Fitness is not something these businessmen take lightly

Finding time for fitness is not something businessmen take lightly. Three of them write about their experiences

Building friendships with golf

Harsh Mariwala
Golf

Golf is an inseparable part of my weekends. I tee off on the Willingdon Golf Course in Mumbai every Saturday for about four hours. On Sunday, I play at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club in Chembur for five hours. This is a routine I follow religiously, unless I am travelling and unable to keep my commitment with golf.

Looking back, it almost seems natural that I took to golf. I grew up in a home that overlooked a golf course. As a child, I would watch people play golf from the balcony of my house. Besides this, both my parents were avid golfers. In fact, my mother was one of the few Indian women who would play golf in a sari. But even so, it took me several years before I moved from other recreational sports to golf.

It was a knee injury several years ago that ended my stint with squash. My doctor advised me to take up a sport that would put less pressure on my knees. This must have been nearly 25 years ago. I started playing golf tentatively, especially because I wasn’t sure I would like it. One either gets hooked to golf or does not enjoy it at all — there is almost never a middle ground here. In fact, there is even a Golfing Addicts Society for true golf lovers. And I am glad I was hooked to it the moment I began playing.

Golf is a complex game that requires focus, patience and a good amount of coaching. There are so many nuances to the game and even the clubs and other equipment, which is where a good coach plays an important role. Normally, one would need anywhere between 15 and 20 one-hour coaching sessions before one can play at a good level. I took close to 15 lessons before I went on a golf round. In fact, I still take lessons from time to time to improve my game, especially at times when I feel the game is beginning to get stagnant.

But perhaps the best part of golfing is that it is a social game. One tends to develop lasting bonds with one’s golfing buddies. I have a fixed, closed group of golfing friends and we have travelled to places such as Dubai, Bangkok, Hua Hin and Scotland for golfing holidays.

It is a myth to think that fitness is not important for golf. While it involves strategy, I have noticed that my game improves with my fitness levels. I work out almost every day, except on the weekends I spend playing golf. My fitness regime alternates between about an hour at the gym, thrice a week, and an hour of yoga, twice a week.

For anyone thinking about starting his stint on the golf course, I would recommend time and patience. This is not a sport that you can just pick up if you’re pressed for time. Before committing to it, it is important to try it out, lest you fall into the category of people who cannot relate to the game. Golf is a game that adds a lot of value to one’s life, especially in terms of relationships and bonding. 

But more importantly, one can go on playing golf till any age. It is a sport for life, provided you pick it up well and keep at it.

(Harsh Mariwala is chairman, Marico)

Looking for the right balance

Gagan Banga
Running

They say that “at first you feel like dying, and then you feel reborn”. This completely sums up the journey for anyone who has taken to running. For over a decade, running has been a constant feature that has defined a variety of aspects in my life. 

My journey was born out of a necessity that I barely foresaw. A minor surgery for an ingrowth in my toe nail led to tests that revealed just how unhealthy I was at that point. Worried about my rising cholesterol levels, my doctors advised me to completely change my habits and adopt a healthier lifestyle. 

 As is with most people starting out, I switched to a healthier diet and decided to run to maintain my fitness levels. Starting off, I could barely run a substantial distance, sticking to treadmills for a long time. Even when I started running on the road, I had to motivate myself by running from one lamppost to the other. After two years, in 2006, I found myself registering for my first half marathon at the Mumbai Marathon and that started a new chapter for me.  Running comes naturally to everyone. You are not dependent on anything, anyone or any place to be able to go ahead and do your thing. I think this was one of the major reasons I took to running so eagerly. I started running to keep myself fit but it has rewarded me in many more ways. It has provided a balance, affecting me physically and psychologically. It is the perfect refresh button, clearing my everyday stress and helping me meditate and introspect without any disturbance. 

 It hasn’t just helped me personally, but professionally as well. I believe there is a lot that running has to provide for the corporate mind. The rigour and discipline required to train regularly, the mental strength to break barriers and outrun personal bests, and the will to complete longer distances than you have before, all come in handy while at work. I believe such qualities serve an enterprising person well when one is trying to make a mark for oneself. 

My training regime now is fairly organised. The Mumbai weather affords me a running season from June to January, when it is most pleasant in the mornings. From June to October, I squeeze in three to four runs a week. From October to January, I run four days a week, with Fridays reserved for two-hour runs and Sundays for three to three-and-a-half hours of running. I also do strength training in the gym through the year, focusing on functional training involving the core. From February to June, my running dips and I focus more on yoga and weight training. I am joined in training by my equally enthusiastic friends who help me train better.

With work commitments and the importance of a healthy social life, I often find myself with a loss of time due to travel itineraries and long work hours. The key to pursuing your hobby like a passion is to make time for it.  Running for me has become a way of life. I always carry my running gear with me wherever I go, squeezing runs in the morning. A handy trick is to get six hours of sleep at night and wake up early. It keeps you fresh and buys you more time to do things you love. 

Finding a hobby that restores balance in your life is extremely important. Running has been that for me.

(Gagan Banga is vice-chairman and MD, Indiabulls Housing Finance)

Finding what works best for you

Ajay Bijli
Weight Training & Crossfit

I have been playing one sport or the other all my life. This has a lot to do with the fact that I studied at Modern School in New Delhi. The school encouraged its students to actively participate in sports and the format was such that I played a different sport every day. This changed when I went to college, because you cannot be a jack of all trades. I ended up playing a lot of basketball at first. But it was squash that really held my interest.

Squash helped me build up my stamina and I lost a lot of weight. But over the years, I came to a realisation that squash was, in fact, quite hard on my body. Fitness is more about its feel-good factor rather than pure weight loss or other goals. Having said that, I didn’t learn my lesson and after squash, I switched to running. I ran close to seven half marathons before I realised how this was hurting my ankles and lower back.

It was about three years ago when I began focusing on a more holistic approach to fitness. I began including weight training, cardiovascular exercises as well as training focused on improving flexibility into my daily gym routine. The biggest learning, though, came in the form of knowing what and when to eat. I now have a personal trainer, who is also a certified nutritionist. 

I have noticed that people who want to lose weight or achieve other fitness milestones have very conflicting goals. They are willing to work out but also want to eat whatever they want. The body does not work like this. One needs to ensure both quality and quantity of the food one eats. This is more pertinent as you grow older, since the body’s metabolic rate slows down. It is a huge mistake to think that going to the gym means you can eat just about anything.

Once I got into a routine, I almost became obsessed with my calorie intake. But that has helped me keep my energy levels going and meet my fitness goals. I currently do about four days of weight training and two days of CrossFit, which is a high-intensity workout that makes your heart rate increase rapidly. The biggest disadvantage that we as Indians face is perhaps in the lack of a walking culture. Over and above the workout, I make sure I stay disciplined about my evening walks, which are anywhere between five and seven km. 

It is important to remember that there is no single prescription for fitness. Each person needs to find his or her rhythm and see what works best for them. But at the end of the day, remember that your workout only lasts for an hour a day. What you do for the rest of the 23 hours, including the food you eat, is equally important. Otherwise, that hour at the gym means nothing.

(Ajay Bijli is chairman and managing director, PVR)