South Asian Health and History

Hey, I’m lydia, and I’m South Asian– Indian, to be specific. I’m also a certified personal trainer and I work full-time in the fitness industry. 

Training as a South Asian person can be especially tricky, because we are genetically predisposed to store fat as a trauma response. 

Over the course of colonization, specifically during the 18th and 19th centuries, our people were subject to approximately 30 different famines. That has made our bodies “starvation-adapted.” This means that we generate and store fat quickly, have trouble burning it off, and tend to have lower lean muscle mass. 

This results in a large amount of visceral fat (the fat around abdominal organs), which leaves us prone to some serious long-term health issues— obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and PCOS, to name a few.

All of these are chronic conditions that can be improved by incorporating healthy habits, a higher-protein diet, and mindful exercise. PCOS, or PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome, can be especially tricky, as it is a female-specific issue that can cause infertility. Symptoms can be improved through sustained fat loss, hormone balancing, and stress management. Unfortunately, there are very few studies conducted on South Asian women specifically.

Being “starvation-adapted” creates unique health challenges for South Asian people– On top of that, we have not been well represented by the health and fitness industry, which makes it even harder to address the issues. 

Slowly, but surely, exercise and sports science is becoming more and more diverse, and is teaching us how we can live our longest, healthiest lives. The South Asian body is special, and should be trained and fueled as such– I love learning about my history and how it affects me today! I hope you learned something new (: