Are You Match Fit for Work? A 10-Point Checklist to Success

Ritesh Bhimani is a marketing professional, globetrotter, runner and socialite. Unlike many full-time workers who are too tired for a night out after 8pm, he is raring to go. His energy levels and positivity are crucial to his career success.

We want what he’s having! So we asked him, along with some experts, for a checklist to becoming match fit for work.

1. Make Time to Exercise

Bhimani, country head and marketing manager for Zespri India, points out that it is essential to incorporate physical activity into your daily routine to sharpen both the body and the mind: “Exercise contributes to our equilibrium. I believe a healthy mind ensures better performance at work and greater job satisfaction as well,” explains Bhimani, who prefers running 30 minutes a day.

2. Run at Least Five Minutes

Bhimani is on the right track, but if following his example leaves you breathless, there’s good news. Even running a mere five minutes a day has long-lasting health benefits, according to a 2014 study published in The Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Examining the long-term medical records of over 55,000 men and women, researchers found that people who ran 150 or more minutes a week lived longer than those who didn’t run.

But here’s the interesting part: people clocking as little as five minutes a day, lived almost as long as the running fanatics. “We think this is really encouraging news,” beamed a co-author of the study to press. “Most people can fit in five minutes a day of running, no matter how busy they are, and the benefits in terms of mortality are remarkable.”

3. Go Large in the Morning

What we eat throughout the day also determines our energy levels after work. Many experts recommend a protein and carbohydrates-based breakfast, a low-fat high-protein lunch and a well-balanced evening meal for enhanced physical and mental performance.

4. Taper your Food Later On:

It may be helpful to think of the old adage: breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper. No, that doesn’t mean nibbling on half a sorry-looking piece of naan for supper. But the idea does have merit; studies find that if you munch most of your calories at night, your total daily food intake tends to be higher, making you more susceptible to weight gain. Meanwhile a bigger breakfast reduces your urge to graze on snacks throughout the day. Many Indian families sit down to heavy family dinners. Try flipping this on its head and start your day with a breakfast feast with your loved ones.

5. Sleep Tight

According to celebrity chef Ranveer Brar, a good sleep and daily routine are key to keeping energy levels high and your mind focused throughout the day. “Sleep well, set a routine and don’t smoke,” he says. “A balanced diet and a strict ‘no’ to tobacco and tea or coffee will also help too.”

6. Watch the Sugar

Tut-tutting tobacco makes sense, given that every single cigarette reduces your lifespan by 11 minutes, but why say bye-bye to chai, and farewell to espressos? Perhaps it’s because many people overload their comfort drinks with sugar. A grande Classic Chai Tea Latte from Starbucks, for example, is loaded with 42 grams of sugar — the same amount as a Mars bar!

7. Quicken the Pulse on Your Commute

Kiran Sawhney, a fitness expert, points out that adding just one physical element to your day — like walking to work, using stairs instead of the escalator or parking your car away from your drop off point — actually will help in the long run. “If possible cycle to work, otherwise you can cycle on weekends at Sanjay Gandhi National Park,” she adds.

Or join in on the many initiatives popping up in Mumbai and Delhi to turn streets into joyful public spaces. Open-air pilates sessions, kids drawing on the road with bright-coloured chalk and live music? Sounds like a recipe for health and happiness.

8. Try New Exercises

In addition to cycling or walking to work, professionals have many choices when it comes to keeping fit in Mumbai. Why not join a gym near your office? From indoor cycling to yoga, there are exercise classes to suit all tastes in both individual and group environments.

The latter case gives you a higher chance of sticking with your routine, according to research, a fact that could lend itself to successful in-house exercise regimens in the workplace. Want some group fun in Delhi, too? Try a fun outdoor obstacle race event.

9. Group Pain is Shared Pain

Don’t think of it as “misery loves company”. Rather, it’s the fact that having a solid group of exercise buddies means you can support and motivate each other — perhaps by adding a healthy dose of friendly competition.

“Professionals in high stress jobs should incorporate group fitness in their daily routine,” explains Sucheta Pal, a Zumba Education Specialist.

Working out with a bunch of like-minded people serves as a great de-stress mechanism as you realise you are not alone in your journey,” says Pal.

10. Build Mind and Body

For Ritesh Bhimani, success at work and at home comes down to one thing: “fitness is both physical and mental.” And research backs him up: every year seems to bring new studies that highlight the link between exercise and a positive mental attitude.

That’s not surprising, considering sweating out your worries releases endorphins (the brain’s feel-good chemicals), focuses the mind and may even help ease symptoms linked to mild depression and anxiety.