Fitness is not a luxury, it’s a necessity: Anand Ratnaparkhi
Traveling from one city to another, changing jobs, roles, and lifestyle - Anand’s constantly changing and hectic life almost always left him with a constant health quotient. Despite being active and fitness forward, Anand struggled to maintain his body shape and would often land up disturbing it every time he would take a work trip to another city. He knew he wanted something permanent and defining. As he joined MSF with a 12-Week Transformation plan, he started acknowledging the beauty of working on the core of the body.
Fitness is not a one-day experience. It isn’t an advent. Fitness is about discipline, constant efforts, and belief in leading a more balanced life. While our hectic work life and busy schedules make us skip our fitness quotient, Anand Ratnaparkhi from Mumbai defied his routine to add fitness to his lifestyle.
Sales and Marketing head with Page Industries, Anand Ratnaparkhi has always been on a hectic lifestyle and a frequent flyer. The constant shift in job roles, cities, and lifestyle has led him to struggle with fitness goals for years. At 40, he took the initiative to opt for a more disciplined and steady fitness routine that defies his travel routines and unstable lifestyle. Although the aim was to build muscle mass and attain a good body shape, Anand has redefined his beliefs on fitness and strives to adapt to fitness every single day of his life.
Fitness in the beginning...
‘I have been visiting gyms and working out in the past. Fitness had always been important to me. But it was never about balance or mindfulness. I would believe that I could eat what I wanted and then burn it off’ shares Anand. ‘It was more about working out then about the food that I eat’ he adds.
“I had the right body weight and working out too but somehow it didn’t show on the mirror”
‘I was a regular at the gym and even followed some personal trainers, but somehow the diets would fade and the workouts never brought permanent results’ shares Anand. ‘It was hard for me to see any credible change on the body shape, and that led me to Miten Says Fitness’ he expresses.
How the Food Plate changed!
‘I worked for the F&B industry in the past, and my role included trying new food and beverages where even if I had 2-3 gulab jamuns, I wouldn’t worry about my diet. But now it’s different’ adds Anand. ‘Further, being from a Maharashtrian cultured family, the core food was a constant part of my diet, and to be able to break the pattern and try new things was a hassle’ says Anand.
“MSF has made me fundamentally clear about fitness. Today, I am more aware of what I eat, what quantity I eat and what I should avoid”
‘As I joined MSF, I started understanding how food choices, their proportion, and the ingredients mattered in building up the body. Slowly the conscious changes worked and the ideas of right proportion and dietary habits came in’ shares Anand. He worked on MSF’s diet suggestions and tried including new things to his food habits. And when positive changes started showing – he became more receptive towards wider food choices.
“They say that Body is built in the kitchen. And through the food changes in my fitness journey, I have come to realize that it’s true.”
Workout Routine – A breakthrough
‘Being a regular at gyms, I was aware of the exercises and forms but somehow never calculated how these exercises impacted my muscles or if I am seeing any visible changes.’ says Anand. ‘Under the MSF plan, the workout routines didn’t just give me the exercise modules and repetitions, but made me aware of their impact’ adds Anand.
“MSF taught me to look at the process and changes that come with the workout routines”
Anand says ‘It has been a very mindful journey in following workout routines, and knowing how I am working on my muscles, toning them and shaping my body consciously’.
The inhibitions of Fitness Journey
‘When I started with a regulated diet and fitness plan, one of the biggest inhibitions I faced was that I was not experiencing as much change as others. I used to compare my results with others and wonder if it is even working on me’ shares Anand. ‘MSF made me understand how consistency and motivation are important.’ He adds.
“Earlier missing diet or workout for even 3 days meant getting off track, but now even a one-week break feels like nothing has changed”
‘It was tough to keep going without much credible change in the initial days. But when the results started to show – I realized that we were aiming for more sustainable results’ shares Anand. “Over time I realized that even if I missed my routine for a week, I wouldn’t show as drastic change as I would earlier. It felt satisfying’ he explains.
Traveling and keeping up with the Fitness Goals
‘To be honest, it is difficult to keep up with your diet routines when traveling. Although I took access to gyms and workout centers when traveling, food was always a struggle’ shares Anand. ‘Managing food becomes a question, and so I resorted to keeping it as healthy and diet oriented as possible’ adds Anand.
“When traveling, I try to keep my portions right and as close to my diet as possible”
‘From including more salads and protein into a diet to stopping bingeing on junks – my travel itineraries consist of small portions of food and healthy alternatives’ shares Anand. He explains ‘Most of the time, I struggle to keep up with my diet, but at least 70% of the time I eat what I am supposed to eat as per my diet’
Drafting a Pro-Fitness lifestyle
“It took several trials and errors for me to ultimately understand that fitness is very much a part of living. It’s not a recipe or a regime, it’s something that we do consistently and dedicatedly daily’ says Anand. ‘I am consistent and more aware of my fitness and health. It feels great to be fit, active, and confident about oneself’ he adds.
“People have started to see notable changes in me from a fitness perspective. With so many compliments pouring, it feels good and the confidence shows on other areas of life too”
‘I am always conscious of things that work for me. From refusing politely to junk foods and never compromising on my workouts, I have become upfront and particular about my fitness habits’ expresses Anand. ‘Going forward, I wish to continue building up healthier routines and stay on the edge of fitness’
Steadily picking up diet routines that work and exercises that shape up the body – Anand Ratnaparkhi has beaten his busy schedules one day at a time to achieve his fitness goals. Being associated with MSF for over 3 years now, he has experienced a steady way of leading a pro-fitness life and continues to enjoy working on his body EVERY SINGLE DAY.
If you are looking to change your fitness quotient or struggling to attain fitness in a busy lifestyle, it's time to break the inhibitions and just begin! Join MSF Transformation Plans now and re-build your body!