All Indians are proud of Pusarla Venkata (P. V.)Sindhu who was silver medallist at Rio Olympics. She is just 21 years old badminton player from Andhra Pradesh was born to volleyball players P. V. Ramana and P. Vijaya in the year 1995. Her father was honoured with Arjuna Award for having displayed excellence in his sport, SO sports is in her blood. But as they say even if you are GOD gifted you have to put in your sweat, blood and tears to make it big and she is no exception.
It is confirmed by her Coach that she reported on time at the coaching camps daily for last many years, travelling a distance of 56 km from her residence, is perhaps a reflection of her willingness to complete her desire to be a good badminton player with the required hard work and commitment to reach the TOP. If that’s not enough she has been reportedly working out with her coach from as early as 4.15 am every day of years now so what we see is just a tip of iceberg as they say!!!
Her Workout:
Her daily schedule consisted of three sessions, with the 1st one beginning at 4am. It continued till 6.30 or 7am. “We can go through as many as a thousand shuttles per session,” said Gopichand her coach. ”We come back by about 8 for another couple of hours of group session. Then it’s back again around 11am for an hour and a half. In the evening she has a gym and court session or a gym and running session.”
Her Diet:
There’s constant supervision and each meal is measured out. “A challenge that we have with Sindhu is that her appetite is very less. We monitor each meal and give her high calorie food when she’s not feeling hungry enough,” says her dietitian.
Her diet as told to us is follows:
Breakfast
Porridge made with 80g oats + 250ml skimmed milk
250ml fresh fruit juice
Tea/coffee
Mid-morning
low fat soft cheese
Lunch
2 to 3 rotis/ 1 serving of rice + lean chicken / dal
50g mixed nuts, seeds & dried fruit
Mixed salad
Low fat, low sugar yogurt
Badminton practice / cardiovascular exercise
Sip plenty of water or electrolyte replacement sports drink throughout
Immediately post exercise
25g whey protein powder + 25g dextrose in water
Evening Meal
2 chapatis + Lean chicken breast or fish + herbs to taste
Boiled new potatoes or basmati rice or dry roasted sweet potatoes with Loads of vegetables
Low fat, no added sugar yoghurt
Drink
An hour before sleep
100g cottage cheese / low fat natural yoghurt / fruit
Small handful mixed nuts & seeds
Much has been made of coach Gopichand’s ban on junk food and sweets from Sindhu’s diet. The sugar hampers recovery, it causes inflammation
If you have a child and nurture dreams of Olympic glory, pay attention to this:
“There is nothing like what she prefers. She eats what she is told to.”
Cheers to You Miss Sindhu Keep up the good work.
Love