Walking the talk

Fitness is beyond weight loss, says Wanitha Ashok who has been named an ambassador by the government’s Fit India Movement

BENGALURU : It’s been a week of celebrations for fitness instructor Wanitha Ashok. Two days after the wedding of her daughter in the last week of November, Ashok (54), received an intimation that she has been named a ‘Fit India Ambassador’ by the Fit India Movement. A flagship programme launched by the Government of India in 2019, this is an attempt to emphasise on the importance of exercise in daily life. 

Now, as part of the initiative, Ashok has been asked to come up with campaigns to reach out to a larger audience. Other names announced for the campaign include chess player Viswanathan Anand, actor Kajal Agarwal, and fitness gurus Mickey Mehta and Luke Cuhtinho. 

Wanitha Ashok
Wanitha Ashok

“The idea is to inculcate the habit of daily exercise for at least 30 minutes,” says Ashok, whose journey goes 18 years, when she first forayed into the fitness space, testing the waters with no idea of what lay ahead. “When I was looking to switch from the gym where I used to go for aerobics, one of the instructors suggested that I myself turn instructor,” she recalls.

With that single thought and a lot of research, Ashok started working out the modalities, including taking tests and getting certified professionally. “ I remember asking my instructor whether I would really be able to pass the exam at my age,” she says, adding, “In a way, I had no one to really guide me.

I’m self-made that way. Even before I realised it, I had become a brand and there was a waitlist to join my classes.” Though the space has been burgeoning, especially in the last couple of years, Ashok says it doesn’t frazzle her. “I have been an athlete, a homemaker, and an instructor.

I understand what each phase requires, whether they are teenagers, young adults, young mothers, pre-menopause, menopause, etc,” she says, adding that although there are dime-a-dozen instructors, not many are certified. “This leads to many long-lasting injuries. I have my own approach. It’s important to upgrade continuously,” she adds. 

Much has changed in the pandemic, with classes going online, and people having understood the importance of staying fit in these times, she points out. “It’s beyond weight loss, which I am trying and will continue highlighting as the Ambassador,” she says.

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