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'Fitness ki dose, aadha ghanta roz,' says PM Modi at FIT India meet

**EDS: SCREENSHOT FROM A VIDEO POSTED BY @narendramodi ON THURSDAY, SEPT. 24, 2020** New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually launches 'Fit India Age Appropriate Fitness Protocols' during Fit India Dialogue on the first anniversary of Fit India Movement, in New Delhi. (PTI Photo)(PTI24-09-2020_000049B)
**EDS: SCREENSHOT FROM A VIDEO POSTED BY @narendramodi ON THURSDAY, SEPT. 24, 2020** New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually launches 'Fit India Age Appropriate Fitness Protocols' during Fit India Dialogue on the first anniversary of Fit India Movement, in New Delhi. (PTI Photo)(PTI24-09-2020_000049B)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched the 'Fit India Age Appropriate Fitness Protocols' during an online Fit India Dialogue, to celebrate the first anniversary of the Fit India Movement.

The fitness protocols have been prepared with the help of fitness enthusiasts for three age categories, from 5-18 years, 18-65 years, and 65 plus age category.

“I am glad that healthy eating is becoming a part of our way of living. Becoming fit is not as difficult as most think. It just requires a little discipline. Families that play together, stay together,” the Prime Minister said.

“Fitness ki dose, aadha ghanta roz,” he announced.

**EDS: SCREENSHOT FROM A VIDEO POSTED BY @narendramodi ON THURSDAY, SEPT. 24, 2020** New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually interacts with Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli during Fit India Dialogue on the first anniversary of Fit India Movement, in New Delhi. (PTI Photo)(PTI24-09-2020_000041B)
**EDS: SCREENSHOT FROM A VIDEO POSTED BY @narendramodi ON THURSDAY, SEPT. 24, 2020** New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually interacts with Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli during Fit India Dialogue on the first anniversary of Fit India Movement, in New Delhi. (PTI Photo)(PTI24-09-2020_000041B)

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli, Paralympics gold medalist javelin thrower, Devendra Jhajharia, woman footballer from Jammu and Kashmir, Afshan Ashiq, actor and fitness promoter Milind Soman, nutrition and exercise science expert, Rujuta Diwekar, Yoga guru Swami Shivadhayanam Saraswati, and National Organising Secretary, Bharatiya Shikshan Mandal, Mukul Kanitkar also participated in the event being held through video conferencing.

The Prime Minister inquired about their fitness routines, nutrition, challenges, and also the need for keeping fit in today's day and age.

The attendees shared their experience with fitness, the need to stay fit, and how different approaches and slight changes in the routine can change anyone's life for the better.

**EDS: SCREENSHOT FROM A VIDEO POSTED BY @narendramodi ON THURSDAY, SEPT. 24, 2020** New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually interacts with Bollywood actor and fitness enthusiast Milind Soman along with others during Fit India Dialogue on the first anniversary of Fit India Movement, in New Delhi. (PTI Photo)(PTI24-09-2020_000032B)
**EDS: SCREENSHOT FROM A VIDEO POSTED BY @narendramodi ON THURSDAY, SEPT. 24, 2020** New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually interacts with Bollywood actor and fitness enthusiast Milind Soman along with others during Fit India Dialogue on the first anniversary of Fit India Movement, in New Delhi. (PTI Photo)(PTI24-09-2020_000032B)

PM Modi asked Milind Soman, who is 55 years old, “Whatever you say your age is - are you really that old?” Soman laughed and replied that this is not the first time he has been asked such a question.

He said that many wonder about his age because he runs 500 Km marathons even now. He then talked about his mother and said that he wants to be like her when he is 81. He also said that she was an inspiration to him, and many others.

"We have forgotten what is normal in exercise. We are capable of taking regular and strenuous exercise," Soman told the Prime Minister, who said that he was a big fan of the actor's mother's fitness at the advanced age.

"Healthy body is necessary for healthy mind. Fitness has to be our priority. There has to be gap between two meals, so that it allows the body to process what we eat," Kohli told the Prime Minister.

The Indian cricket team captain also said that deciding the priority was of utmost importance to get best results in anyone's fitness endeavours.

Skipper Virat Kohli explained how the Yo-Yo test helped the Indian cricketers achieve high-level fitness when Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked him about the mandatory running aerobic fitness routine.

**EDS: SCREENSHOT FROM A VIDEO POSTED BY @narendramodi ON THURSDAY, SEPT. 24, 2020** New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually interacts with Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli during Fit India Dialogue on the first anniversary of Fit India Movement, in New Delhi. (PTI Photo)(PTI24-09-2020_000048B)
**EDS: SCREENSHOT FROM A VIDEO POSTED BY @narendramodi ON THURSDAY, SEPT. 24, 2020** New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually interacts with Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli during Fit India Dialogue on the first anniversary of Fit India Movement, in New Delhi. (PTI Photo)(PTI24-09-2020_000048B)

Modi was keen to know what is Yo-Yo test and asked if the captain, “I heard these days there is a yo yo test for the team, what is this test,' asked Modi.

Kohli, smiling, replied, “This Test was very important from fitness point of view. If we talk about global fitness level, our fitness level is still low compared to other teams and we want to take it up, which is a basic requirement.”

The gruelling routine has two sets of cones that are 20 metres apart. Once the beep is sounded, an athlete has to reach the marker on the other side by the time the next beep sounds, turn and get back to where he started before the third beep.

**EDS: SCREENSHOT FROM A VIDEO POSTED BY @narendramodi ON THURSDAY, SEPT. 24, 2020** New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually interacts with J&K women's football team captain Afshan Ashiq along with other fitness enthusiasts during Fit India Dialogue on the first anniversary of Fit India Movement, in New Delhi. (PTI Photo)(PTI24-09-2020_000031A)

The Fit India Dialogue is yet another effort to involve citizens of the country to draw out a plan to make India a Fit Nation.

The Fit India Movement envisioned by PM Modi and launched by him on August 29, 2019, has seen the collective participation of more than 3.5 crore Indians in various events, with more than 2.5 crore participants in the Fit India Freedom Run that was launched on August 15, 2019, with a digital footprint of 30 crore people. (ANI)