Vismaya Mohanlal reveals how Muay Thai muscled her fitness journey
Vismaya discovered Muay Thai a few years ago, and she says it significantly improved her physical and mental well-being.
Vismaya discovered Muay Thai a few years ago, and she says it significantly improved her physical and mental well-being.
Vismaya discovered Muay Thai a few years ago, and she says it significantly improved her physical and mental well-being.
Actor Mohanlal's daughter Vismaya is all set to debut through the Jude Anthany Joseph film 'Thudakkam.' In a conversation with Bharadwaj Rangan, Vismaya recently said that she had doubts about debuting in movies, though she loved being an artiste; one reason was her body type. She also says how being extremely unfit bothered her quite a bit before she took up the traditional Thai martial art form Muay Thai. "I was almost 100 kg, and I was struggling even to climb stairs. I would be huffing and puffing, and my friends would ask me why," she said in the interview.
Vismaya revealed that Muay Thai came into her life accidentally. The actress said that she was in the country for a 2-3 week trip, but ended up staying there for around eight months. "I didn't enjoy it at the beginning. However, I ended up continuing there during COVID. I didn't go home and slowly, I started liking it," said Vismaya, who observes that the art form changes 'something in your brain' too. "You begin switching off everything else and just focusing on your task. If I am told to do 10 kicks, I would often stop at 9. My trainer used to ask me to observe how I am so close to the goal and then stop. He would go on to make me do 30 more kicks," said a smiling Vismaya, who confessed she would love to try kalari also.
How muay thai is different
Muay Thai is known for being a high-intensity routine that can burn up to 700 calories an hour, when done right. Experts say it can also build full-body muscle strength and improve cardiovascular endurance. It also improves hip mobility and footwork as it involves a lot of dynamic kicks. Vismaya also confesses it improved her confidence, which is a common benefit attributed to Muay Thai training. It also lowers blood pressure and strengthens the heart. At the same time, unlike other common martial art forms, Muay Thai is considered relatively easier, as there aren't any choreographed 'kata' moves.
Vismaya revealed that she trained at FitKoh Thailand, which is a premier fitness and health camp in Thailand's Samui. It is a centre that specialises in retreats, including Brazilian jiu-jitsu and HYROX, the popular indoor fitness race that consists of various workouts, including burpee broad jumps, farmers carry, and rowing. The centre is known to attract many elite fitness and combat sports figures.