HYDERABAD: When a supermodel with a sculpted body talks about fitness, you better listen. And if the supermodel happens to be Milind Soman, the man who just turned 50 and rocks like a 25-year-old, with his chiselled body, then one must just surrender and follow his words to the hilt.
This super model is still ruling the hearts of women, not by showing off his abs and biceps, but by pushing them to be fit, robust and empowered.
A fitness freak, he is busy promoting an active routine for women. Pinkathon, considered India’s biggest women’s run which is much beyond a marathon, is surely grabbing eyeballs and how. “More than 65,000 women across the country have participated in the marathon and have pledged to make fitness, integral part of their daily grind,” he proudly says.
The first edition of Pinkathon saw 6,500 Hyderabadi women running the marathon at People’s Plaza and this year it is expected to be more. “Hyderabadi women are not just energetic and enthusiastic, they are earthy, sophisticated and glamorous too”, he adds.
“I want women to realise that a healthy family, a healthy nation and a healthy world begins with their empowerment. The first step towards empowerment is taking control of their own health, respecting themselves, understanding and celebrating the value they bring to their family and society. Empowerment is not a gift of society; it is a gift to themselves. My mother at the age of 75 is fit. She never let anyone steal her workout time. She encouraged me to swim, right from my childhood,” he beams.
More often than not, feminism and empowerment is misconstrued. So what does women empowerment mean to him? “The ability to take decisions for oneself and make their own choices. It’s about making their health, mind and soul their priority. Even taking those ten minutes of their busy schedule for themselves - even if it means just staring at the wall - can mean empowerment. At the end of the day, it’s about doing what is right and what your heart wants,” he firmly urges.
He wanted to do something challenging for his 50th birthday and triathlon happened. “I learnt about Iron man concept of swimming for 3.8 km, cycling for 108 kms and 42 km marathon done consecutively. I prepared for 80 days.”
With his chin up, he says he had channelised his energy towards sports and that helped him quit his unrestrained smoking habit. “In 1995, when I was working for television, I got addicted smoking and after a few years I had realised that it is taking a toll on my health. I was abusing my body by smoking 30 cigarettes a day. I realised it is poisoning my body and took to three years to completely quit the addiction. Sports helped me quit smoking,” he recalls.