Aju Baji: Life Lessons from Calisthenics

Have trouble succeeding in the fitness goals that you've set for yourself? Maybe, it is time you question if you are setting the goals correctly or not. Aju, a fitness coach on SocialBoat has an interesting take on why setting the right goals is important. Plus, he also tells us about how callisthenics helped him in learning insights about setting goals.

Aju Baji, a fitness instructor from Kerala who is currently based out of Bangalore discusses his fitness journey and his interest in calisthenics.

In school, Aju had been very active in all kinds of sports. He even represented Kerala in sports championships. But as he went on to pursue engineering during his college years, involvement in such activities completely stopped.

“I had succumbed to a completely different lifestyle which was unhealthy. When I realized it, I thought of making small changes towards living a healthier life.”

While working on these changes, Aju found out about calisthenics and bodyweight training. The practice benefitted him so much that a few years later, today, he teaches it to help and assist other people in availing its benefit.  

Becoming a Fitness Instructor

After graduating with an engineering degree in 2016, Aju had started working and he continued learning calisthenics. Managing both together wasn’t easy but Aju kept at it because by now he had started thinking of a career as a fitness instructor. The idea of this unimaginable transformation of careers wasn’t welcomed warmly by most of his family and friends except his mother who supported him throughout.

Finally, after managing both things side by side for a very long time, Aju took the plunge and became a full-time fitness trainer with a specialty in calisthenics.

During this time and after, Aju also participated in various competitions and won many of them. He stood first in the Chaos’19 and second in Swcfi ground Zero’18.  

Calisthenics, Goals, and Fitness

Calisthenics is a form of bodyweight training that can be done anywhere without the requirement of a gym or equipment. However, the reason why Aju likes it the most is because of how it mentally trains your brain.

“What makes it more special is how it prepares you to set a goal and achieve it. The exercises in calisthenics like headstands, humanflag, etc. are difficult and require not only lots of physical, but also mental effort. So the balance between the mind and the body that works together to achieve the set goal teaches us how anything can be done with proper planning and execution.”

This lesson from learning calisthenics has taught him valuable insights into setting goals and their management also.

“Setting the right goals, and setting them correctly, is very important,”

Aju says.

In one of his recent reels posted on Instagram, he has talked about five things that one should remember while setting goals- the goals should be-

1. Specific
2. Measurable
3. Action-oriented
4. Realistic
5. Time-bound

Aju's Instagram is a vibrant space with fitness-related information conveyed through humour. He says that he wishes to put out content that would help his followers in their journey towards a healthier lifestyle.

For more such stories, visit SocialBoat.