Bollywood stardom often includes a sculpted physique that now aligns with the goals and achievements of the modern-day Indian entrepreneur. The actual power move is no longer just flexing financial success or business deals; instead, it is an actual flex through a positive mindset around prioritizing health. Both share similar attributes of focus, discipline, and resilience. Today, it’s about having a healthy body and mental clarity alongside your business acumen.
Chiseled Bodies Are No Longer Just For Bollywood
While India is home to over a billion people, the vast majority have long focused more on wealth and societal status than their health and fitness. The obsession with opulence—from gold jewelry to extravagant weddings—has often overshadowed the more elusive notion of personal well-being. However, there is a paradigm shift happening. A new wave of Indian entrepreneurs, inspired by global business moguls and a new generation of Bollywood stars, proves that health and wealth aren’t mutually exclusive. They are the new power combo.
The Rise of the Fitpreneur: A New Status Symbol
In a world once dominated by symbols of luxury—like sports cars, yachts, and designer watches—the ultimate flex is now much more down-to-earth: health. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Tesla’s Elon Musk have all made fitness a key part of their personal branding, showing that power in the corporate world no longer means financial success but also physical health.
This shift in focus isn’t lost on India’s rising business leaders. Inspired by the global trend and the Bollywood obsession with chiseled bodies, these entrepreneurs show that physical fitness should be an integral part of the journey to business success.
The Combination of Health and Wealth: The New Indian Mantra
In Bollywood, we’ve long seen heroes like Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan, who represent a “larger-than-life” image with bodies that reflect their status. While the movie stars may have been the epitome of physical perfection, the reality in India has been different. Historically, the focus has been on wealth, education, and earning income, with an emphasis on personal health and fitness being a second priority.
Given the obsession with Bollywood bodies, it’s clear the Indian people care about fitness, but now the desire to achieve it for themselves should be the goal. Now, the times are changing. India’s new business leaders should understand that success isn’t just about amassing wealth and maintaining mental and physical clarity. Today’s top performers are integrating early morning workouts, intermittent fasting, not drinking alcohol, and clean eating into their busy routines.
The 1 in 250 Million Flex: Fitness Meets Business
The real magic happens when you combine extraordinary wealth with extraordinary discipline. But it’s no easy feat. In India, the vast majority of people struggle with living a healthy lifestyle, often battling a lifestyle of sedentary work habits, a heavy diet of carbohydrates, frequent drinking alcohol or tobacco use, and limited physical activity.
Yet, in a culture where everyone is talking about the next startup or the next big IPO, a select few are embracing both the mental and physical grind to push their bodies and businesses to new heights. The numbers don’t lie. Studies show that only 1 in 10,000 people over the age of 40 are millionaires, and only 1 in 25,000 can maintain the low body fat percentage necessary to sport a visible six-pack. But if you manage to achieve both? According to a hypothetical prompt in chatGPT, you are 1 in 250 million!
Enter the New Generation of Indian Fitpreneur: Dr. Shalin Patel
Dr. Patel is the personification of this new Indian business leader. He is the son of Gujarati parents Kamlesh and Mayurika Patel, who were born and raised in Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Coming to America into humble beginnings, Dr. Patel grew up in rural Mississippi, working side-by-side with his immigrant parents, cleaning motel rooms, and cashiering at gas stations. His parent’s work ethic laid the foundation for his rise to success. After completing his dentistry degree, Dr. Patel moved into real estate, making his mark as a successful, multi-faceted entrepreneur.
But his story took a dramatic turn in 2013 when he was involved in a near-fatal car accident. It was a wake-up call that forced him to reevaluate his priorities. Dr. Patel had been so focused on financial success that he had neglected his physical and mental health. “I had everything, yet I was losing the one thing that mattered most—my health,” he reflects. The accident was the jolt he needed to recalibrate, and from that moment on, he embarked on a journey to redefine his life.
Dr. Patel is a dentist by training, a real estate developer by passion, an entrepreneur by nature, and a loving father above all else. He proves that being a parent and having business success doesn’t have to come at the expense of one’s health.
The 100 Million Mindset: Inspired by His Parents
Dr. Patel is a prime example of this emerging philosophy he calls the 100 Million Mindset. For him, success isn’t defined by the wealth in your bank account alone but by your ability to balance business, health, and family life in harmony.
A typical day for Dr. Patel begins around 5:30 AM with a rigorous workout. He then transitions into his father and multifaceted entrepreneur role, seamlessly juggling multiple responsibilities with a sharp focus on maintaining his well-being. His routine as a father and business leader reflects the values his parents instilled in him, who are redefining what it means to age gracefully with roots in India.
In their 70s, both his mother and father maintain exceptional fitness regimens. His father starts daily with a walk, while his mother participates in pilates and daily walks—activities she has committed to for years. Both follow a disciplined diet, and, notably, his mother has never consumed alcohol, a lifestyle choice that has profoundly influenced Dr. Patel’s own health journey. Dr. Patel often jokes, “They often burn more calories and take more steps per day than I do!” He and his parents track their daily calories, steps, and workouts live on a fitness app, turning health into a shared family goal.
For Dr. Patel, this commitment to well-being goes hand in hand with his business mindset. He believes that true wealth is not measured by material success but by mastering discipline in every area of life. “Success isn’t about the trophies you collect; it’s about the discipline you build, day in and day out,” he says. “It’s about competing with yourself—whether pushing your limits in the gym, excelling at work, or nurturing your relationships at home.”
In this new era of business leadership, physical fitness and mental discipline are as much a mark of success as financial achievement. Dr. Patel’s philosophy is reshaping the way Indian entrepreneurs approach their health, proving that the new flex is not just a well-tailored suit but a well-tuned body and mind.
Dr. Shalin Patel’s inspiration is his parents.
The New Flex for Indian Business Leaders
Dr. Patel’s journey shows that the path to financial and physical success is not just possible—it’s imperative. By reimagining the “business leader” as someone who takes pride in their body, mind, and business, Dr. Patel is helping shape a new narrative for Indians: family, health, and wealth should be prioritized in that order. For the new generation of Indian entrepreneurs, it’s clear that a fit body is no longer just for the Bollywood elite. It is the new standard for excellence, inspiring the Indian community to focus on health over wealth.
Learn more by visiting his website or following his Instagram page @drshalinpatel.
