The Mumbai businessman and fitness fanatic took readers on a revelatory personal fitness journey that makes it relevant, explained the importance of sticking to your goals and routines, and then concludes with a thorough how-to manual for anyone looking to bulk up.

Mr Yash Birla is one of the pioneers in the fitness and health industry and has been promoting the importance of physical health for almost 3 decades. He shares his fitness journey and talks about the importance of sticking to your goals and routines in his recent interview with Mid-day.

For someone like Mr Yash Birla, who has been interested in fitness for more than 20 years and has lived through both the pre-social and post-social media eras, the activity itself continues to be his main priority. As a result, it is not surprising that he suggests socialising and shooting selfies as post-workout activities because, as he points out, nobody should forget the purpose of going to the gym. People who go to the gym frequently take breaks to compare their bodies or even post images on social media, but it may not always be the best strategy for them. “People have to understand that at the gym, you have to take a gap between the sets but there are people who talk, and take selfies. If you are taking more rest than you should be depending on the weights you have carried before that, your exercise gets you less productivity,” says Mr Yash Birla.

Being on social media is also ineffective. Mr Yash Birla explains, “If you are worried about how you are going to look on Instagram, that takes away the whole attention from the gym.” Yash Birla has various approaches, even while he browses through his personal profile and uses social media, “I see so many fabulous physiques and bodies. I think what I have taken 20 years to achieve, they have achieved in lesser time.” While he may have perfected the discipline of focusing on oneself, he notes that this may have varied effects on other people, particularly if they were either attained by unnatural methods or employed photoshop to portray themselves in a particular way on social media. He concludes by saying, “It is important to work and focus on yourself. Be individualistic, don’t get disheartened.”