We turn our spotlight on Dumindha and Anuruddha Meddegoda and Migara de Silva, who founded ‘The Movement’, which is located at Colombo 7 and is built around circuit-based weight lifting, cardio interval training, customized meal planning and continuous app based progress tracking. These three young men, who are lean, mean and fighting fit machines sculpt better figures for their clients in an inclusive and fun atmosphere where you’re certain to stay motivated, meet new fitness friends and best of all, consistently stick to a workout routine.
EM: Tell us in brief about yourselves.
Migara: I’m a Barrister and I studied Law at the London School of Economics and Political Science. I was called to the Bar of England as a member of the Honourable Society of Lincolns Inn.
Dumindha: I studied Civil Engineering at Imperial College London and I’m currently employed at MAS Capital, in the Corporate Finance, Treasury and Strategy Division.
Anuruddha: I studied for a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Mathematics and Statistics from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
EM: What prompted your decision to start The Movement? Have you always been active?
All: We all played sports in school, but only started training at the gym when we were 18. Unfortunately when we started out, we had no clue as to what we were doing! Information wasn’t nearly as widely available as it is now, so we didn’t see progress for years. But after years of trial and error and doing our own research, we started to see results. Ever since then, our passion for fitness and nutrition has meant tonnes of reading up and watching videos on workout techniques and the science behind nutrition. The three of us always spoke about the idea of starting our own business together and we knew it had to be something that we were very passionate about. Because of other work commitments, we were always ‘too busy’ to get something going. But last August, we decided to just start, somewhere. So we harnessed our collective passion and experience for working out to create a unique workout space in Colombo.
EM: What does the training routine at The Movement consist of?
All: We realize that most people with their hectic work schedules face a time crunch (no pun intended!). The workouts at The Movement are ideal for people who are short on time but still committed to getting fitter and leaner. Our workouts are circuit-based weight training classes which incorporate various forms of cardio as well.
In a typical workout, we would do a variety of lower body movements (e.g. squats), upper body movement (e.g. shoulder presses), cardio intervals on the spin bike and throw in some ab workouts!
In terms of equipment, we use dumbbells, barbells, spin bikes, resistance bands, medicine balls and your own bodyweight of course! Free weights are always the most effective form of weight training for burning calories; machines are great, but a person will tend to burn a lot less calories on machines because you’re usually seated and the stabilization portion of the exercise is done for you. Every class lasts for 1 hour, which includes warm up and stretches.
EM: How have your clients influenced you with regard to your own health and fitness?
All: Before we started The Movement, the most motivating thing for us would be when someone approached us asking for advice on training or diet. Now that we actually train clients, this motivation is there for us daily! We find our clients surprising and inspiring in equal parts a lot of time. Some of them have made more progress than we would have thought possible and have put in so much more effort than expected. Our workouts are challenging and intense, and seeing how many clients have improved gives us so much satisfaction.
EM: How do you motivate yourself to stay consistent with your fitness and strive to assist others with theirs? Have there been times you wanted to give up…if so, what who kept you going?
Migara: I did give up for a while, when I was studying for my Bar as it was too hard to balance with work and studies, and the cold made it so demotivating to train in England. My overall confidence, appearance and general health suffered, so I won’t go back there. For me, looking good (by my own definition) is a big part of how I feel about myself, and because my own happiness is at stake it is easy to keep motivated.
Dumindha: Balancing work and fitness has been a challenge for the past 9 years, ever since I started lifting weights! At MAS, we often have to work long hours, but if I have extra work, I’ll make sure to get my workout in (the gym closes at 9) and then finish off my work at home. Sometimes you just have to put in the work and sacrifice a bit of sleep! Of course there are weeks when I lack the motivation to train but then I think about the instances that people have approached me asking for advice on training, etc. and that itself motivates me to keep pushing. Knowing that I’ve motivated others to train is a pretty powerful tool.
Anuruddha: I wanted to give up on working out a few years back when I could no longer see any improvement or results. What motivated me to push harder with my training and diet and not give up on working out were the dozens of fitness articles I read and YouTube videos I watched of people in the fitness industry explaining that anything is possible if you try hard enough and put effort in, whether it’s in the gym or at home in the kitchen.
EM: Do you eat clean and let yourself have cheat days?
Migara: At the moment I do not eat clean or control my diet at all because I am trying to gain weight/bulk. I have a very fast metabolism so if I want to gain some more muscle I have to literally eat anything I feel like. I have set myself a weight target and when I reach that I will start controlling my diet again. I think cheat days and satisfying your cravings is important. You don’t have to starve yourself or even give up anything if you train hard and watch your meal timings.
Dumindha: I’m quite happy with where my weight is at the moment, not really trying to gain or lose weight. Since I’m at this maintenance stage, my daily calorie intake is at a level which allows me to maintain my current weight. I keep my daily protein intake high (around 180g); the rest of my calories are split between carbohydrates and fats. This means that I have room to have a few high-carb meals throughout the week, but I still have to choose between that cheesecake and chocolate ice cream; you can’t have both!
Anuruddha: I’m very flexible with my diet. I give myself plenty of cheat days because for me eating grilled chicken breast with broccoli and steamed rice 3 times a day is not sustainable. I eat a ton of Sri Lankan food and I’ll make sure I satisfy my sweet cravings regularly. When I’m cutting back, I’ll regulate my intake of sugary foods and cheat meals a bit more.
EM: Do you believe in supplements?
All: We tell everyone this. Supplements are just that: supplementary to your diet – diet is key! You can’t out train or out supplement an unsuitable diet for your body type and level of activity. Having said that, supplements do have their place in a meal plan if you are training hard; for people like us it is difficult to get all the protein we need daily from solid food alone, so taking a whey protein supplement helps and is convenient. Other supplements like fish oil and multivitamins are also beneficial to overall health. But there is no use in supplementing unless you have everything else in order and are educated on the topic. There are so many common misconceptions about supplements.
EM: What advice would you give to anyone who wants to transition their life towards a more healthy and fit lifestyle, but don’t know where to start?
All: Honestly it really doesn’t matter where you start, be it with us, a personal trainer or even just going for a walk at Independence Square. Just start. Once you do, seeing results consistency is easy. Just keep going till you get to that point. And try different things to figure out what kind of work out is fun for you. If you dont enjoy it, you won’t keep doing it. Consistency is king. Once you start seeing results, that’s all the motivation you will need to stick with your workout routine.
Also, we don’t advise anyone to do crash diets or crash course workouts to try and drop drastic amounts of weight in a short period of time. Because it’s not healthy or sustainable; you don’t want to sacrifice all the foods you love and then rebound badly after that! Creating a healthier lifestyle is about finding a workout routine and diet that you can sustain for the next few years (not weeks)!
EM: What are your future plans and goals for The Movement?
All: We would like to grow The Movement, to offer more classes a week and work with more people so that we can make Colombo a fitter and healthier place! Other than fitness classes, we would also like to explore other options in health food and clean eating.
By Michelle Alles