Unravelling the ‘enigma’ around fitness

This entrepreneur and automobile enthusiast has given a new meaning to his hometown Bhopal, tagged as one of India’s ‘greenest cities’ and to his electric vehicles (EV) manufacturing start-up. Anmol Bohre, CEO and cofounder, Enigma Automobiles, reflects on the brighter side of life and believes that achievements are irrespective of one’s geographical boundaries. Anmol’s fervour for fitness and meditation helped him stay focused and calm in the direst of circumstances. He shares the triggers and benefits of embracing fitness for an innovative, aspirational, and balanced life.

An essential aspect of achieving success in any field is to pace yourself and build confidence. The same applies to fitness, and hence, setting small goals at the beginning of your journey and building it up as you achieve them is essential,” said Anmol Bohre, CEO and cofounder, Enigma Automobiles.

As a first-generation entrepreneur, Anmol faced his share of the beginners’ hiccups in the various stages of market research and analysis and obtaining government certification. With a seed capital of Rs. 2.5L working with their very first model, the company has come a long way, selling high-performance intelligent electric scooters at the ‘value for money’ price points.

Enigma aims to achieve 100 % localisation by 2022 with plans to start a home-grown lithium-ion battery unit and synergise with its e-vehicle business. “The company aims to achieve at least a 25% foothold in the EV two-wheeler space. Apart from India, we also plan to expand into the Asia-pacific markets as well,” said Anmol. With other new deals in the anvil, fitness is not an option, rather an essential aspect of his life.

“No matter where I travel, I never skip my workout and manage to always squeeze in 30 minutes of physical exercise. So, yes, I consider myself an absolute fitness enthusiast,” said Anmol.

Rising from the ashes

Anmol had a turbulent 2017, beginning March when a crisis in his personal life pushed him to a dark space, and October 2017 was a significant blow when he lost his father and felt there was no coming back from these mishaps.

“These two situations had pulled me down completely, and I had gone into depression. I kept losing my emotional and mental sanity,” he said. He, however, deep-dived to channel his grief, anger, and frustration into something positive and joined the gym, and since then, gym workouts have proved to be an antidote to his ‘difficult’ state of mind. “It helped build my confidence and has reaffirmed my faith in myself for leading a successful life,” said Anmol.

His fitness stint has shaped to the extent that he calls himself a ‘fitness freak’ and prefers a disciplined lifestyle.

Anmol maintains a consistent workout routine enabling him to stay in touch with his inner self and build focus. “Taking care of my body and mind through fitness has also ingrained a positive attitude within me, and I’m always ready to tackle problems coming my way with a rational mindset,” said Anmol.

"It is equally essential to track your progress as it gives you a sense of achievement and pushes you to keep treading the path"

Anmol Bohre

Sporting fit

While the gym enabled Anmol to vent his anger, frustration, and anxiety, it was also the beginning of self-care. He gradually added other sports to fortify and add fun to his fitness routine.

A professional cyclist, his workouts go beyond the ‘happiness factor,’ helping him maintain his energy and stamina levels, which Anmol said is essential in the life of a start-up entrepreneur as his job constantly keeps him on his toes.

He often compliments his workouts by participating in other sports like swimming and cycling. Badminton and a weekend game of football offer a welcome change. “These sports are effort-intensive and give me the satisfaction of a good workout, leaving me with a sense of fulfilment,” he said.

His fitness regime initially was centered around lifting weights and focusing on muscle building, but lately, he has incorporated strength and core training.

He has added variations to his fitness routines by incorporating outdoor physical activities like cycling or swimming and new exercise formats and techniques to keep him agile. As regards the pain points, he said, “Don’t start counting till it starts to pain.”

A healthy push and diet

Staying motivated also means not getting stuck in a rut with similar exercise routines. However, “It is equally essential to track your progress as it gives you a sense of achievement and pushes you to keep treading the path,” said Anmol.

Anmol is a stickler for keeping his diet simple with food that keeps him healthy. His morning begins with aloe vera juice and lukewarm water, followed by seasonal fruits and nuts for breakfast.

“I eat a filling lunch, the only full-stack of my day while limiting my dinner choices to something light like a soup or brown rice with a curry. I ensure that I consume an overall well-balanced diet as it is imperative to maintaining a healthy mind and body,” he said.

His typical day consists of work and gym workouts in the evening, comprising a mix of cardio, functional, and weight training. His gym workouts are a stress buster, leaving him refreshed and ready to take on the day with much enthusiasm.

His advice is to intake a balanced diet as a vital aspect of fitness. “But while it is important to eat a nutritious diet a majority of the time, it is also important to treat yourself once in a while,” he said.

Staving off the pandemic

Anmol followed a routine akin to what he would have during the regular pre-pandemic days, even during the pandemic. Social distancing has not hindered Anmol from continuing his physical regime and exercises.

He believes that just as physical toughness mandates training to improve fitness levels, mental toughness needs training too and has to be practiced daily. “Daily mindful practice enables becoming more immune to outside factors which could be derailing one’s training/work routine,” he said.

Executive wellness

Anmol acknowledges that it is difficult for entrepreneurs to eat healthily or stay fit with their on-the-go lifestyle and work from home (WFH) schedules during the pandemic. The lockdown negatively impacted health-promoting behaviours given the lack of daily commute, set schedule, and offline connectivity with co-workers.

Measures that helped Anmol balance mental health in the WFH mode

• Digital detox in the evenings
• Exercising & maintaining a healthy diet
• Managing stress through meditation
• Focussing on activities, you enjoy
• Enigma conducted fun games, activities, and virtual interactive sessions for its em ployees to help ease their pandemic situation.

The ‘doer’ does it all

Not just lip service, Anmol has more than encouraged his colleagues to pursue fitness programs or indulge in a sport by organising football and cricket matches for them. “The games not only have a have a positive impact on the mindset but serve as the foundation for building a strong team,” he said.

“Don’t forget, once you see the results of your fitness routine, it becomes an addiction for life. Keep the momentum on,” he said.

Anmol is passionate about books and long drives with a good soft rock rhythm. While people listen to songs, he listens and believes in the affirmation that “God is great, everything will be alright.”