MAM
GOQii reveals 2019’s top 30 Indian Health and Fitness Influencers; PM Narendra Modi tops the list, second time in a row
MUMBAI: GOQii, India’s leading preventive healthcare ecosystem today announced its coveted list of India’s Top 30 Health influencers for 2019. Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India emerged as the topmost health influencer, second time in a row. Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar climbed to the second spot this year and Yoga guru Baba Ramdev slid to the third spot.
The top 30 health influencers have been derived from a list of 100 names. The scoring system was created based on the following categories: Followers on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube; Number of Google news mentions; and an estimate of how much each person's career focuses on fitness and health. This data was collected throughout the month of January-March 2019.
The primary objective of this exercise was to understand how the youth of this country relates to health and fitness. We also wanted to know the people they associate with, who have had maximum impact in this category in India. We believe that this is a direct result of your active role in demonstrating the benefits of leading a healthy and balanced lifestyle daily.
The new entrants in this year’s list included MS Dhoni, Ranveer Singh, Kareena Kapoor, Tiger Shroff, and Priyanka Chopra, who made it to the top 10.
Commenting on the release, Mr. Vishal Gondal, CEO and founder GOQii said, “GOQii is creating a nationwide movement, encouraging people to adopt a preventive healthcare approach. This report is an effort to identify the most influential healthcare personalities in our country who have the power to make India healthy; a goal for us at GOQii as well as the Government of India.”
Below is the list of all influencers –
1. Narendra Modi
Our honourable Prime Minister was instrumental in instituting the International Day of Yoga 2015, which is now observed globally. His is not only keen on improving India, but keen on improving the health and fitness of Indians as well. Despite all the tasks at hand, the 68 year old still manages to stay fit. The Prime Minister’s daily routine is inspired by the five elements of nature – water, fire, air, earth and ether. He often practices yoga as a way to keep his muscles active, and has been pictured at several yoga events. In fact, he was instrumental in instituting the International Day of Yoga 2015 which is now being observed globally.
2. Akshay Kumar
He is undoubtedly India’s fittest and healthiest celebrity who is trained in martial arts and has a black belt in Taekwondo. His fitness mantra? ‘Health matters the most!’ His fitness regime started much before he became an actor. Even with his hectic life, he manages to maintain his workout regime, occasionally adding new exercises to avoid boredom. He believes that one should devote their body to exercise for one hour in order to be fit. With the recent release of his action movie ‘Kesari’, Akshay Kumar trained harder than ever to maintain his physique and his level of fitness, which ultimately resulted in a level of brilliance in the movie.
3. Baba Ramdev
A popular household name, Baba Ramdev has become well-respected by advocating yoga. The yoga guru believes that fitness is an integral part of life. His claim to fame is his company, Patanjali Ayurved, that believes in yoga and ayurveda as a way of improving life. His brand is now a popular name in India and is giving the MNC FMCG companies a run for their money. As of May 19th, the guru’s company is the third largest FMCG company in India.
4. Virat Kohli
The Indian cricket captain is one of the fittest on the field. Back in 2012, Kohli was actually overweight, and was determined to slim down and become fit if he wanted to play cricket. He started following a strict diet and workout regime that has helped him get to where he is today.
5. Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Ex-captain of the Indian cricket team, ‘Captain Cool’ has certainly proven that fitness has no age limit. The expert cricketer is 37 and still going strong. The tremendous amount of power behind his shots, his crazy speed between the wickets and his mastermind decisions come from years of following a strict fitness regime.
6. Deepika Padukone
With a fitness routine that’s packed with a combination of weights, pilates, dance and yoga, Bollywood Actress Deepika Padukone is the undisputed fitness figure in the industry today. Even before acting, she was very active and played badminton in national level championships. She manages to find a way to stick to her workout routine despite her busy schedule. She believes that yoga improves her strength, concentration, and keeps her mind active and calm. Deepika recently married the explosive actor, Ranveer Singh, who is also crazy about working out, so we can only assume that the dynamic couple motivate each other to stay fit and healthy.
7. Ranveer Singh
The explosive actor is unsurprisingly a fitness freak, and has a disciplined fitness regime consisting of a strict diet and workout plan. The actor’s fitness mantra is High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). He enjoys eating home cooked meals with plenty of protein and less carbs. His workouts include burpees, push-ups, squats, and deadlifts. Aside from his workout, he also goes cycling, running and swimming regularly. He always remembers to do warm up exercises before his workouts which reduce the risk of injuries. His fitness tip is, ‘to be fit, stamina is incredibly important. Initially start slow, and then keep pushing the limits’. He also believes that a happy state of mind is the key to developing a healthy life.
8. Kareena Kapoor
The bollywood sensation has inspired millions of her fans because of her disciplined life, strong determination, and dedication towards her workouts that make her incredibly fit. Her workout regimes are usually a mix of dance, cardio, and yoga exercises. She is a keen follower of yoga and believes that it is an effective way of synergizing your body, mind and health.
9. Tiger Shroff
It comes as no surprise to anyone when we say that the Bollywood beast is crazy about fitness. The young actor has always been an athlete. According to the actor “Fitness should be a combination of muscular strength, body composition, flexibility, muscular endurance, and cardiovascular endurance”
10. Priyanka Chopra
The actress’ incredible fitness is due to her strict diet plans, yoga practices, and workout routine. Though she is not a gym freak, she prefers keeping fit by doing exercises and yoga. For certain movies like Mary Kom and Dil Dhadakne Do, she lost about 20 kg, which proves how hard the actress works.
11. Shilpa Shetty
The actress follows a strict routine to stay fit, be it yoga, diet, or workouts. According to the diva, Yoga inculcates a sense of self-control and discipline. Shilpa has also recently launched a new fitness app, with the aim of putting India on the global yoga map.
12. Jacqueline Fernandez
The popular actress follows a rigorous workout and a strict diet plan to achieve her athleticism. Her fitness regime is strict as well, and is a mix of strength training, martial arts, and cardio.
13. Saina Nehwal
The badminton ace is an extremely determined and disciplined sportsperson and follows strict training for 6 days and an important 7th day of rest for the body and mind. Her workouts and training focus on making her arms and legs stronger, which gives her a boost in the sport of badminton.
14. P V Sindhu
The badminton star has been playing the sport since she was seven. Fitness and exercise has always been a part of her life. Her daily schedule is packed with pranayama, yoga, swimming, and running.
15. Sunil Chhetri
Sunil Chhetri is one of the fittest men in the Indian football team. Chhetri stays fit by doing several exercises and routines. He loves doing speed training drills, which is an important aspect of his game. He trains six days a week, leaving the seventh day for resting.
16. Sardara Singh
Not only one of the top names on the hockey field, Sardara Singh has also been one of the top names in the fitness industry for a while. His secret? Exercising daily, focusing on his core muscles, and eating a healthy balanced meal
17. Milind Soman
The 53 year old is not just an actor, but a model, a TV host, and a fitness enthusiast as well! When he was 50, he completed two of the world’s most challenging races, the Ironman Triathlon, and the Ultra-Endurance Event. He runs 3-4 times a week, does yoga and rests at least one day of the week.
18. Ranveer Allahbadia
Ranveer is a popular YouTuber, with his YouTube channel ‘BeerBiceps’ racking up 2.1 million subscribers and a whopping total of 127 million views at the moment. He believes that fitness should be a permanent change and not just a temporary activity that helps you reach your physical goal.
19. Abhinav Mahajan
The fitness professional is a body transformation wizard! He shares his motivational workouts with over 1.2 million subscribers on YouTube. The fitness guru is a firm believer in making videos with scientific evidence.
20. Jeet Selal
One of the most influential fitness professionals from across the globe. Other than being a health and fitness YouTuber, he is also a fitness entrepreneur and has founded his own brand, the ‘Himalayan Stallion’.
21. Luke Coutinho
The holistic nutritionist practices in the field of Integrative and Lifestyle Medicine, and is also a motivational speaker. He co-authored the globally acclaimed book ‘The Great Indian Diet’ with Shilpa Shetty. Luke is working on bringing out the best results in cancer patients from across the world using ‘integrative healing’ methods.
22. Dr. Aashish Contractor
Dr. Aashish Contractor is a consultant in the field of rehabilitation and sports medicine, and is famously known as the pioneer of cardiac rehabilitation in India.
23. Sanjeev Kapoor
Chef Kapoor is very focused and meditates often. He also does pranayama daily, and climbs stairs to keep himself fit. The chef always has cooking tricks and tips up his sleeves. He has sold around 10 million cookbooks, has around 25 million monthly hits on his website, and has his own 24-hour TV channel. As a chef, Sanjeev travels a lot, and has a knowledge of food and nutrition from around the world. He is extremely cautious about what to eat, when to eat it, and how much to eat. Chef Kapoor is usually very focused and meditates often. Sanjeev has bene participating in cooking demonstrations in an attempt to raise awareness on clean-cooking and creating a healthy, sustainable environment.
24. Mithali Raj
The captain of India’s women cricket team is a huge inspiration to not only her teammates, but a whole generation of women that aspire to be cricketersHer fitness regime includes lifting little weights, cycling and even doing yoga along with her. Mithali’s advice for people starting fitness training is to start slow but stay consistent. The captain’s ultimate goal is to revolutionize women’s cricket, which many people believe that she has achieved already.
25. Natarajan Chandrasekaran
He is the Chairman of the board of Tata Sons. He joined the board in October 2016 and was appointed Chairman in January 2017. However, Natarajan is not all about work. He is also an avid photographer and a passionate runner of long-distance marathons. He ran the London Marathon in April 2017, thus completing the World Marathon Majors.
26. Mandira Bedi
The actress was instrumental in getting women interested in cricket, when she first hosted the IPL. She indulges in functional training by doing a mix of cardio, weights, and core training about five times a week. She works out six days a week as it is a great stress buster for her. If not at the gym, she does squats and lunges at home
27. Mary Kom
Mary Kom is a popular name in Women’s Boxing. Her wide range of achievements have come from years of dedicated training and discipline. Functional training and sparring are a part of her daily routine.
28. Kuntal Joisher
After close to 12 hours of gruelling climbing, a software engineer named Kuntal Joisher became the first complete vegan to stand on top of Mt. Everest for the second time. He did not experience any altitude sickness, and was fit throughout the 60 day journey. In doing so, he proved to the world that mountaineering can be successfully done even on a vegan diet.
29. Divyanshu Ganatra
The 41 year old’s sight was claimed by Glaucoma when he was only 19 but that did not stop him from living his life to its fullest potential. Infact, the Clinical Psychologist is actually an adventure enthusiast and loves outdoor activities from scuba diving to trekking to tandem cycling to paragliding.
30. Dr. Naresh Trehan
The cardiovascular surgeon is famous for taking the field of medicine to the next level. He has received multiple prestigious awards for his level of excellence such as the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Shri. The doctor starts his day with 30 minutes of cardio and yoga each, which gives him his very much needed stamina for the day. He eats small meals every 3 hours. These meals include fruits, salads, and nuts.
Starting a business is one of the most financially demanding transitions a person can make. In the early months, expenses are immediate and often unpredictable, while revenue streams may take time to stabilise. For first-time entrepreneurs, securing small business loans can feel like a paradox: lenders expect a clean financial track-record before approving a loan, but the business cannot establish that track record without funding. Understanding the start-up lending environment in India and knowing the realistic funding options make this process far less daunting, allowing entrepreneurs to plan strategically.
Why Traditional Business Loans Are Harder for Start-ups
Most financial institutions require a minimum business vintage of 2 to 3 years before approving a term loan. This is because the first two years of operations carry the highest risk of failure. For start-ups less than 12 months old, traditional loan options are limited, and lenders often ask for substantial collateral to mitigate risk.
The vintage requirement is not arbitrary. Businesses that have survived their first two operating cycles demonstrate market viability, which significantly lowers the lender’s risk. Until this milestone is reached, entrepreneurs often rely on bootstrapping, personal savings, or alternative financing to build a stable business foundation. Understanding this reality helps first-time entrepreneurs set practical expectations when seeking funding.
Government-Linked Schemes for Startups
India offers several government-backed schemes to support first-time entrepreneurs. One such scheme is the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), which provides collateral-free loans for micro and small enterprises in three categories:
● Shishu: up to Rs. 50,000
● Kishore: Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 5 lakh
● Tarun: Rs. 5 lakh to Rs. 10 lakh
These loans are available through eligible lending institutions, making them suitable for early-stage businesses. For first-time entrepreneurs, a Mudra loan not only provides initial working capital but also helps establish a credit history. Repaying a Mudra loan on time strengthens the entrepreneur’s profile and increases the chances of securing larger loans in the future.
Using Personal Loans to Fund Early-Stage Needs
When business loan eligibility is not yet established, a personal loan can serve as bridge funding. These loans are assessed on the individual’s credit profile and income rather than the business’s financial history, making them accessible to salaried individuals or those with a strong personal credit record.
Personal loans have limitations: the loan amount is capped based on personal income, and the interest rate is typically higher than secured business loans. Nevertheless, taking out a personal loan during the first 12 to 18 months can provide crucial support as the start-up builds its financial profile. It is especially useful for covering immediate expenses such as inventory, marketing, or office setup costs.
Alternative Financing Options for Startups
For start-ups that are not yet eligible for traditional business loans, other financing options are available through financial institutions. Many lenders offer startup-focused or small-business loans designed for early-stage businesses. These loans evaluate the entrepreneur’s personal credit profile, business plan, and projected revenue rather than relying solely on business vintage. Financial institutions such as Tata Capital provide these loans with minimal documentation and fast disbursal, enabling entrepreneurs to manage operational expenses, purchase equipment, or fund early growth initiatives without pledging collateral.
Some lenders also offer flexible loan amounts, quicker approvals, and streamlined processes, making them well-suited for first-time entrepreneurs. Exploring these options early allows start-ups to access working capital while gradually building a credit history that will support larger loans in the future.
Building the Right Financial Profile Before Applying
For entrepreneurs planning to apply for a business loan in 12 to 18 months, the preparation period is critical. Key steps include:
● Filing Income Tax Returns (ITRs) consistently and accurately from the first year
● Maintaining a clean current account with regular deposits and no overdraft patterns
● Keeping the promoter’s CIBIL score above 750
Lenders assess start-ups by examining these signals. Entrepreneurs who maintain financial discipline from the start will have stronger loan applications after two years. Additionally, tracking cash flow and avoiding irregular withdrawals can further enhance the business’s credibility.
Collateral-Based Options for Larger Requirements
Startups requiring larger amounts beyond government schemes can consider loans against property. These loans allow entrepreneurs to access larger amounts of funding at lower interest rates, as the property secures the lender’s risk.
This option carries significant risk: using personal or family assets as collateral can result in a loss if the business does not perform as expected. Such loans should be considered only when the business plan is validated, the entrepreneur has clear cash flow projections, and the repayment strategy is realistic. Careful assessment of risk versus reward is essential before pledging assets.
Practical Steps to Strengthen Your Loan Application
To maximise the chances of approval, entrepreneurs should:
● Maintain accurate financial statements, bank records, and GST returns.
● Avoid over-borrowing; apply for realistic amounts that match business needs.
● Keep personal and business credit profiles in good standing.
● Explore lenders that offer startup-friendly products.
● Be transparent and complete in all documentation.
Taking these steps early ensures a smoother and faster loan process when the business is ready for formal financing. A well-prepared application reduces processing delays and demonstrates professionalism to the lender.
Conclusion
First-time entrepreneurs often face a funding gap in the early stages, but it is usually smaller than it appears. Maintaining clean banking records, filing ITRs consistently, and exploring personal loans, government schemes, and alternative financing options help build a strong financial profile. Entrepreneurs who plan systematically from day one are better positioned to access formal credit sooner, giving their start-ups financial stability through small business loans.
The ideal time to start building a credit-worthy business profile is the very first month of operations, not when applying for a loan. By understanding available funding options and acting proactively, first-time entrepreneurs can confidently apply for a business loan and set their businesses on a path to long-term growth.
