Fit to Lead | realme's Madhav Sheth: The adage fit mind in a fit body is true

Madhav Sheth, vice-president of realme and president of realme International Business Group.

Note to readers: Fit to lead is a series of interviews with business leaders on their approach to fitness, leadership and navigating the new normal.

Madhav Sheth is the vice-president of realme and President of realme International Business Group. For years now, Sheth’s workout routine has remained unchanged. Instead of finding it monotonous, the routine helps him stay centred and calm, he says. Edited excerpts from an interview:

Yoga and meditation are central to my fitness routine. I also do strength training exercises, but yoga and meditation help me stay mentally healthy.

I begin my day at 5 am and take an hour to practice yoga and meditation. This is also the time when I am cut off from all electronic devices. Evenings are spent in the gym doing strength training exercises or some basic stretches. Every evening I work out a different set of muscles. Every one or two days a week, I take a break from my evening workouts to give my body some time to recover. I don’t, however, take a break from my yoga and meditation routine.

I actually don’t find the routine monotonous, so I don’t feel the need to change it.

Obviously, my yoga and meditation continued throughout the pandemic. I don’t have a personal gym at home and all my local gyms were shut down due to the lockdown rules. However, we do have an office gym and my administrative staff was kind enough to let me use it. I used to be the only one in the gym during the lockdown.

The routine itself hasn’t changed much. But with the travel restrictions easing out and my new role as President of realme International Business Group, I am travelling for most of the month. To keep up with my regimen, I ensure I check into a hotel that has a gym or a meditation centre.

When I am travelling to countries where the weather and air conditions are better, I make sure I go for a run outside.

Ours is an industry where things are ever-changing and ever-evolving. We have to keep up with technology every single day. My fitness routine has helped me stay grounded and focused. It’s helps me calm down and remain centred before I jump into the day.

Seeing me, several of my colleagues have taken up fitness seriously. They realise the importance of not just being physically fit but also mentally fit. So they often come up to me to seek advice on yoga or meditation.

I feel that fitness is all about intent. If you have the intent, you will find a way to stay fit. I don’t have a personal gym, but I make sure I work out wherever I am. If my colleagues are travelling with me, I encourage them to workout with me. We go on runs together. If it’s possible, we walk from meetings to our hotel instead of taking a cab. Intent is what I try to highlight with all my colleagues; you have to have the intent to stay fit.

I used to be 130 kg; today I am 84 kg. Getting into a fitness routine didn’t just help me lose weight, it helped me get confident. I know how to be confident because of my routine. It’s made me aware and more conscious of what I do and how I do it. It’s made me more productive and aware. The adage fit mind in a fit body is true.