60s, 80s, 90s mein bhi fit? Fitness coach compares 'Angrezi uncles' with 'Indian uncles'

What does staying fit look like when you are in your 60s, 80s or even 90s? Fitness coach Rajan has sparked a conversation around ageing, after sharing a humorous comparison between older Western men and Indian men.

The video features Rajan with older men who are still working out and staying physically active in their senior years. He is a 65-year-old man who says he turned to exercise after his anxiety problems and found it relieved his stress. Another man, 86, says he has taken action after letting his physical condition slide for years.

82-year-old does 105 push-ups, 100 pull-ups

One clip features an 82-year-old man talking about his workout routine. He says that he did 105 push-ups without stopping on his 82nd birthday, then went to the gym and did 100 pull-ups.

At 82 I can do this. "I don't want to hear any excuses," he said. The video also includes a 95-year-old man showing exercises he does every day to stay fit. Rajan uses these examples to show that some older people still work on their strength, mobility and independence, instead of using their age as an excuse to stop being active.

Even in the 60's, 80's, 90's...

Rajan then moves to his comparison with what he terms the typical “Indian uncle”. In a humorous Hindi commentary, he jokes about men growing big bellies once they get a stable job or business, their children have grown up and grandchildren too have come along.

He also takes a pot shot at the familiar household dynamic where a wife keeps making hot rotis for the family despite her own knee pain.

“Hum toh dhyan aise rakhte hain ki do dil milne se pehle do pet mil rahe hain,” Rajan quips. (Were we minding our own business so that two bellies meet before two hearts do.

He adds that the point is not that every person in the West is unhealthy or that every Indian man is unfit. But he says it's fitness awareness and cultural habits that factor into how people approach their health as they age.

Rajan says age should not stop fitness

The bigger message the creator is sending is that older people don't have to quit their physical activity or their independence. The clips of men continuing to exercise in their 60s, 80s and 90s are shown as examples of not letting age become an excuse.

Rajan does his comparison in a clearly humorous and provocative manner, and his comments on fitness awareness and culture are his own observations, not a scientific comparison between Indian and Western populations, at the same time.

The video concludes with Rajan advising viewers to steer clear of unhealthy lifestyle habits and promoting his fitness program for sustainable weight loss.