year! Another highlight of Kaur Strength was when I was in the UK a few weeks ago I was asked by the local Sikh Coventry community to hold a fitness camp for Kaurs. I took the opportunity immediately and held the first official Kaur Strength Fit Camp in Coventry in February 2015! The turnout was amazing and I had an amazing experience helping the Kaurs and coaching them through their workout. My husband said I was a natural considering it was my first fitness camp! This had always been a goal for me as I dream of holding fitness camps around the world and getting the Sikh Community healthy and strong, one city at a time! ?

Another highlight for Kaur Strength was when my husband and I went to Phuket, Thailand earlier this year in January 2015 and trained with elite level athletes and Muay Thai champions every day for a month!

9. What/who keeps you driven/motivated?

I have to thank Akaal Purakh for giving me such an amazing husband. He has been my rock and strongest supporter during my ups and downs. During hard times and when I feel like giving up or do not feel like working out, he will always be there motivating me and bring out the best in me. Kaur Strength would not have begun or grown as much as it has if it wasn’t for my amazing husband. We work out together, read and grow together and he is truly my inspiration and pushes me to become the best version of myself.

10. What’s on your music playlist when you are training? (or in general the kind of music you listen to on a day-to-day basis)

SticMan and Dead Prez- he has an awesome workout album with tracks about health and fitness. I find these motivating and like to hear them when I go hard in my training. I also listen to Dubtician- The Dub Simran Experience. He is a Sikh artist from London who is extremely talented and his new album is the perfect hybrid between meditation with a modern upbeat twist! I also absolutely LOVE listening to kirtan from Bhai Balbir Singh Hazoori Raagi and Bhai Baljeet singh and Bhai Gurmeet Singh. Their kirtan is sublime and I usually like to listen to their kirtan during yoga sessions and in my car.

12. What’s been your greatest struggle, and how do you generally overcome negative emotions?

Though this may be hard to believe but it is a struggle balancing training with work and everyday married life! However, despite that, I will always make time for training everyday (or 5-6 times per week). I usually have to prepare my meals the night before and pack my gym clothes and take them with me to work. I will generally go straight to train after work no matter how badly I want to go home and see my husband I have built that discipline to go train first and relax later. Negative emotions are overcome by discipline and by forming a habit. I have reached the point that whether my mind feels like training or not, my body just needs it, its basically an addiction.

13. Being female and in the fitness arena, have you received any negativity or criticism from anyone and if so, how have you tackled it?

Overall I have received positivity from just about everyone I have met and talked to whether it be in person or online. There have been a few cases of negativity I have received but I just ignore it and literally use it to add fuel to the burning fire inside of me which no hater or criticiser can put out. Lions do not lose sleep over the opinion of sheep.

15. Who/what inspires you? (In life generally, and/or your field of work)

Guru Gobind Singh Ji and Mai Bhago (to name a few), inspire me. When I see the glory of the great warriors that were Guru Gobind Singh Ji and Mai Bhago it truly motivates me to continue to train hard and not give up. I am also motivated by many others in the fitness community, whether it be my fellow Sikh Brothers and sisters, I am always inspired by anyone who is giving it their 100% into training and also giving it their 100% in other aspects of life as well. It takes a lot of time, confidence, countless failures, and perseverance to achieve greatness- anyone who is on this journey is an inspiration!

16. What else can we expect from Kaur Strength in the future?

Kaur Strength will be coming to a community near you! I am in the planning stages of many different avenues I would like to take Kaur Strength into and will be launching my website shortly. From world-wide fitness camps to coaching, I will have all the tools and resources to help Kaurs get healthy and fit! I also plan on making another trip to Thailand within a year to train and take my fitness and Muay Thai to the next level. Stay tuned my fellow Kaurs, as I would like to help each and every one of you achieve your fitness goals and help you become the strongest version of yourselves!