The lifespan of people has increased because of advances in medical science, but instances of early aging have also increased. because of advances in medical science
The lifespan of people has increased because of advances in medical science, but instances of early aging have also increased. People in their late 20s, 30s and 40s are facing many lifestyle diseases like obesity, blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems etc., which were earlier considered to affect only people above 50 years of age. Technology has made things easy, but it has also made us lazy and non-functional. Simple tasks like walking and climbing stairs, which are natural movements of the human body have now become forms of exercise.
And it is here SportzConsult comes in. A sports management company that vows to make sports a lifestyle choice has taken up as its mission to offer fitness as a stress relieving option for the corporate executive. “It is a stress buster, a fitness culture is a must for the corporate executive,” says Jitendra Joshi, Co-founder and Director of SportzConsult, talking to Corporate Citizen.
Embracing fitness as a lifestyle choice pays off in numerous ways, says Jitu as he is fondly addressed. Fit employees are less likely to get sick. A person who is physically fit is generally more resistant to disease than a person who is not fit. Reduced absenteeism and reduced health care expenditures are the result of a fit employee base. “We have fitness programmes like cycling clubs and we are associated with Edelweiss in Mumbai besides other corporates,” he says. “Encouraging fitness demonstrates a concern for the employee's well-being, and it pays off,” says the entrepreneur and sportsman at heart.
Joshi founded SportzConsult in 2008, with the mission to inspire individuals to make sport a part of daily life and to make India a ‘sporty’ nation. “It helps build positive harmony and more importantly, a positive outlook, which energises employees to come out with the best,” he opines.
An engineering student from Mumbai, Joshi feels that a fit employee will stay true to his goals. And most importantly it will help him stay less stressed.
One of the many benefits of regular exercise is increased and sustained energy. This energy allows employees to stay focused on the task at hand, bringing the best of them to each task.
“A fit and healthy individual tends to have a high level of self-confidence because he would have proven to himself that he can accomplish what it takes to obtain a level of physical fitness. This self-confidence empowers the employee to challenge himself, and strive for higher levels of achievement in the workplace,” says Joshi who is also a guest lecturer at IIMA and Mudra.
There are many positives of a fit employee, he/she tends to be a good leader, has better attitude and is balanced, both mentally and physically which is a big boon to the company.
What is it that makes SportzConsult different from others? “We are there to make sports a part of people’s lifestyle. All aspects of our decision making revolve around the central idea of making more people play, have fun and experience the magic of sports and remain fit. The unyielding belief in the power of sports at the grassroots level as the sustainable, though tedious, answer to making India a sporty nation drives all our team members every day. We have been able to make grassroots sports a viable investment vehicle for corporates by creating and delivering highly experiential and innovative large scale grassroots programs across the country,” says Joshi.
“Changing the mindset/behaviour from ‘sports is distraction/ waste of time’ to ‘sports is healthy’ / ‘sports is essential for the all-round development of the child and adult’ is a must if we are to change the sporting fabric of India. We have to change our habits and make sports a part of our daily or weekly lifestyle”
The company has executed sports and fitness programs across the country involving various target groups-from school kids, corporates, to the rural masses. Some of their prominent recent programs include the Coca-Cola Cup (football), the Indian Schools & College Basketball Leagues.
The next big job in hand for SportzConsult is the Under 17 Football World Cup to be held in India.
Talking about changing the sporting fabric of India, Joshi who did his MBA from Clemson University, USA says, “Changing the sporting fabric of the country is long-term process. It is imperative that we work at the bottom of the pyramid-at the grassroots-and get more people to play. Changing the mindset/behaviour from ‘sports is distraction/waste of time’ to ‘sports is healthy’ / ‘sports is essential for the allround development of the child and adult’ is a must if we are to change the sporting fabric of India. We have to change our habits and make sports a part of our daily or weekly lifestyle. We also need more playgrounds at a closer vicinity for kids and adults to play. Of course, we need good sporting facilities for conducting events at all levels. Very importantly, we need to figure out how we can get kids to take up sports early. Most kids in Brazil have already played 10000 hours of football by the time they are 13. In India, most kids start taking sports seriously after 12 or 13. It’s too late to shine at the world level. Also, we need kids to play all round the year. Most of the kids today play for four to five months in a year. Most of the tournaments are between October and January. If we want to do well, our kids need to play throughout the year.”
Talking on what India lacks in making world champions, Joshi feels that good quality coaches at all levels-not just at the international levelare needed, paying attention to all aspects of an athlete’s development-skill, technique, fitness, state of mind. Role models are needed, which will lead more kids to take up the sport. Saina and Sindhu have created a mini-revolution in the country, many young girls have taken up badminton, he points out.
SportzConsult have been very active in providing support to the different sports federations in the country. “We support federations in developing and managing their grassroots programs, particularly school contact programs as well as work with them to deliver small and large grassroots programs of our own or of our clients. We also support federations in getting sponsorship for some of their initiatives,” he says.
Jitu and his men are doing their best to keep sports active by organising events in and around Maharashtra.
“We worked with Lokmat to conceptualise and organize the Lokmat Grameen Khel. We are working with companies to create more such programs. A noteworthy program that we do is a rigorous 14 day self defence program for girls comprising of skills from martial arts, taekwondo, judo, etc. Working for the government of Rajasthan as well as the government of Gujarat, we trained 1.5 lakh and 2.5 lakh girls respectively, reaching all state districts and more than 100 talukas each in Rajasthan and Gujarat. These programs bring home our central promise of adding value to the Indian sporting ecosystem,” he adds.
“At the end of the day sports plays a vital role in assuring that an individual is fit. It is an excellent way to stay fit,” signs off Jitendra.
by Joe Williams
