Fitness agenda

For head honchos of any company, fitness is a pivotal part of their daily routine. It takes a lot of energy to frequently travel, conduct meetings, sometimes back to back, and run a business like a well-oiled machine. It won’t be surprising to know that most of India Inc’s business heads are into some form of fitness regimen. Running, squash, swimming, gym workouts, yoga or martial arts, to list a few, they go all out to meet their personal fitness goals.

These time-pressed individuals have devised their own mechanism to fit a routine into their daily schedule.

Take for instance Paul Dupuis, managing director and CEO, Randstad India. For him travelling nationally or internationally is an integral part of work. “I start the week in Bengaluru on Monday and set the tone for the teams across the country. Come Tuesday, I am off visiting one or two of the 23 cities in India across the four corners of the country, meeting with my leaders and teams before I return home to Bengaluru for the weekend,” says Dupuis.

As a senior leader of a global organisation with its headquarters in the Netherlands, Dupuis travels there at least four to five times a year. “I also make trips to Singapore and Malaysia as part of the APAC leadership team,” he says.

Beginning the day right is important, points out Dupuis. “My day starts as early as 5am. I begin the day with exercise. I prefer a brisk walk, often at Cubbon Park in Bengaluru, to get the heart rate going and to clear my head. I also use this time to reflect on how the previous day went and more importantly, to plan the day ahead,” he says.

Weekends for him are a ‘refresh-and-recharge’ time at the gym, which actually means more exercise. “My personal trainer is actually a physiotherapist and a functional fitness expert. That makes it a unique combination and he designs custom-made programmes for me to maintain my flexibility, balance, stamina and overall conditioning. The variety and challenge of these workouts help me keep my edge,” says Dupuis adding that he travels with his family to Japan every year as his wife hails from there and his children were born there, too. “I also travel to Canada for family time. And yes, I visit different places on vacations and play ice hockey whenever I can. I also do an annual winter trip to Ladakh to coach, play hockey and volunteer,” he says.

Similarly, as country manager for Kronos in India, Mumbai-based Sumeet Doshi is responsible for the vision and execution of the company’s long-term strategy and growth in the Indian market. On average, he is required to travel two to three days a week. To beat work-related stress, he plays squash. “For me, it has been a great stress-buster given the pace and intensity of the game. In fact, my squash playing is so contagious that my daughter picked up the game at a quite young age and is now a regular player in the under-15 tournaments,” says Doshi. Besides, he tries to remain as active as possible and squeezes in a workout schedule wherever possible by walking a lot. “It is not uncommon to find me walking down the corridors of our office taking calls instead of sitting behind a desk,” he says.

For Dr Akhil Shahani, managing director, The Shahani Group, fitness remains holistic and goes beyond just focusing on losing weight or gaining muscle. “I practice intermittent fasting two-three times a week. I go for regular walks in the morning and evening no matter where I am. I also do cardio in the gym or whichever hotel I’m staying in. I also enjoy swimming,” says Shahani who travels within India every couple of weeks and has to go abroad every two months. The Shahani Group is a chain of franchised colleges and schools in India under the brand name Smart Institute and has an edtech platform called ask.CAREERS. The group has partnered with universities in the UK for its courses and has investors from the UK, UAE and Singapore.

No excuses

Bengaluru-based Sid Naidu runs two businesses, yet when it comes to fitness, he believes in no compromise. He is the CEO and founder of advertising agency Sid Productions along with a wedding planning firm, Banana Leaf. His work schedule sees him travelling 10 days, either on national or international trips, scattered across a month. “I spend two to three hours in the gym focusing on strength, stamina and muscle gain because, who doesn’t want to look good and stay healthy?” asks Naidu. Despite his erratic working schedule, he tries to get seven hours of sleep and includes enough nutrients in his meals. “I break my meals into five parts to help even out the blood sugar levels, keeping the energy steady throughout the day. I also believe in changing the specifics of my diet every month to keep it interesting. I carry my health supplements along and try to hit the gym at the destination; thankfully I have that luxury for the most part,” he says.

Mumbai-based Dr Muffazal Lakdawala, founder and chief surgeon, Digestive Health Institute by Dr Muffi, has clinics not only in India but also in Dubai. He travels there on a monthly basis. “I also travel for bariatric workshops across the world, where I impart my knowledge and experience of 20-plus years to young surgeons who are training to become bariatric specialists,” says Lakdawala. Being a laparoscopic, bariatric and gastrointestinal surgeon, he spends most of his days either in the hospital’s operation theatre or at his medical centre. “After a day of surgery, consulting patients and helping them with their fitness goals, I usually take out time in the evening to exercise. I try to follow a schedule of working out for a minimum of 45 minutes to an hour for at least five days every week. At my centre in Mumbai, we have a fully-equipped fitness centre where I exercise with my personal trainer. If I don’t get time to work out at my centre, I usually cycle with my son in and around my residential area. I also make sure that I eat right as proper nutrition is also key to keeping fit,” he says. When he is travelling, he tries to exercise in the hotel gym where he is put up. “If there is a good running track or promenade in the city, I usually go for a 40-45 minute jog. I make sure I carry my protein supplement with me as well so that I don’t compromise on my daily protein intake,” says Dr Lakdawala.

Expert’s take

While it can be challenging to keep up with a regular fitness schedule when one has a travelling job and a busy work life, it is rather important to do so especially when one has such an active lifestyle, points out Kolkata-based Prosenjit Biswas, fitness manager, Skulpt. For company heads and CEOs, who often have to travel for much of their time, the best forms of exercise are those that can be performed anywhere, he advises.

Other methods of working out within a tight schedule are time restriction exercises and high intensity movements, says Biswas. “Additionally, prioritising and setting time apart for workouts is an important move towards keeping fit while travelling for work. Outdoor activities such as running, jogging, cycling and swimming are also effective ways to stay fit and healthy and keep one’s metabolism up. Yoga and breathing exercises help in increasing flexibility and improving mental health. The right form of physical activity is essential to complement one’s active life,” he says.

In terms of diet, a fast lifestyle often leads to fast food choices and convenient eating, which might have adverse effects on health and fitness. Biswas, who believes in holistic fitness, advises that one should add yogurt and protein-rich foods to their daily diet and maintain high levels of water consumption. “People who travel a lot should opt for healthy meal preparations instead of fast food. When one is ordering food on their trip, one must ensure that their meal is balanced with carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats, in a 3:2:1 ratio,” he says.

On the move

Prosenjit Biswas, fitness manager, Skulpt, chalks out a fitness routine for those who live out of a suitcase

Usually, people who keep fit on the move often work out in hotel gyms. However, using one’s own bodyweight for resistance training allows one to exercise at any place without equipment or any hassles, including one’s hotel room.

It is important to keep a workout routine that is simple yet effective, to avoid spending much time on elaborate schedules.

People who need to work out in between work trips must focus on exercising their entire body instead of targeting isolated muscle groups. Metabolic conditioning is a practice where one performs a high intensity full body workout to burn the maximum amount of calories and keep them burning for the next 48 hours, by conditioning their body metabolism to stay high even after the workout has ended.

Some workouts that focus on all major body parts include pushups, lunges, squats and other such simple bodyweight exercises.

Working out in tempo (going down slow, getting up fast, during exercises like squats and pushups) during the eccentric phase, which is when one is slowly lowering the dumbbell back to the starting position, is a great way to burn more calories.