Vinayak Veer - Being A Strength & Conditioning Coach For Mumbai Cricket Association, I'm Also An Assistant Director For TV Shows Savdhaan India & Crime Patrol (Fitness Coach & Assistant Director)

I started influencing my followers through my social media handles by working with some renowned brands such as Koovs, Wear Your Opinion, AJIO Life, Carrera, Adidas, My Protein, Rite Bite Nutrition and Oxie Nutrition to name a few. I can just conclude that I am blessed and thankful that I get to live the best of both worlds. 

1. Tell us more about your background and journey?   

Along with being a Strength and Conditioning coach for Mumbai Cricket Association, I also am an Assistant Director by profession. In a certain turn of events, the social media life chose me & I extended myself to being a Health, Fitness & Lifestyle Influencer as well. 

Hailing from a small town named Pragyaraj in UP, my father was an esteemed IAS officer. More of a buddy & less of a stereotypical father, he never pressurized me into his field of success. Rather, he hoped and wished someone from our lineage would excel in sports someday.

Consequently, my father has been my strongest pillar. My entire family meted out immense support to pursue my dreams. I put my heart & soul into sports & continued playing. Like it is rightly said, ‘Miracles come in moments,’ soon I was selected as the Captain of my Under 14 State Team. Since then, there has been no looking back. I even led the Under 17 State Team as the State Captain. Thereon, my life changed only for the better with every passing day. 

Being in the government sector, my father would consistently migrate due to transfers. Undoubtedly, I got to travel expansively only to find an abode in the city of dreams. Presently, I reside in Mumbai since then. I graduated with Bachelors of Mass Media specializing in Advertising from Wilson College, Chowpatty, Mumbai.

By the tender age of 20, I had already dipped my feet into the fitness world and began building a career. While multitasking has never come easily to me, I still did simultaneously work as an Assistant Director for TV shows such as Savdhaan India & Crime Patrol. Progressively, I started influencing my followers through my social media handles by working with some renowned brands such as Koovs, Wear Your Opinion, AJIO Life, Carrera, Adidas, My Protein, Rite Bite Nutrition and Oxie Nutrition to name a few. I can just conclude that I am blessed and thankful that I get to live the best of both worlds. 

2. What’s your fitness mantra?

I feel the best project you can work upon is you. Choose fitness as your lifestyle and you will thank me later.

3. What are some of the major misconceptions about nutrition diets and exercise?  

I have heard tons of misleading rumours spread like wildfire. One of them being, ‘it’s 30% diet 50% exercise and 20% nutrition.’ This statement itself is the biggest misconception we’ve etched into our idiosyncrasies. It is always all or nothing. Subsequently, it is 100% of every section. One has to be devoted and committed to their diet, exercise & nutritional goals ardently. There is hard work & discipline required in all the aspects that bring you one step closer. 

Most importantly, you have to give equal importance to all three aspects and that’s how you attain your goal. It’s not about eating everything, rather it’s about eating everything in moderation. I usually reprimand all my clients that fitness is not ‘one size fits all,’ You can’t just mimic a particular diet because it worked for someone else. Everybody is composed differently which is why we don’t look alike or ever have the same structure. You need to analyze & deeply understand your body composition & then frame a complimentary nutrition value of your diet to see your workout transformation. For guidance, we as coaches have always got your back.

4. How can you maintain a healthy lifestyle?

A healthy body is not just six-pack abs or an attractive physical appearance. It is internal, not external and that can only be achieved by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. To live a healthy lifestyle, you need to set fruitful & realistic goals in your mind. Titanic was not built in a day nor was Rome. They were constructed step by step with a strong mindset & will power. 

You can achieve anything you put your mind to. You need to integrate dedication, commitment & will power into your lifestyle to keep you in check. You'll then keep achieving and maintaining your goals. As a suggestion, begin with any activity with a duration of at least 45 minutes, keep your macro & micronutrients in check, drink plenty of water & avoid refined sugar. It’s a silent killer. You can replace it with seasonal fruits instead.

5. How can you build a successful career in your field?

Since we are talking about fitness, I must tell you it's all about reading, learning and executing. Health and fitness are evergreen industries. Even amidst a global pandemic, fitness is reigning and I must add booming, too.

If you wish to pursue fitness professionally, then your foundation has to be rock solid for which I strongly recommend K11 Fitness Academy & American College of Sports and Medicine (ACSM) which has helped me too to soar high. 

A profound certification from a highly reputed academy accelerates your recruitment chances. Ultimately, it is all boils down to hard work and growing through what you go through. Currently, we have social media to flaunt our skills & spread awareness which has made it easier to strengthen our market presence. I would lastly add that stay updated & keep experimenting because just like fashion & food, fitness is unstoppable. 

6. What is one piece of advice you would like to give who wishes to lose weight?

I would recommend a caloric deficit diet since it's fairly easy to implement. You just need to exclude 500 calories from your actual day-to-day food intake. It's a simple and healthy way to losing weight. Complementing strength training and compound movements in your workout regime especially for people who are above 30 is highly advisable because they tend to lose muscle, their hormones tend to slow down and their bones begin to degenerate. For body stabilization, these exercises are a must. Don't shy away from strength training because it is the only form that slows down your ageing process. 

7. How do diet and exercise contribute to overall wellbeing and happiness?

Diet and exercise elongate anti-ageing benefits which gives you a healthy outlook, a more active lifestyle, and improved quality of skin and hair which eventually gives you confidence in your day-to-day life. It gives you a physiological boost thereby surging your self-esteem. We all strive to live a happier & healthier life and that's what fitness does for you. Consequently, I consider myself as more of a motivator rather than a coach and I hope anyone of you will be inspired to adapt to a healthier standard of living. 

- Vinayak Veer (Fitness Coach & Assistant Director)

- Interviewed By Daisy Sharma