For me, fitness is about feeling good: Abhay Deol

I would like to wish all the best to everyone running the DNA iCan Women’s Half Marathon on March 9. Fitness and health are important, that is a fact staring us in the face more so today than ever before. It is not uncommon anymore for someone to have a heart attack in their 30s! How did we get here?

There are two reasons why people adopt a fitter lifestyle. First, to look good, and secondly to feel good. The two go hand-in-hand. Unfortunately, most people are doing it mainly for the first reason. If they look good (confirming to our current idea of what ‘looking good’ is), they automatically feel good and that encourages them to keep up their fitness routine.

For me, fitness is about feeling good. Looking good is just a by-product of that. Whether you are conventionally good looking or not, how you perceive yourself is how the world will perceive you.

Our fast paced, busy lifestyle does not give us the time to look deeper into these things (a reason for early heart problems?) If you were to take a moment and be silent and listen to your mind and body, you will start opening up to the potential you hold within yourself.

That is when you should find yourself a routine. It could be running, yoga, weights, pilates, swimming, any number of activities that challenge the human body to push further.

I would like to tell the women running at the DNA iCan Women’s Half Marathon that when you do it because it makes you feel good, then nothing else will matter. Everything will fall into place without effort. That is the way to a truly fit and healthy lifestyle!”

—As told to Upala KBR