If your idea of fitness involves regular gym visits and sifting through expensive dietary plans, it’s time you were introduced to the new-age fitness regime. All you have to do is spend Rs 16 per day to lose the flab and get your body back. As unbelievable as the price reads, it has been made possible by fitness enthusiast and co-founder of Fitho Weight Management Services, Prachi Agarwal.
With under-29 Indians projected to reach 56 per cent of the population by 2015, processed food, eating out, leisure and health and fitness sectors are already experiencing high consumer spending. This demand has given rise to cost of health maintenance between Rs 2,500 and Rs 10,000 per month.
In order to make healthy-living affordable, Agarwal, 30, recently launched the Rs 499-per-month weight loss diet planning service which, she says, will change the wellness market. “While a dietician in metros charge anything between Rs 2,000 and Rs 10,000 per month, the membership to an average gym is Rs 2,000-5,000 per month and personal trainers can cost between Rs 4,000 and Rs 20,000 per month, the Fitho diet and exercise programme (that can be done at home with videos) is for as low as Rs 16 per day,” says Agarwal, the chief executive officer. Due to leverage of technology, the company is able to pass on the reduced cost of delivery to the consumer. How it works is pretty simple. “You register yourself on the website and choose the package you need for yourself. These packages are for one, three and six months,” she says.
Since their launch this February, people from over 45 cities and towns in India have signed up for the weight loss diet plans. “I often met people who constantly complained of being unfit or over-weight. Some of them had tried different quick fixes to lose weight and had finally given up. So, we started a website to help people get reliable information on how to lose weight and get fit,” says Agarwal. Fitness enthusiasts can simply register themselves online and get access to dietary plans and exercises via videos.
She believes that Fitho will remove the barrier between gym addicts and yo-yo diet freaks. “When I started working, my sole aim was to be passionate about what I do and do it well. Fitness is largely an unexplored territory, especially in India. Till recently you had to choose between fad diets, going to a gym or signing up for cosmetic weight loss surgeries. There wasn’t any middle ground which offered a quality diet service with a structured exercise routine to help you lose weight, stay fit and healthy,” she explains.
Agarwal—a national-level basketball player—completed her studies from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and worked for six years before starting her dream venture. “There are over 300 million people living in cities and towns of India, with the highest number of lifestyle and weight related disorders. We would like to reach out to them, and help them get healthy,” says she.
The service provider
Company: Fitho Weight
Management Services
HQ: New Delhi
Co-founded by: Husband-wife duo, Dhruv Gupta and Prachi Agarwal
USP: Technology-enabled diet planning service at Rs 16 per day. Cheapest in the country.
Launched in: February 2012
Impact: Approximately 1,000 from 45 cities