When we talk about fitness in Bollywood, the name that surely comes to the mind is that of model turned actor, Milind Soman.
The actor, model and stringent fitness enthusiast, has always managed to make headlines either it is for his killer look and perfect body or because of his affairs and marriage. Even at the age of 54, Milind is giving every fitness freak major goals by performing various physical training activities.
This goes without saying that Milind is a big-time fan of marathons and running is one of the most crucial parts of his life. As a child, Milind was more inclined towards swimming than running. Talking about his marathon journey, he told Man's World, "When Mumbai hosted its first marathon, in 2003, I decided I would run the half marathon (21 kilometres) to challenge myself.
I could barely run 2 km when I started training for it and had to build my stamina slowly. Finishing the half-marathon felt like my biggest achievement, bigger even than the medals I won and national records I set in the pool." In 2012, Soman ran 1500 kilometres in 30 days from New Delhi to Mumbai to raise awareness over environmental issues.
Running Barefoot is a way to lead a healthy life!
At the age of 40, Soman realised that running barefoot was actually more comforting and beneficial for the health rather than wearing expensive shoes. He said, "Shoes and chairs are the worst inventions. You have to have a connection with the ground, which shoes break. After wearing shoes for 40 years, I started running completely barefoot five months ago and I realised that even 3 mm of rubber is obstructive."
It's never a bad time to start running!
In 2012, Milind founded, Pinkathon, one of India's biggest women's run created with the aim of spreading awareness about women's health-related issues, breast cancer in particular. Calling it more than a marathon, Soman stated, "It is the beginning of a movement carried forward by a growing community of empowered women across India, who share a belief that a healthy family, a healthy nation and a healthy world begins with empowered women."
Check out these pictures of Soman running with his pink gang
Milind Soman on RSS Shakhas
The actor who was last seen in Bajirao Mastani alongside Ranveer Singh has been making headlines lately for his RSS experience statement. He said, "When I read today all the subversive, communal propaganda the media attributes to RSS shakhas, I am frankly baffled."
"My memories of what happened at our shakha between 6 and 7 pm each weekday evening are completely different—we marched about in our khaki shorts, did some yoga, worked out in a traditional outdoor gymnasium with no fancy equipment, sang songs and chanted Sanskrit verses that we did not understand the meanings of, played games and had a bunch of fun with our fellows."
After this statement, Milind started to trend on twitter and people trolled him for his statement. Taking it sportingly, he wrote, "Trending at 54 for an experience I had at the age of 10. wish it was about swimming, which was at the same time!" Wife Ankita Konwar also joined the conversation and wrote, "Wow a childhood experience can really stir up some conversations
I think I was chasing butterflies when I was 10. Anyone else?"
In his new book, Made in India: A Memoir it was revealed that he had enrolled into the RSS Shakas at a young age. He also revealed how his father wanted him to learn 'disciplined living, physical fitness and right thinking'.
