By Siddhi Jain

New Delhi, Apr 25 (IANSlife): Fitness entrepreneur and Gympik founder Amaresh Ojha's recently-launched debut book, 'Fitness Habits -- Breaking The Barriers To Fitness' breaks down the nuances of everyday health and is a nudge towards developing lasting fitness habits.

Co-authored by Subhra Moitra, this operating guide to fitness is published by Srishti Publications. In Ojha's words, ''there is a fundamental drawback in the way people approach fitness and look down upon the nuances of forming fitness as a habit.'' With the pandemic changing lives in an unprecedented way, Ojha's new book spells why proactively investing time for health is important. It serves as a guide on how to maintain an equilibrium with existing habits, while creating new fitness routines, and how to understand and reshape your behavioural pattern.

Amaresh Ojha speaks about his debut book, and embracing fitness for better life:

Q: How did the book 'Fitness Habits' come about? Why did you want to write something like this?

A: In my experience, fitness is one of the most confusing and scattered industries. There is no clear advice on how to start, continue, and succeed as everybody has their own way of approaching fitness. A large part of my journey lies in my lifelong predisposition to adopt good habits. It is my hope to share a holistic approach to fitness through the medium of this book.

Q: Getting started with fitness is often the hardest. What does the book suggest as a solution?

A: In this new era of healthcare, achieving your fitness goals requires a continuous practice of certain habits that focus on the action plan rather than the goal. Most people fail not because they don't have a goal, but they don't have an action plan that determines their progress. There is a fundamental drawback in the way people approach fitness and look down upon the nuances of forming fitness as a habit. The book, Fitness Habits, is that guide you need to take the first step to create a sustainable habit through minimal shifts and modifications in your life.

Q: What are your top tips to get started with one's fitness journey and keep at it?

A: Start easy, find the simplest workout you can do in a day, and follow the 8 secrets of making fitness a habit as I have mentioned in the book. They are -- Awareness, Find Your Why, Go slow but Go Forward, Add some Fun, Declutter your Cue, Prep Your Environment and Evaluate your Progress. Since fitness habit formation is a long-term process, it needs a constant boost to keep you motivated till you make it. The truth is you can make fitness an integral part of your daily life only when you take small steps consistently.

Q: The pandemic has made people both unfit, and also partly aware of this lack of physical activity. How would you say the book will help?

A: Covid or not, we all know that a regular workout routine is a door to optimum health. The pandemic has just highlighted the fact that taking care of our health is not an option but a sheer necessity. People want to stay healthy, but they do not know how to stay healthy; and when we talk about staying healthy there are a lot many changes come along namely dietary changes, lifestyle modifications, limiting sugar and so on. All these can be taken care of with only one single change i.e., when you make fitness a habit. Once you have your fitness habits in place, you will automatically eat healthy, you will have better sleep, you will choose habits that will help you become healthier.

Q: It's all in the mind -- What is your mind transformation mantra to alter how one looks at fitness?

A: Often people are trapped in the vicious cycle of following some irregular fitness routine and fad diets to get skinny in a short time. But soon it becomes painful, exhausting, and wry because they are unsustainable, unhealthy, and forced. A 'strategic planning mindset', which focuses on reaching smaller goals, can work as a huge motivating factor and makes your fitness routine easily doable. The more you tick off smaller goals the easier it is to achieve the bigger picture. Repeat your routine -- even when it is a 10 minutes' walk or a 5 minute jog, do it for the lowest time and repeat the routine every single day. Look at reaching smaller goals and you will build the pillars to attain your bigger fitness goals. This way you feel more confident about your progress and that, in fact, works as a motivational perk.