Good health comes from simple habits: Milind Soman

Good health doesn't come by following complex diets or running on just caffeine and supplements. Rather it requires mindfulness, consistency and a simple routine. And when fitness icon, actor and marathoner Milind Soman shares this advice, one tends to consider it as health gospel. Soman, at 60, recently completed Ironman Triathlon, considered one of the toughest endurance races in the world, along with his wife Ankita.

So, on a chilly Thursday morning at the historic Rambagh, when people gathered around Soman, approaching him for selfies and advice, he had one condition for them. "You have to do push-ups, 20 for men and 10 for women, to get me in a frame with you," he announced. And people complied.

Of course, Milind Soman was happy. "Good health is a not a complex concept to understand. It begins with simple, consistent lifestyle choices. Walking is one of the easiest and most effective ways to improve overall fitness, including digestive health. Your everyday habits contribute in more than one way to achieve this," he said.

Soman was in Amritsar to participate in the 'Gastrothon 2025: Step Up for Gastrointestinal Health Walkathon' by Eris Lifesciences, bringing together gastroenterologists from Amritsar and nearby districts. The hour-long event, led by fitness advocate Milind Soman, aimed to draw attention to everyday digestive health and the growing need for early screening and lifestyle awareness. Participants, mostly doctors, walked as a unified group for gastro-intestinal health awareness.

Soman danced to Punjabi beats and later shared a few healthy habits that he follows for a healthy mind and body.

“A lot of my health awareness advice comes from what I follow. You do not have to shun food or hit the gym until you're exhausted. We see that when it comes to lifestyle diseases, doctors are more at risk than their patients,' he said. Of course, for the famed appetite of people in Amritsar for kulchas and anything with butter, Soman said, "Eat everything, the kulchas, paranthas but in moderation and move every day," as he confessed to eating some hot aaloo paranthas immediately after the event.

Risk of GI diseases

Emphasising on the importance of preventing the risk of serious GI diseases, Dr Harpreet Singh, organising secretary of ISG Con 2025, mentioned, "Many gastrointestinal disorders go undiagnosed because early symptoms are often ignored. We always urge people to pay attention to persistent discomfort, indigestion or changes in bowel habits." Amit Bakshi, Managing Director, Eris Lifesciences, said, "Gastrothon 2025 is our way of putting the spotlight back on preventive care and the need to talk more openly about gastrointestinal health. Digestive concerns are often ignored until they start affecting daily life, and that is something we hope to change."