Yoga Day: 10 Top Executives Share Their Health Investment Secrets

People often assume that if you're hard working , you probably spend hours working at a stretch, and thus often end up ignoring your health. However, life is not just about working and earning money. A holistic well-being requires the combination of a healthy mind, body and soul. And when all three of them combine, it leads to fiercer energy that comes from within and translates into a more productive working life. On International Yoga Day today when everyone, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and politicians, film stars and people from all walks of life, were seen doing Yoga, NDTV asked 10 top CEOs/executives what they do to stay fit. Some of them were reticent while some were open about their exercise regimes.

Here is what top executives, CEOs and managing directors told NDTV on International Yoga Day:

Prakarsh Gagdani, CEO, 5Paisa.com on International Yoga Day
“As I work in a digital setup, more than body, I need an active mind. Yoga helps me to achieve mindfulness and focus. My personal experience is that Yoga helps you develop skills like super consciousness , which allows you to take better decisions more accurately. One could master Yoga by constant learning and control over mind and body. Also the benefits of Yoga appear gradually. Similarly, investing needs discipline, patience and mindfulness. Investors who earn from market in the long-run always invest like a Yogi.”

Nilesh Shah, Managing Director, Kotak Mutual Fund on International Yoga Day
"Yoga has many benefits for our health and over all well-being. It brings calmness to mind. In the world of investments, a winner is a person who can overcome greed as well as fear. The inner peace or calmness brought by yoga will help an investor navigate the volatility of the market and guide him to stay calm when others around him or her are fearful or greedy."

Sunil Subramaniam, Chief Executive Officer, Sundaram Mutual on International Yoga Day                       
"Surya Namaskar is the most simple, effective whole body workout which energises you for the whole day."

Arvind Hali, MD and CEO, ART Affordable Housing Finance on International Yoga Day
"There is no arguing on the importance of fitness for any one, at any stage in one's life. Finding time is never the issue, finding your determination to remain fit is the real deal. One of the most important and easiest things to do is to get off your seats and move around as much as possible. In addition, practicing mindfulness is something that really helps me in improving focus and concentration. I also love playing cricket and never miss a chance to swing a bat whenever I am presented with an opportunity. A day in the cricket field is a day well spent. Another personal favorite is motor biking. Riding my bike for long stretches on a beautiful day gives me peace of mind and refreshes me both physically as well as mentally. I think, high energy with a healthy mind and body is the secret to long-term workplace success."

Sandeep Patel, MD and CEO at Cigna TTK Health Insurance Company on International Yoga Day
"I adopt a regular fitness regime, running, which keeps me industrious. This reflects positively on my work. These activities have proven benefits for cognitive function, memory, and warding off chronic conditions. In addition to this, practicing yoga thrice a week relieves me of any stress and keeps me energetic at all times. Any form of physical and mental exercise is crucial for leading a healthy and prosperous life."

Satyajeet Krishnan, Area Director - North and General Manager, The Taj Mahal Hotel, on International Yoga Day
"I believe in beginning the day with deep breathing; it helps you re-energize from within. I am very particular about the schedule of my morning walk in the lush gardens of Lutyens' Delhi that are replete with heritage and I am always inspired to keep coming back. At Taj Mahal, New Delhi, we are deeply committed to promote wellness and fitness for our associates as well by organizing various activities like inter-hotel cricket matches, sessions with the nutritionist and a yoga session exclusively for the employees of the Hotel."      

Nitin Mehrotra, Chief Operating Officer at Spectra on International Yoga Day
"Like everything else in life and business, when it comes to health, input factors directly affect the desired output. I believe in being mindful of quality as well as quantity of what I eat, as it affects not just health in long-term but also how I feel during the day. I'm also a big believer in remaining active throughout the day. I achieve this by walking in meetings, doing squats and breathing exercises and using standing desks. Physical activity helps keep the mind and calm by relieving stress. When I exercise, I feel I'm able to achieve twice as much in a day."

Anuj Gulati, MD and CEO, Religare Health Insurance, on International Yoga Day
"As a health insurance company we are committed to the overall well-being of our customers. Yoga, when practised in entirety, forms an intrinsic part of this objective. While its health benefits have always been universally accepted, we are witnessing an unprecedented adoption of Yoga over the last few years as a conduit for overall wellness."

Sunil Agarwal, Managing Director (MD), PAISALO Digital Limited, on International Yoga Day
"I do Yoga on alternate days of weekdays, from about 5:30am till 6:30-6:45am. Apart from this I try to eat something every 2-2.5hrs to maintain consistency in my diet and not just gulp down food at any point of the day. Further, small things like replacing cappuccinos and lattes with Iced Americanos and sweetener/ sodas with coconut water, allow me to keep myself fit throughout the day without the harmful side-effects of sugar. Since PAISALO Digital's office and my home are quite near, I ditch the car when walking to or from PAISALO Digital Office till my home. For me, breakfast is generally the heaviest meal of the day and dinner is generally just a salad bowl and soup/ one serving of mixed fruit yogurt."

Pankaj Bansal, Co-Founder & CEO, PeopleStrong, on International Yoga Day
"Most of us spend our time either thinking about the past regrets or future worries, stuck between daily calendars and mobile phones we often forget about our health and it's not valued till sickness comes. Yoga is one such healing exercise which connects our body, mind and soul. If we talk about other types of exercises like gym workouts or cross training practices, these will improve your stamina and strength. But yoga gives you stamina, strength, balance in life and functional flexibility that you might need in your daily activities if you travel a lot for business like I do. Yoga can be such a potent seed to reduce stress, unlock stuck emotions, and gain confidence. It's one escape that can give you inner calm and helps you discover yourself."