“I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror.”
When Namrata Rai tells you about her personal journey, it is hard to imagine how far she has come.
The 40-year-old is the first Kiwi-Indian mother selected to represent Aotearoa as a bikini model overseas. The mother of two won in the Ms Bikini Model category this month at one of the country’s biggest fitness shows, ICompete Natural (ICN) New Zealand.
“I competed in mama's category…40 plus category. On October 14, I'm going to compete at the national level, and the international competition in Melbourne is scheduled for October 22,” says Rai, who is also a professional powerlifter.
It seems like a dream story, but the three broken discs in her back will tell you it all began with a nightmare.
“My three discs…one is bent, one has a hole, and the third has no gel. So, my three discs are gone. Bad posture and overuse of the back over a long time led to that damage,” she says.
Rai, who hails from the northern Indian city of Varanasi, says she first sensed body image issues after her second C-section. “I was 75kgs post pregnancy. I worked out and lost all that extra weight. But then because of a back injury I couldn’t go to the gym, and I gained 28kgs within a year,” she says.
“I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror.”
She began powerlifting when she was 37, and took to bodybuilding in 2022. After rigorous training, and years of rehab for back injuries, Rai is now shining on New Zealand’s bodybuilding and fitness stage.
At this year’s ICompete Natural show, she was selected Ms Bikini Model. Competitors in this division are judged on overall toned and athletic body, with firm glutes and midsection, and good muscle separation.
“I also competed in the Ms Sports Model category, like last year. I have only just started my journey as a bodybuilder. So, doing that is like, you know, it's already a big achievement,” she says.
Rai credits her success to her daughters and husband who have fully backed her midcareer transformation.
“My daughters are my biggest supporters…from making black coffee to protein, counting my macros to preparing my food bag, they helped me in everything. Both my daughters are competitive lifters too. They are very proud their mama is winning medal after medal!”
Rai says her personal journey made her realise the challenges married women might face when it came to personal fitness and health, which led to the launch of her personal coaching brand Family Fitness.
“I could not get anyone, when I was trying to find a coach, who could train me early morning, late at night, or at weekends because of my kids. And a thought came to my mind, what about moms who want to get fit but cannot because they do not have enough resources?”
Rai enrolled for a Level 4 personal training course in Auckland and followed it up with a course in nutrition, before beginning her coaching journey with her first client in 2018.
“Since then, I have transformed more than 1,000 women worldwide. I provide strength training to seniors in a retirement village, as well. Recently, I won the People’s Choice award for my community work.”
Rai says winning competitions is not the goal. “I always compete to bring the best in me and [see] what can I achieve. These awards are cherries on the cake!”
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