Fitness is a lifestyle – Yasaswy Modukuru

Talking about motivation, we’ve always heard people say they can’t move it because they’re not motivated enough. Here’s one for all of you!

He fell, kissed the floor, bruised his knees, arms, and even face. But that didn’t let him down. He pulled himself back together every time he broke and got better with every move. He is a lone ranger and has to fight to be his own motivation. We are talking about a self motivated and high-spirited person, Yasaswy who has journeyed from being a free runner, a field and track athlete to being the first Indian to get a level 2 certification from American Parkour Academy.

One line that best describes him;

When someone tells him “You Can’t”. He just turns around and says “Watch me!”

We interviewed him to bring his story to all of you. We hope you find your motivation from this ‘Vegan Monster Machine’.

How did it all begin?

He started off in 9th standard with another friend. They used to visit the backyard in of their school during breaks and just do as many pull ups as they could. Competing to hit their personal best, they were quite happy with these tiny tournaments. That’s how it all began!

You are a parkour athlete now. How did this happen and why parkour?

“I always wanted to express myself through movement. My energy was a lot more than just expressing myself through talks or conversations,” he said with a smile. Wanting to express himself in the most honest and own way possible, Yasaswy was desperately seeking for an answer. That’s when he realized that the best way was through his athletic abilities.

So why parkour of all you might ask! Here’s what he said, “Parkour happened when I was more into using the athleticism with more freedom than abiding by a particular sport which has a lot of rules. That would make me incompetent and limited.” Parkour is an art form where you are not dictated by a coach or a rule book. “You’re your own coach and you have your own space in your head to create any kind of movement and enjoy it with pure freedom and that is what made him choose parkour.” he  adds.

Any inspirations or favorites?

Like most kids, even Yasaswy grew up watching movies, those with a hauls of martial arts. Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan have been his favorites. He said, “Bruce Lee for his charismatic appearance on screen and Jackie Chan for his agility in his movements. I just couldn’t keep myself from falling head over heals in love with their movements”. But when parkour became a more serious thing, he confessed Kie Willis, Pedro Salgado, and Phil Doyle became closer to his heart.

What about support? Were you criticized?

Here’s the truth! Most people have always criticized him, mocked and even driven him off from public place. But that’s what kept him going. It was like fuel for his fire to get better. “I never needed support for being who I am. Only the ones who were able to understand and innerstand the benefits of parkour were always supporting my lifestyle.” he said. But we were able to see that it wasn’t  a bed of roses for him.

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What challenges have you faced and how did you get through them?

As a Masters degree holder in Psychology  Yasaswy explained, how varied and diverse his challenges were all along the path; from being kicked off by security guards at certain parks to being attacked by a mob for practicing movement. But Yasaswy understood why, “The best thing I do is to usually walk away when something like this happens. It’s always better to leave than to argue and pick a fight. If I feel they can understand then I make an effort to explain what exactly parkour is and why we do it.”

When asked for mental barriers or challenges he exclaimed, “Doing it alone is kind of a turn off, you know. I’d say am a lone ranger and to staying self motivated with nobody else by your side is a gargantuan task by itself.” and then added that the key is however to stay put and believe in whatever you are doing.

What keeps this lean, vegan monster machine alive and in shape, we asked him about his diet and workout and here’s  what we found out.

On a nice bright sunny day he works out for at least 2 to 3 hours. Sometimes it might exceed up to 5 to 6 hours too. It’s not really about how many hours or days, it’s about how regularly you do something.

He fuels his body with a lot of fruits and veggies and has been following a plant based lifestyle for a very long time now. He expressed that eating fruits and vegetables has been very helpful for him to stay light on his feet.It works wonders for him and when the results are right in front of you, you have no room for doubt. He eats whenever he feels hungry.  And mind you, he  also consumes a decent portion of rice for his meals.

What do you do for a living?

“I practice movement for a living. Fitness has always been a lifestyle practice for me for over 15 years now.” Yasaswy takes personal Fitness/Parkour classes regularly and completely believes in how fitness and good health have the power to change someone’s life.

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What has kept you going and how has fitness changed your life?

So far the benefits be it physical or mental, have been really profound at many levels. With practicing parkour and exercising regularly, it is his fitness that has kept him grounded and balanced. He  says, “Fitness has changed my life over a period of time, not in a day or year but over a decade now, helping me to understand and innerstand myself, my limitations, my fears, how to set personal goals and being able to reach them. It is about the process or the journey that takes us through achieving it that most excites me about parkour/fitness.”

Be your own motivation. You are more than what you think you are and life is too short to live unhealthy. Get fit to get the best out of life. Tell us in the comment section below what motivates you to workout everyday? Don’t forget to like and share with the fitness enthusiasts you know.