Name- Akash Saxena

I have always been athletic. I was a sportsman back in school and fairly active even when I undertook an infamous corporate job. However, when we launched GetSetGo Fitness, our own online Fitness company, things took a turn for worse. Like every person who uses work as an excuse to sideline fitness, I took the liberty to tell myself – you can't do much about it, buddy. There's no time! Work was hectic indeed. The whole team was grinding. I stayed glued to my chair, being the CTO myself, staring into my laptop at least 15 hours a day was something normal for me. I had started smoking again. Late night strategic discussions that stretched up to 4:00 or 5:00 AM in the morning had become commonplace.

© Akash Saxena

Then came the moment of realization! On one of the rare afternoons when I could squeeze in some time for a quick shower, I was shocked. I turned back after drawing my clothes from my closet and there was the most dreaded sight – that belly sticking out of my torso. Now, I have been really skinny in the past but never ever have I been skinny-fat. Yet, here I was. While I was quite disturbed, I was not really scared. Those who know me will testify that I have a pretty strong will. I knew if I got back to the grind, I would lock it down. But that meant spending hours in the gym running on the treadmill, lifting some weights, cutting outside food and eating clean, home-cooked food. On an average day, this would have been a breeze. But right now, I could not afford to dedicate 3-4 hours a day to fitness. I shared my dilemma with my wife – Shraddha. She is the CEO and a coach at GetSetGo Fitness. Surprisingly, the solution was the pitch that she presents to her clients. She asked me to make a lifestyle change and not see this as a crash course. She told me that a diet should be sustainable and customized to my lifestyle, not only to a goal. I was like – What, really? Save this for your clients. I want a quick fix, lady. 

But as we all know – wives are always right! I followed her guidance and here I am. 

© Akash Saxena

This is precisely what she prescribed. She made it really simple for me: 

• A custom 3 days a week work out that lasted 40 minutes

• A diet plan that was flexible enough to fit into my regime and had enough calories to get me going through a hectic day

• A list of healthy restaurant food, because cooking at home was not always an option

I stuck to it like a snail would to the edge of the blade. Being the classic ectomorph that I am, results followed sooner than I expected. I did not make any significant muscle gain, but within 2 months, I finally morphed into a shape that I loved! And since then, I have stayed away from the yo-yo approach.