Shubham Sarangi is an Indian professional footballer who currently plays as a Right back for Odisha FC in the Indian Super League. At the age of 12, he represented India in U-14 AFC qualifying tournament held in Iran. He also trained for 4 months at the Aspire Academy in Doha. He spoke with Playknox about his lockdown fitness & diet routine among other things –
What has been your lockdown fitness routine? Tell us some exercises you do?
I have been workout twice a day. Basically one session around 10 or 10:30 in the morning which goes for around two hours and then one in the evening around 5:30 or 6 pm which also goes around for two hours. I have been doing a lot of exercises. As a footballer we always have to be at the peak of our fitness level. I do a lot of HIIT training which is High Intensity Interval Training. I combine it with some stability and mobility exercises as well. I rest one day in a week that is probably Sunday so that I am good to go for the next week. Despite the ease in the lockdown, I feel that we still have to take a lot of precautions to protect ourselves by staying home. I will go back to the ground once everything eases up. I will be going to the gym whenever they open but for now I have some gym equipment like weights at home so I use them in my training. I want to be as fit as possible till things get back to the new normal.
How do you keep yourself mentally fit? You think now enough focus is being given to mental health?
Nowadays, we don’t have to be just physically strong and fit. We also have to be mentally fit too. We are sometimes drained out during the season both physically and mentally. But we cannot let it affect us. So what I do is I read a lot of good books and watch some motivational and inspirational videos.
I think my family helps me a lot. They create this positive environment around me. We as individuals have to be mentally strong. As mental health is being given a lot of focus now, I would say it has a major role to play in the coming years in the sports industry.
Tell us your ideal diet routine
To be very honest my diet routine has never changed. It is what the same what it was during the match season. I still have the same routine because I believe in order to excel or achieve your goals we have to prepare ourselves during the off season because if you are able to keep yourself fit we have to eat properly so that we can be ready by the time the season comes. I believe we have to follow our schedule even in the off days and diet plays a major role in that.
I do whatever I have to do to keep me at my best so that I can be as fit as I can when I am being called for the club or any camps. In the morning, I have dry oats with some dry fruits along with seeds and some cereals and peanut butter. At lunch I have quinoa instead of rice as we are not able to go out right now. I believe in having less carbohydrates and high protein so I also have some boiled vegetables along with it. I try to keep my food healthy and take a balanced diet.
What are the brands you are associated with? Why do you think more brands should come and sponsor ISL athletes like yourself?
Currently, I am associated with two brands, namely Fast and Up and Myplix. I feel football in India has grown a lot in popularity in the past few years. The increased presence of football fans around India and on social media platforms allows the brands to target them. Also, fans have their own favourite players therefore, brands should collaborate with these athletes and execute some innovative campaigns which will help both the brand and the footballer associated in the long run. It will also help promoting the game at a higher level and increase the love for football in India.
Which is your favourite social media platform and why?
Even though I am available on all the social media platforms, I personally love Instagram a lot as I feel it is more personalized and it helps me connect with my peers, family and supporters with lot of ease. Instagram is very engaging especially because we can use filters, Gifs and other features for posting content. Almost everyone is on Instagram these days which has made access to information easy. Also since one can easily search a lot of things , I myself follow a lot of hashtags on it which has helped me a lot during the lockdown with the fitness and diet.
