Looking good and feeling good cannot happen in a day. It takes rigorous workout sessions to achieve your fitness goals. Fitness enthusiast and owner of a KTM bike showroom in Chakan, Mandar Waghere strongly believes that discipline plays a vital role in one’s fitness journey.
Part of a community
Speaking about his own fitness journey, he says, “My journey started around five years back when I was pursuing diploma. I used to weigh 95 kg then and would constantly feel tired whenever I walked or did any activity. I thought if this continues, I will be 100 kg soon. That was the turning point, I realised that something needs to be done to change my lifestyle. I got into fitness not because someone told me to but I wanted to do it for myself.”
It was during this time that a friend introduced Waghere to a Facebook community called Fittr founded by Jitendra Chouksey. “It’s a group that answers users’ fitness-related queries. The information is backed by scientific research and knowledge. Through this group, I got to know that our food includes micro nutrients, consisting of vitamins and minerals, and macro nutrients, consisting of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. The common notion is that rice makes one fat so it should be avoided. But through Fittr I got to know that it’s not true. For proper functioning of the body, one needs to consume everything in moderation,” says Waghere.
After reading books and responses by the group he joined a gym and took special training from a coach. He lost around 12 kg in a span of five months. In 2017, he weighed around 70 kg. He adds that even his father benefited from Fittr. “He not only lost weight but also stopped his medication for diabetes,” says Waghere.
Daily meals
Waghere’s daily routine consists of workout and a healthy yet easy diet which he effortlessly manages with his work. “I wake up at 7 am and workout for one-and-a-half hours. My breakfast consists of paneer, soya beans and bread, which is the vegetarian option, or eggs and bread, which is the non-vegetarian variety. For lunch, I have about 100 gm of rice, chicken, soya bean with ghee, basically a healthy combination of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. I have fruits like papaya, pineapple, apple or sweet lime for evening snack which serves as a micronutrient. My dinner is similar to lunch, at times I replace rice with chapati/ roti. The bottom line is if one wants to build muscles, then there has to be a good amount of protein combined with carbohydrates and fats,” he says.
Once Waghere started getting results, there was no looking back. He even suggests to take ‘before’ and ‘after’ images as a visual proof to track one’s progress.
Fitness mantra
Fitness journeys aren’t without bumps. “Once I had a physical injury because of which I couldn’t cope up with my fitness routine. During that time, I again gained around five kg. That’s when the before-after images helped. It motivated me to get back on track. I strongly believe that more than movie actors or other celebrities, the person you see in the mirror can motivate to a great extent,” he says.
Talking about his workout routine, he says, “I prefer compound exercises, where more than one muscle is involved, like weight training, dead-lifts, squats and bench press. People prefer cardio as that helps in burning calories but weight loss and fat loss are two different things which they must understand.”
Sharing his fitness mantra, he says, “Motivation is temporary, discipline is forever.”
