Weight loss and fitness are rarely a one-time fix – the real challenge begins once you’ve reached your goal. Staying lean, strong and healthy demands consistency and daily effort, but that doesn’t mean extreme workouts or rigid routines. In reality, long-term fitness is built on simple lifestyle changes practised day after day, proving that sustainable habits matter far more than dramatic transformations.
Try out Raj’s recommendations for staying fit and maintaining your weight through years!(Unsplash)
With 18 years of experience, Chennai-based fitness trainer Raj Ganpath – founder of the Slow Burn Method, co-founder and head coach at Quad Fitness, and author of Simple, Not Easy – has shared five simple daily habits that have helped him stay lean, strong and healthy for the last 20 years.
In an Instagram video shared on December 24, the fitness coach states, “I’m not athletic or gifted or special in any way. Literally. And you can build these habits too. It is simply about making the small changes and doing them consistently. Start today, do it through the next year. You’ll be a different person by the end of the next year!”
1. Active mornings, relaxed evenings
Raj balances his sleep-wake cycle by regulating cortisol and melatonin through a routine that keeps him active in the morning and relaxed in the evening. He explains, “ In the mornings, I move a lot. I work a lot. I eat less. In the evenings, I don’t move as much. I don’t work as much, but I do eat more and I relax more. This helps me spike cortisol in the morning and keeps me active through the day. And in the evening, it secretes melatonin, helps me fall asleep quickly, and helps me sleep well.”
2. Protein in every meal
For the fitness trainer, proteins are non-negotiable in every single meal. He elaborates, “In the last many years, there’s been a handful of meals where I have not had protein. 99.9 percent of my meals have had some form of protein. Vegetarian, non-vegetarian, doesn’t matter, but there is always some form of protein on my plate.”
3. 7 hours of sleep every day
Seven hours of sleep a day is another non-negotiable for Raj – even if he falls short at night, he makes time to nap during the day to compensate. He stresses, “In the last 20 years, my life has changed a lot. Initially, when I used to coach very early in the morning, I would only sleep for five hours at night. But I would sleep for two hours in the afternoon. But now that I don’t coach early in the mornings, I sleep seven hours at night. If I’m not able to, I get a nap in the afternoon. One way or the other, seven hours have to happen. It is non-negotiable.”
4. Strength training every week
According to Raj, he hasn’t missed even a single week of strength training in the last 20 years, noting that it doesn’t have to be anything intense – focusing on the basics does the job. He elaborates, “The basics – squats, deadlift, presses, push-ups, pull-ups, things like that – but strength training is always part of my week.”
5. Prioritising vegetables and walking
Raj describes this as “a general greed for vegetables and walking” – meaning he makes it a point to eat vegetables whenever they are available and does not miss an opportunity that calls for walking. He explains, “This has really helped me stay active through the day, through the years, and helped me a lot with recovery.”
In summary, the fitness trainer’s strategies aren’t extreme or groundbreaking, but rely on simple actions practised consistently. He concludes, “Now you’ll notice that none of these are really crazy. None of this is groundbreaking. But that’s the thing. You don’t need anything groundbreaking. You need to remember that simple actions done consistently over a period of time can result in significant progress.”
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. It is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.