If anyone tries to tell you that mental fitness is enough to make you a winner, just give a thumbs down to the advise. For one, it's certainly not true. In fact, there is no mental fitness without physical well being. A healthy body houses a healthy mind, though a healthy mind, may not necessarily translate into a healthy body.

Therefore my advise to all of you young people is to work up a sweat, in the literal sense of the word. Success, it has been aptly said, is "90 percent perspiration and 10 percent inspiration!" You would have got the 90 percent right if you make exercise a priority and ensure you push your biceps, along with your gray cells.

Over the years, I have developed a comfortable exercise regimen, one that is neither too rigorous nor too easy. It entails a few hours at the gym, followed by a well-paced ride on my cycle. Though I am a self confessed foodie and love the culinary fare the world has to offer, I try and stick to light, vegetarian meals that keep the bad calories away and allow me to stay mentally agile and physically sprightly. I try to eat a balanced diet of carbohydrates like rice or pasta along with pulses like dal and a good serving of vegetables. Before a game a soup with these ingredients provides the right pep. I try to eat a lot of fresh fruits in the form of juices, smoothies or milkshakes. These drinks provide the right kind of energy and don't make you feel drowsy before the game. Moreover they are really tasty and fun to prepare.

Physical fitness and exercise should become an intrinsic part of your day. A brisk walk with your dog, a gentle jog that lasts all but 15 minutes or half an hour at a nearby gym can do wonders for your physical well being. Exercise will ensure you remain alert and robust and successfully stave off lethargy and sluggishness-the two main horrors most young people have to contend with, especially when it's time to prepare for a big test. Each time I visit Delhi in the winter and shiver in the chill, I am forced to think about the students who have to ready themselves for school or college at the crack of dawn or study late into the night for the impending "March finals."

At times such as these, nothing works better than exercise, which keeps the body active and the mind fresh. A quick dash down the school race track at break time will ensure the teacher's voice does not lull you into a gentle sleep and the battle of Panipat does not defeat your efforts to remain focused!

So keep fitness at the center of your universe. You need it more than you think!