“Your success is not defined by anyone except you. Whatever you choose to do, be your own cheerleader.” – Kavitraa

This is Kavitraa’s Story

 

Having grown up athletic all her life since she was young representing the school and district for javelin, you wouldn’t expect her to gain a degree in Graphic Design. 

“I represented the school and district for javelin, I did discus as well. I did swimming and taekwondo. I didn’t start going into lifting weights till 2015 when I went to the UK to further my studies. My main sport in competitions were javelin and swimming back then,” Kavitraa explained.

After graduating from the UK, she worked full time as a swimming coach in Shanghai for a year, hence, she spent 4 years away from home, which is Subang Jaya. Kavitraa, who is also a chindian, came back to Malaysia to pursue a full-time job as a swimming coach at an international school located in Kuala Lumpur. That’s not all – she also works as a part time circuit coach at Fly Project, a renowned fitness studio offering various fitness classes, as well as swimming lessons on the side. 

Her Journey As A Swimming Coach 

 

Ever since she was 15 years old, she already began her career as a swimming coach, teaching part time. At the age of 6 was when she first stepped into the aquatic world and even participated in various competitions up to 17 years old. 

She enjoyed swimming so much that she even worked as a mermaid in Aquaria KLCC! 

 

To Kavitraa, swimming is her passion and what she lives for every day. 

 

“I love teaching swimming not just because it is a life skill, but I get to build that bond with the children plus adds more joy in my life. Watching my students progress through their lessons gives me that extra motivation in doing what I do.”

Working On Being A Better Version Of Herself Through Fitness

 

Lifting weights wasn’t something she ventured into simply to get some gains. After a bad break up, she used the gym as a way to improve herself. But what really became a turning point for her was when her parents visited her during her graduation, they couldn’t even recognize her due to her increase in weight. When it comes to situations like this, one would either wallow in self-pity or choose to work on themselves and be better. Kavitraa took the latter route. 

She picked herself up together and pushed herself to improve her lifestyle. 

“When I came back to Malaysia, I told myself that I’m going to work on myself and not let myself go back to that moment. I did not have any guidance at the time, I learned everything on my own, watching videos, youtube, learning from influencers etc. Coming to today, I’m grateful for how far I’ve come. From 65/66kg to 51kg. Even now, people think I’m too thin (guess you can never be good enough for anyone, except yourself).”

 

Growing up, life wasn’t easy for her as she was getting bullied and teased about how she looked like. “Fitness gives me that confidence. Being in the gym at the present moment, you just shut everything else out, people’s thoughts, people’s words, it’s just you. And that’s what I love so much about fitness,” Kavitraa mentioned. 

You Are Your Own Cheerleader

Sometimes it gets lonely in life, with negative thoughts consuming our minds on a frequent basis. We think nobody is there for you and may receive lack of support from your loved ones. In life, you have to be your own cheerleader. And by that, it means to love yourself enough and accept us for who we are. “I came to realize that you just got to look out for yourself first. You have to be your number one supporter. You have to celebrate the little things that you accomplished.”

 

What exactly is self-love? Many people have their own definitions of what it means to have self-love, and to Kavitraa, it’s all about your happiness.

“Self-love is all about your happiness. Happiness is when we feel so content with ourselves. When we feel accomplished with ourselves. I have been at a low point before in my life, I suffered from depression and I never knew what was happiness.” 

Aside from being your own support system, Kavitraa also shared how important it is to just be yourself. Don’t let others dictate how you should be or how you look like. As long as it makes you happy, go ahead and continue whatever you’re doing. 

“The more you love yourself, the more people will get your vibe. I’m grateful to be chosen as an athlete under Team Evomania. Grateful to have had many opportunities to work with local brands throughout my fitness journey such as Mie. Fitness Apparel, Fit Peach, Phynix Apparel, Herms.co, Heal Nutrition, Snappeafood, GoBasix, and even an international brand such as Sudio.

It has been amazing and I can’t wait to see what’s to come for me. I never thought it would be possible for me to achieve these but all I did was be me.”

“Honestly, do you. I’ve not gotten the support I wish I did from many people. It can bring you down so low that you’d want to give up, I’m here to tell you not to. Walk your own path and if you get people following you and walking your hand through your journey, count your blessings. 

I always say it’s you vs you. Whether it is in the aspect of physical, mental or emotional.”

Not everyone is going to offer support in anything that you do. That’s why the only person you should rely at the end of the day is yourself! 

“There are also times where you don’t get the support you wish to from others. I’ve learned to accept it. They are aware of where you’re going with your goals but they may not agree or they have some hidden wish for you not to succeed. 

It’s not something in our control. People can talk so much on social media, badmouth about others, but to me, say what you want man. Sometimes you just need to brush it off.”

 

Despite that, she also received support from the people that mattered the most to her; which are her loved ones.

“Even though I never got full support from many people I love, and from people I expect the most, I’m still grateful for the people I’ve met throughout my journey. My parents, brothers, my partner Brandon, my best friends, my colleagues and even my students. These people held my hand through my journey, knowing how difficult I was, they still stuck with me through every step, encouraging me, and picking me back up when I needed the extra push.

You can’t expect people to always be there for you, and that’s why you need to be your own cheerleader. Because you are the only one who can make a difference for yourself. “

Kindness Is Virtue

To live a happy life, being kind is essential. Times are tough as it is, and you have nothing to lose when you’re kind to others. 

Kavitraa shared, “Kindness brings on to empathy and we need all the good we can get, for ourselves and people around us. Kindness brings on support which we definitely need during tough times.”

Life Advice from Kavitraa

 

We asked Kavitraa to share some advice on dealing with the issues we face on a daily basis. She went through alot during the years, and this is what she has to say. 

In terms of Fitness, Kavitraa shared, “There’s no comparison on how fit you are. You are fit in your way and you are strong in your own levels. Embrace it and watch your body do the magic!”

As for Mental & Emotional Health, Kavitraa mentioned, “Your mental and emotional health is something you need to work on daily. You need to feed your mind with the good. Like I said, celebrate the little joys in your day. Motivational videos/podcasts, Meditation/Yoga, Open your curtains to let sunshine in, cook a meal, tidy up your space/room! It also helps to speak with someone you’re close to, a group of friends or you can reach out to someone else, there’s helplines out there if you need any. If you’re struggling with anything, speak up. You are not alone and I’m sure you will feel so much better letting some of it out.”

And as for her future, she doesn’t plan on leaving this industry any time soon. For as long as fitness is part of her life, she hopes to inspire others along the way.

“I’m super excited to see where this journey will lead me and I’m excited to see where your journey will lead you too. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and don’t be afraid to try. I have my own goals that I’d like to achieve, I have a clear picture of where I want my fitness life to lead me and I hope I get to inspire as many as I can along the way.”

We hope Kavitraa’s story has inspired you the way it inspires us, to always put yourself first and be there for yourself, even when no one else can. Love yourself enough to work on being a better version of yourself every day. 

Do you have your own story to tell? Drop us an email at: contact@happyhormones.my 

Kavitraa’s Instagram: @kxvitrxx