At BrilliantRead Media, we always strive to bring meaningful and inspiring stories from India and around the world to empower and motivate our growing community. As part of this endeavour, we invited Sherene Vijayakumar for an exclusive interview with us. Sherene is a Nutrition Consultant, Functional Fit Coach and Founder at Breakthrough Studio. Let’s learn more about her inspiring journey, teaching philosophy, and valuable insights.
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Sherene:
Your journey spans triathlons, nutrition, functional fitness, and menopause coaching. What first sparked your passion for health and transformation?
Movement has always been a part of who I am. As a child, I naturally gravitated towards being active, but my deeper commitment to health began after the birth of my children.
Motherhood taught me that looking after my body wasn’t simply about appearance; it was about having the energy, emotional resilience, and mental clarity to be fully present for my family.
Exercise became a source of strength, peace, and joy that eventually overflowed into every area of my life.
My journey towards Ironman 70.3 was inspired by being part of the WowLife Community, where we believe that caring for our bodies is deeply connected to our spiritual journey. We are entrusted with one body, and honouring it means not only preserving our health but also continually stretching beyond the limits we place on ourselves.
When you discover that you are capable of more than you imagined physically, it completely reshapes the way you approach challenges in every other area of life.
Completing an Ironman 70.3 is a remarkable physical and mental achievement. What did that experience teach you about discipline, resilience, and self-belief?
I completed the 21-kilometre running leg while my teammates completed the swimming and cycling events. Running had never been my strength, so preparing for the race required nine months of consistent and intentional training.
The biggest lesson was that resilience is built long before race day. It is cultivated in the quiet moments when you choose to show up despite discomfort, self-doubt, or a lack of motivation.
There were many mornings when I negotiated with myself by saying, “Just run halfway.” More often than not, once I started moving, I finished the entire session. Action has a remarkable way of silencing hesitation.
The experience also reminded me that success is rarely achieved in isolation. Crossing the finish line with my teammates reinforced the beauty of shared purpose, mutual encouragement, and celebrating victories together.
Many women struggle with fitness during menopause because of hormonal changes. What are the biggest misconceptions you wish people would stop believing?
Perhaps the greatest misconception is that ageing inevitably means becoming weaker. That belief has done more damage than menopause itself.
In many ways, I am stronger today than I was in my twenties not simply physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. Hormonal changes are real and can certainly present challenges, but we now have access to an abundance of research and evidence-based strategies to help women navigate this season well.
Menopause should never be viewed as the end of vitality. It is an invitation to train differently and more intentionally.
You don’t need to pursue perfection or chase aesthetic ideals. Instead, invest in strength, mobility, balance, coordination, and confidence. These are the qualities that allow us to age with independence and grace.
As a menopause specialist, what are the first lifestyle changes you recommend to women who feel “stuck” with fatigue, weight gain, or low energy?
The first step is not another diet it is understanding what your body is trying to tell you.
Persistent fatigue, unexplained weight gain, and low energy warrant proper medical evaluation and appropriate blood investigations. I encourage women to discuss nutrients such as iron, vitamin D, and vitamin B12 with their healthcare professionals, as deficiencies can affect both physical and mental wellbeing.
From there, I encourage women to think differently about body composition. Weight gain during menopause is common, but we still have a choice about the kind of tissue we build. Through resistance training and adequate nutrition, we can preserve and even increase lean muscle mass, which supports metabolism, mobility, and long-term health.
Protein becomes particularly important during this season. Around 1.2–1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight can be a useful target for many women, depending on individual circumstances. Fibre is equally important, with roughly 25–30 grams daily being a helpful general goal.
Sleep should also become non-negotiable. Seven to eight hours of quality sleep can play an important role in recovery, appetite regulation, hormonal health, and emotional resilience.
Above all, I encourage women to extend to themselves the same compassion they naturally offer their children. We instinctively nourish, protect, and care for those we love. Menopause is a season to finally offer that same kindness to ourselves.
Nutrition advice online is often confusing and contradictory. How do you help clients build a sustainable relationship with food?
Food should never become something we fear it should remain one of life’s greatest pleasures.
I encourage clients to move away from restrictive thinking and instead cultivate mindful habits. Small, consistent changes create lasting transformation far more effectively than dramatic overhauls.
Replace highly processed foods with nourishing alternatives, eat without distractions, slow down, savour each bite, and truly experience your meals.
Cooking is another powerful habit I encourage. Preparing food reconnects us with what we eat, sparks creativity, and helps us appreciate nutrition rather than viewing it as a list of rules.
Movement and nutrition complement one another beautifully. Being part of a supportive exercise community often reinforces healthier food choices because both habits become expressions of caring for yourself rather than obligations.
Why does movement quality matter more than workout intensity?
As we age, fitness becomes less about doing more and more about moving well.
Our bodies need strength, balance, coordination, mobility, stability, and endurance to remain capable throughout life. Functional training and TRX can develop many of these qualities while also reflecting movements we perform in everyday life.
For beginners, older adults, and individuals carrying extra weight, TRX can provide support while allowing them to build strength progressively.
Intensity without movement quality can increase the risk of injury. Mastering technique, developing body awareness, and building consistency create the foundation upon which intensity can safely follow.
How do you encourage someone who believes it is “too late” to get fit?
The first thing I tell them is that it is never too late.
Our bodies possess an extraordinary capacity to adapt. With consistent movement, we can become stronger, healthier, and more capable than we may have imagined.
Rather than overwhelming people with lofty goals, I encourage them to simply begin where they are. One walk becomes two. One workout becomes a routine. Consistency eventually becomes identity.
I also ask them to picture the future they want to live. Perhaps it is carrying a grandchild, climbing a mountain with family, travelling independently, or simply walking confidently into church each Sunday.
Those deeply personal reasons become far more powerful than any number on a weighing scale.
Why should seniors do more than simply walk each day?
Walking is wonderful, but it is only one piece of healthy ageing.
As life expectancy increases, our goal should not simply be living longer but living independently for longer. That requires maintaining muscle strength, balance, coordination, mobility, and confidence.
Weight-bearing functional exercises such as squatting, lunging, pushing, pulling, carrying, and getting up from the floor prepare the body for movements we encounter in daily life.
These capabilities can help reduce fall risk, preserve independence, and improve quality of life.
Age should never become an excuse to avoid challenge. In fact, it is precisely the reason we must continue embracing appropriate challenges.
What else can we do to improve seniors’ health span?
Health span extends far beyond physical fitness.
Meaningful relationships, social interaction, and lifelong learning are equally important. Regular conversations, community involvement, and learning new skills stimulate the brain, improve mood, and contribute to cognitive wellbeing.
Perhaps most importantly, we must continue giving older adults opportunities to contribute. They possess decades of wisdom, experience, and perspective that our communities need.
Purpose is one of the most powerful drivers of healthy ageing.
If you could leave women entering their 40s and 50s with one message, what would it be?
Your forties and fifties are not the beginning of decline they are the beginning of becoming.
As family responsibilities gradually shift, you have a unique opportunity to rediscover yourself. Invest in your health, strengthen your body, nourish your mind, and pursue the dreams you may have postponed while caring for others.
This season is not about trying to reclaim your youth. It is about stepping fully into your strength, wisdom, and purpose.
The greatest gift you can give yourself and those you love is to age not merely with more years, but with greater vitality, confidence, and joy.
At BrilliantRead, we don’t just share startup stories; we bring you journeys that challenge perspectives, spark ideas, and fuel ambition. Every story we feature is carefully chosen to add real value, inspire action, and ignite possibility within our growing community of entrepreneurs and dreamers.
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