New Delhi, Sep 24(UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday interacted with various sports persons, fitness experts and others on the first anniversary of the Fit India Movement, via virtual conferencing .

The virtual dialogue with India's cricket captain Virat Kohli, Devendra Jhajharia, Paralympic Gold Medalist and Javelin Thrower, footballer Afsan Ashiq, actor and model Milind Soman, nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar in a casual and informal manner where the participants shared with the Prime Minister their life experiences and their fitness mantra.


On this occasion, the PM launched the Age Appropriate Fitness Protocols.


Interacting with India’s cricket captain Virat Kohli , the PM talked about his fitness routine. Virat said mental strength goes hand in hand with the physical strength.


When the Prime Minister asked how he gave up Delhi’s famous Chole Bhature, Virat talked about how simple home cooked meals along with bringing discipline in diet help in increasing fitness levels.

Mr Modi discussed how to maintain calorie intake. Virat said the body needs to be given time to process the ingested food. The PM talked about the YoYo test and stressed the importance of bringing in fitness culture. Virat said with good sleep, food and fitness the body will recover in a week's time when the PM asked whether he doesn’t feel tired.


Interacting with Devendra Jhajharia, Paralympic Gold Medalist and Javelin Thrower, the PM lauded Devendra for bringing laurels to India at various World Parlympic events. He inquired from Devendra as to how he overcame his challenges and turned him into a World famous athlete.


Devendra Jhajharia narrated the difficult phase after he lost an arm owing to an electric shock and how his mother inspired him to behave as a normal child and work towards fitness.


To Prime Minister’s query on how he dealt with his latest shoulder injury and he overcame his mood to retire from the sport, Devendra Jhajharia said that one has to believe in oneself first to overcome mental and physical challenges.


He demonstrated some physical exercises and discussed the fitness regimen he followed to overcome his injury.


Prime Minister praised the Paralympic Gold Medalist for having done a such an inspiring job and paid accolades to his mother for keeping herself at the age of 80.


In her interaction with the PM, footballer Afsan Ashiq said that it is necessary that every woman should keep herself fit, as she plays the role of a mother and caretaker of the family.


She discussed how she is inspired by M S Dhoni calm style of functioning and how she meditates daily in the morning to keep herself calm and composed.

Prime Minister inquired about what is the traditional way people of J&K keep themselves fit, despite the extreme weather conditions. Afsan discussed how they trek and how it improves their fitness levels. She also said that as people of J and K live in high altitudes they have more lung capacity and that they have no breathing problems when involved in physical activity elsewhere.

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