Why fitness coach Raj Ganpath keeps his health advice simple

When it comes to doling out fitness advice, Raj Ganpath, fitness & nutrition coach and co-founder of fitness coaching company, The Quad in Chennai, prefers to keep it really simple. This philosophy of his is quite evident in the content he regularly posts on Instagram. And now, he takes it a step further by writing a book— unsurprisingly named— Simple, Not Easy.

The book, in 100 short chapters, covers almost every topic related to fitness including nutrition, movement, stress and sleep. As someone who has been in the fitness industry for over 15 years, the idea of writing a big fat tome that contained all the ‘gyan’ he knew may have seemed tempting, but “having worked with people over the years, what I realized is, people don’t need a biochemistry textbook. What people are looking for is a book that will make fitness accessible to them,” explains Ganpath about why he chose to pare his exhaustive fitness knowhow down to the basics.

“I want this book to be something that anyone can pick up and read and treat it like a companion,” the 41-year-old says, sitting down for an interview with Lounge. Edited excerpts:

What does it entail to be a fitness coach in a time of excess health-related information?

Today, as fitness coaches, we’re just trying to get people to live better lives. It’s important for people in the industry to understand that we need to respect our audience —these are real people with real problems in the real world. The fact that they make it to training on top of everything else is a big deal. And what they need is nothing extreme. They don’t need that mad discipline or that crazy motivation. What they need is consistency and kindness. What they need is a coach who is not a taskmaster forcing you into a diet or an exercise plan, but a companion, a guide who is just showing you the way.

Would you say consistency is probably one of the most important values one needs on the journey to fitness?

Absolutely. If you look around you, you will, for instance, see that someone who’s been consistent with strength training is fit; someone who’s consistent with yoga is fit; or someone who’s consistent with dance is fit. In fact, that’s why I have an entire section, not a chapter, because none of this — exercise routine, nutrition, sleep—works without consistency. That is the holy grail. 

₹269.” title=”Simple, Not Easy: A No-Nonsense Guide to Fitness, Nutrition and Weight Loss, Westland Books, 247 pages, ₹269.”>

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Simple, Not Easy: A No-Nonsense Guide to Fitness, Nutrition and Weight Loss, Westland Books, 247 pages, ₹269.

You mention several times in your book about how it’s essential to include proteins in all our meals. Conversations today, however, will have you believe that this protein awareness is on a bit of an overdrive. As a nutritionist what do you make of this overzealousness?

Here’s the thing: most Indians are not getting enough protein. In fact, if you ranked all the countries based on the amount of protein consumed per capita, India would be one of the last. We are protein deficient as a nation, in general, and so it’s good that there’s more awareness about it; that more people are understanding it. Sure, there is a sense that it’s a little overdone but if one had to make analogies here, the pendulum has to swing before it stops, right? So, for the longest time, we didn’t really care about protein. And now that we have awareness, it is swinging the other way. It’s a spectrum. But despite it all, people are getting very little protein. We need to find ways to eat a diet that’s high in protein and other nutrients.

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How has the arrival of weight loss drugs like Ozempic or Mounjaro changed the conversations you are having with your clients? Do they wonder if exercise matters anymore?

(These conversations) are not as rampant yet because most weight loss drugs are still pretty expensive. You are talking about just a small percentage of the country or the world that can afford it. But it’s definitely getting there. What’s happening right now is Ozempic is out there, we know it works, and that there are a lot of side effects. But this is only version 1.0. What about version 2.0 or version 200?

I have an R&D background in the medical devices industry and am quite familiar with how the medical devices and the pharmaceuticals industry work. There is a lot of trial and error that needs to go on. We will, eventually, get to a point where we will find a drug that assists us with weight management without the negative side effects. But in the long term, considering how we are approaching food and lifestyle, we are going to have to find a smart, holistic solution which involves movement, nutrition, mental health, wellness and medicine.

What are some ‘non-negotiable’ habits that you follow every day?

For me, everything starts with sleep. I have to prioritize sleep because without it, everything else falls apart. You can be the smartest person, the kindest person, but if you’re sleep deprived, you can be a very different person: you can be frustrated, angry, mean… From a fitness perspective, if you haven’t slept well, the chances of you feeling motivated and doing something productive in the gym is very low because you’re tired. The chances of you making smart food choices is close to zero as well. That’s because when you’re tired, your brain is seeking quick energy. So for me, sleep is non-negotiable.

Journaling is another habit that I find very useful. I do it daily in the mornings because I get to reflect on the previous day. I also make absolutely sure that I don’t get stressed at work. One practice that helps me is meditating for about 15-20 minutes wherever I can. My meditation is about just quietly sitting, breathing and letting my thoughts settle.

What’s your hope for the book?

I want fitness to feel attainable for people. It has to be approachable. So my hope for the book is that people read it because it demystifies this big, giant, magical, enigmatic thing called ‘fitness’.

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