"Only 50 Lakh Indians...": Zerodha CEO Has This To Say About Gyms

Zerodha founder Nithin Kamath has always been an advocate of a healthy lifestyle. The 43-year-old recently took to his Twitter to talk about the importance of strength training for people over the age of 40.

He shared a detailed graph by the World of Statistics which showed that the adaption of gym memberships in India is as low as 50 lakhs (or 0.3 per cent).

In a tweet, he wrote, "Strength training is integral to increasing healthspan, and we need more focus on this. There is enough research to prove that exercise delays death & prevents cognitive & physical decline better than any other intervention."

See the post here:

Only about 50 lakhs or 0.3% of Indians go to a gym. Strength training is integral to increasing healthspan & we need more to focus on this.
There is enough research to prove that exercise delays death & prevents cognitive & physical decline better than any other intervention 1/5 pic.twitter.com/hkwqkoS1F1

— Nithin Kamath (@Nithin0dha) May 22, 2023

He further wrote that most Indians think that they do not need strength training as they age. "The truth is strength training becomes even more critical as we get older, especially after our 40s. The stronger we are, the more active we can be when we are older."

He also emphasized that strength training is even more essential for women. "Inactivity and bad nutrition can deplete bone mass at 1% per year after age 40 across men and women. Women are more susceptible to bone density loss than men, so strength training is important."

Reacting to Mr Kamath's post, Twitter users expressed concerns about the affordability of gym memberships. A user wrote, "The monthly salary of an average Indian is $354, while a good gym membership in India costs between $50 and $100. How is it possible?"

Another user argued, "Gym isn't the only way to strength-train though... there's a correlation here but not causation."

The third user wrote, "Because no point explaining. There will be uncles emerging saying "aktuaalllyy, if you wake up early, you don't need any gym shym" Motivation can't be gifted. Only comes from within. That 0.3% become the 0.3% in every aspect of life."

"Bang on, Nithin. Im sure you know this, but this chart is a bit misleading. approx 70 per cent of India lives in rural areas - no gyms, but also their lifestyle requires hard work. We're talking an effective 3-4% membership rate," the fourth user commented.