Just a few days ago, 59-year-old actor and fitness enthusiast Milind Soman ran 240 km from Pune to Vasai Fort in five days. Few know that now a seasoned marathoner, Soman started running at age 37, quit smoking and has maintained the exact same weight he had in his 20s for the last four decades. “I don’t go to the gym, I don’t diet, I don’t have a nutritionist or a trainer. So how do I do it? It’s simple – just practical logic and common sense,” he said, agreeing to take selfies with fans only if they did at least 10 push-ups.
As some of them gasp for breath, he cites research showing that doing regular push-ups reduces the risk of heart disease by more than 90 percent. “If that’s too hard, start with walking. Just get moving. Eat clean, sleep well, be happy. Tell yourself that you’re doing this to avoid getting sick, to keep your body like a machine, a great machine, and to enjoy life as long as you’re alive,” Soman says. He’s often asked whether it’s possible to start adopting healthy habits in midlife.
Soman never ran in his younger years, finding it monotonous. But he loved swimming and made it to the national team. His years as a model and actor, coupled with his celebrity status, led him to compete in the Mumbai Half Marathon. In his own words, running is the easiest form of aerobic exercise, and even a short period of time is enough to build muscle mass, so he fell in love with it. Finally, 10 years later, at the age of 47, he ran from Delhi to Mumbai, covering 1,500 km in 30 days. “The key to healthy ageing is to enjoy exercise. If you don’t see it as a task on your to-do list, that will solve everything,” Soman shares his mantra. Excerpts:
Can I start exercising in my 40s?
Because the body follows the instructions of the mind. The body is absolutely strong when you think about the work it does every day. Imagine your heart beating every minute, your stomach digesting every day, and your hormones constantly balancing. So respect it and support it. If you already have an illness, work with your doctor to come up with a fitness plan that works for you. Anyone can start exercising at any time if you decide why you want to exercise. The reason needs to have an emotional connection. That alone will motivate you.
Milind Soman’s daily training
Do you want to lose weight, or just look better, or climb a mountain? For me, it’s about staying active, like when I was younger, without illness or medication. If you know that, you’ll go out and challenge yourself mentally and physically. You won’t stop and think, “What will I say if I fail?” Exercise is not a test, it’s fun. So find a movement that you enjoy. Even walking can be good at first. Once it becomes a habit, your body will enjoy the movement, and it will release dopamine and serotonin, the happy hormones. Then you’ll start looking for other movements.
Are Indians inherently lazy?
Not only are Indians lazy, everyone is lazy. All living things are wired to conserve energy. As we evolved from a very physical hunter-gatherer age to a technological age, that kind of movement went away and our bodies reverted back to conserving energy.
It is said that Indians have an earlier onset of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. We are born with certain DNA and weaknesses, but it is up to us to either succumb to them or overcome them with extra effort. We also produce Olympic champions from the same DNA pool. That extra effort includes simple choices like what food to eat, how much sleep to get, how positively we think, and how much physical activity we do.
The veteran marathon runner ran his first marathon at age 37, quit smoking for 40 years and has managed to maintain the same weight he had in his 20s while still maintaining lean body mass. (Express Photo)
How did you stay in shape when you were a supermodel?
There were a lot of influences when I started swimming. That’s why it’s important to take up a sport that you enjoy at a young age. It leads to self-awareness. I continued swimming till I was 23 and then maintained my fitness with home exercises, diet and discipline. The music video for “Made in India” was shot when I was 30, seven years after I had stopped swimming.
What are some actionable tips and tricks?
Stay active. Stay off the couch or bed and move as much as you can. If you work at a desk, get up from your chair at least once an hour and do a minute of wall squats before sitting down again.
Time yourself. One minute every hour. Start by doing 10 or 12 minute increments, spread out over the hours you’re awake.
What kind of diet are you on?
I don’t follow any fad diets. I eat clean, eat lots of fruits and whole grains, eat locally grown and seasonal home-cooked meals, avoid processed foods, and only eat foods from the environment I grew up in. It’s easier to control portion sizes with this diet than to try foreign foods when you’re older, because your body is used to the foods you grew up with. I also understand that processed and packaged foods are convenient for people who are on the go a lot. But I want to save some for emergencies. The most important thing is to distinguish between food as nutrition and food as entertainment. The moment you consciously decide to treat pizza, chips, and burgers as entertainment rather than real food, half the battle in your mind is won to save them for weekend entertainment like watching movies.
I don’t count calories, but if you have a health condition that requires you to count calories, or if you are overweight enough to have to restrict your calories, then count calories. If you are within the normal weight range, just be active. Confidence will come.
Om
