Why are most Indians physically unfit?

Deeper issue

While the average Indian may not be as muscular as his western, African friends or lean like eastern friends and we take pride in the fact that we are the ‘yoga nation’, most urban Indians are obese and unfit, lets accept this fact. Although various studies put us in the top 5 countries in obesity rankings, if we include only urban dwellers, as a percentage of the total urban population, this number could be much higher. What is alarming is the increase in obesity among children which puts us in second place after China according to a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

A fitness survey by Gympik suggests that 53 per cent of respondents said that they are not disciplined enough to remain fit. This research based on responses of 1.06 million people also discovered that 53 per cent lack the time to exercise, 36 per cent lack motivation to enroll at a fitness center whereas 14 per cent claim to be completely clueless about where to begin their fitness regime. While all this may be true, it’s just the tip of the iceberg and the issue is deeper.

Lucky me!

Let me cite my own example. When I began working out about 25 years ago and hit the gym, I transformed myself from a skinny boy into a muscular boy, friends thought I was preparing for body building as a sport or I was thinking of pursuing a career modelling or that I was the ‘akhada’ types. Not many felt it necessary that being fit is as important to me as it is for them. Funnily, my good grades also left them confused about how a muscular boy could also being good in studies! I will talk more on this….

Anyways, for me, I had incorporated fitness as a way of life, which I have been able to pursue till date. 

So what got me going? “Luckily”, for me, I grew up in a family of health conscious folks. My grandfather was a wrestler and my Dad won many awards in sports at the University and State level. I spent vacations at my Uncle’s place who was also a health freak. I guess all this captured my imagination and I too picked up sports in school and college and also won few awards. So, in a way fitness was embedded in my family as a culture and it came naturally to me. So perhaps, in that sense, I inherited a fitness culture. Many of us may not be in this space. That’s why I say I am lucky!

Study and don’t play

Times may have changed now but in school, sports wasn’t encouraged, it wasn’t exactly something that one should pursue, not at the cost of studies. Studies are top priority and on this front, I don’t think much has changed in India. It was also felt someone who’s good in sports isn’t very good in studies. Why waste time in playing was an oft asked question and many of us would remember that we were often whacked for playing and not studying enough! This step motherly treatment towards sports has eventually percolated down on fitness.

While this wasn’t always the case in India, interestingly, during the days of gurukuls, teaching focused on giving equal importance to the body, mind and soul. Pupils were considered unworthy if they didn’t excel in all three.

Get proactive

Those who travel internationally, notice that there is a great amount of emphasis on fitness and it’s a part of their life. Unlike us, it’s a part of their culture and something that they embody easily. And its not only about people jogging, cycling etc. its all about what they eat which is the other half of the story. Most of the food is oil free or less oil, raw and less cooked, exactly the opposite of what we generally prefer.

The same study mentioned above, revealed the following motivations for people joining a gym/fitness center in India and one can infer, we have a reactive tendency when it comes to fitness.

·        33 per cent joined a fitness center to combat stress

·        53 per cent to reduce health-related risks

·        46 per cent to improve their energy levels

·        42 per to lose weight

Beyond exercise and food

Even going beyond food and exercise, it’s also about the passions and liking we pursue in our daily life. An example of that is the sports we are passionate about. Its common knowledge that the most popular sport in India is cricket. Nothing wrong with cricket but c’mon, one doesn’t really test physical endurance levels in cricket as much as other sports do, like football, tennis, track and field sports. Again, times are changing and people are gravitating towards other sports but cricket still rules the roost. We must begin to appreciate other sports not for anything else but to create an aspiration to achieve THAT level of fitness. You become what you see!

Creating a fitness culture

Lack of a fitness culture is the root cause of our poor fitness levels for Indians. We might cite various reasons like lack of time, busy schedule, other priorities etc. All this is nonsense. The way forward is really to develop a fitness culture in our families, workplace and environment. Conversations should be around fitness. We should begin asking questions to ourselves like, did I spend time exercising today? Am I eating healthy food? Should I eat something raw and fresh than cooked and fried? No harm in also asking people in our surroundings questions such as these.

Slowly and surely, our mind would orient ourselves in moving towards fitness as a way of life. Of course, it’s not a short route but a sure and sustainable one. This may seem challenging initially, there would be roadblocks, but its achievable. 

In your journey of staying fit, once a ‘fitness culture’ is embedded, joining a fitness centre is just a cog in the wheel.