"No Elevator To Success, Have To Take Stairs": PM At Fit India Movement

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, launching the "Fit India Movement" today, encouraged the nation to make fitness a part of the daily routine, saying: "There is no elevator to success, you have to take the stairs."

And to take the stairs, you have to be fit, PM Modi said, addressing a large gathering of ministers, schoolchildren, celebrities and others in Delhi's Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.

"Whether it is the boardroom or Bollywood, whoever is fit, the sky is the limit. If the body is fit, the mind is a hit," he said.

Seen to be a huge fitness enthusiast, PM Modi urged people to take the pledge for a fitter India and embrace the Fit India Movement like the "Swachh Bharat" campaign.

"We should make fitness our mantra for life," he said, commenting that while many spoke about dieting and fitness, they did not adhere to what they preached at the dinner table. He also felt that technology had contributed to a sedentary lifestyle.

"A few decades back, a normal person would walk 8-10 km in a day, do cycling or run. But with technology, physical activity has reduced. We walk less now and the same technology tells us that we are not walking enough," he said, drawing chuckles from the audience.

The Prime Minister, who is known to maintain a Yoga routine, urged people to make lifestyle changes.

"Earlier we heard of people getting heart attacks in the 60s but now you hear men in their 30s and 40s suffering heart attacks. Lifestyle diseases and disorders are on the rise. Small changes in our lifestyle can make all the difference."

The 'Fit India Movement' marks the 'National Sports Day' and aims at encouraging people to inculcate physical activity and sports in their everyday lives.