Smita Patil

Smita Patil

A special profile of an amazing lady who goes by the name of SMITA PATIL is our #9women9days 6^th lady.

The profile of Smita has been written for us by another multifaceted super mom Shilpa Godbole who is a marathoner and fitness enthusiast training under Smita.

Smita Patil comes across as a young woman who happens to be 60, she is a fine example of how to dare getting older.

While Smita will modestly credit her healthfulness to genes, her resume shows that she has spent a great amount of years being a fitness professional and a keen sportsman. During 2015 and 2016, she was a regular podium finisher in the age category of 55-60 years at some of India’s prestigious half marathons, like the erstwhile SCMM, ADHM, and SPBM. When she is not running or cycling Smita runs her own Pilates studio “Happilates, Doing more.." in Pune.

In Smita’s words this is a short compilation of her fitness expedition

"I have been an ardent sportsperson since I was in school. Having participated and being good at many sports related events helped me become sports captain of my school. Marriage and childbirth were the only times I probably slacked off in terms of keeping up with sports. I worked hard in instilling the values of sportsmanship in my children, both of them were chosen to represent at the state level swimming and tennis meets. During the same time I got a opportunity to start a fitness studio in Shivaji Park, Mumbai. I also was chosen to showcase my regimen in a video made by Dr Dilip Nadkarni’s (Orthopedic surgeon at Lilavati hospital, Mumbai) called ‘Knee problem to no problem’, which highlights lifestyle change as a preemptive measure for knee pain related issues.

Moving from Mumbai to Pune brought me a step closer to making a niche for myself in the field of fitness, I got to head the fitness operation department at a leading chain of health clubs in Pune. At around the same time I developed a penchant for cycling and trekking, it only added another dimension to my goals, I was happy to win the endurance/ adventure championship, Enduro, not once but 2 times in the corporate category. I also won several cycling races to Sinhagad and Lavasa, beating participants who happened to be much younger than me! In the past 4 years, I covered some scenic and enviable destinations in northern and southern India on the cycle. Manali-Leh-Khardungla in 9 days and Vellore to some fabulous hill stations around Chennai in 6 days.

At 56, I took up running as a hobby and have literally not looked back since then. An association with Pune Running got me to encourage many women to take up running on our regular Sunday runs. in 2015, I won a gold medal at the prestigious Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon in my category by finishing the half marathon in 1.59 hours. I have been fortunate to be able to take home a podium finish in almost all the events I took part in.

The most important journey for me has always been to live by example, to inspire women to look after themselves first by being fit, by making the right choice of choosing a model of exercise and selecting the right nutrition to get to their goals. Starting my own Pilates studio called ‘Happilates ….doing more’ presented me with this fabulous opportunity to guide my students.

A memorable event for me was when at the erstwhile Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon in 2016 where I won a silver in my category, but my crowning moment was that, 17 of my Pilates students participated in the half and full marathon and some of them even got a podium finish!