Gagandeep Khatojia: Returning to Fitness with a Win

Trying to get back to your older fitter self after a long break of inactivity? Gagandeep just succeeded in overcoming his workout slump and ended up second on the leaderboard of the 'Work From Home' challenge. His story has many things that you could learn to make yours a success story as well.

In a conversation with SocialBoat, he talks about his love for spinning and music, and how he is trying to bring both these together in his spinning classes. He also discusses what helped him perform so well in the challenge, and shares his secret mantra.

Beginning 15 Years Ago

Gagandeep started his fitness journey during the first year of his college. Going to the gym and learning from online resources helped him kickstart his passion. He enjoyed it so much that he decided to go for a professional course in fitness training. After successfully completing it, he has worked as an instructor in many gyms in NCR.

Over the years Gagandeep discovered that he has a special interest in spinning and with time, his love for it has only grown.

Currently, Gagan Deep is a DJ based in Delhi where he is also a member of a music band. Additionally, he is a fitness instructor who also takes live spinning classes in his studio. These classes can also be found on his YouTube channel, SpinGuru, which he started during the first wave of the pandemic.

Spinning, a form of exercise, is indoor cycling on a stationary bike. You are required to change the pace of the exercise according to the music with an aim to replicate the outdoor environment in an indoor setting.

On Combining Music and Spinning  

Gagan Deep is the most passionate about two things- music and spinning. As a musician himself, he loves listening to and creating different kinds of music. Hence, mixing both his passions together, he tried something new with his spinning classes.

Among all the high-energy music used for spinning so far, Bollywood music hadn’t been used by anyone. So when Gagan Deep started his YouTube channel, he started taking spinning classes on Bollywood music. This worked out in his favor, and more importantly, he enjoyed it immensely.

How the Pandemic Broke Gagandeep’s Fitness Streak

Gagan Deep says that for the last 15 years he had been very particular and regular with his fitness and workout routine, but the pandemic made him slump a little bit. Even though online classes proved to be much more beneficial than offline ones, Gagan Deep’s energy dropped down. He became inactive and irregular with his fitness routine.

Monsoon, another coach on SocialBoat, introduced Gagandeep to SocialBoat’s ‘Work From Home’ challenge. This has helped him regain his enthusiasm and dedication towards fitness, he says.

“The challenge helped me make the most of my time and burn some extra calories. When I was tired, I did not give up, but kept pushing myself to do a little more in order to achieve the target and maintain my streak.”

Current Source of Motivation

In addition to his love for Bollywood music, what has really helped Gagan Deep to come back on track is waking up early in the morning to work out. Starting his day with fitness has helped him maintain consistency.

“In the evening there are so many commitments, and as a DJ, I can get called at very short notice. So the morning hours are the best.”

He adds that as opposed to what some people might believe, working out in the morning does not tire you for the rest of the day. Instead, it makes you feel more active and energized to start your day.

For 2022, Gagan Deep’s aim is to get back to his fit self, like he was before the pandemic. He aims to be consistent in his workout routine and spinning classes.

For more such stories, visit SocialBoat.