New Delhi Turns Into India’s Fitness Capital as 10,000 Delhiites Commit to Fitness at Max Bupa Walk for Health 2018

Ayushmann Khurrana, Malaika Arora and Dangal girl Sanya Malhotra inspire Delhiites to get walking

• Malaika Arora – India’s first ever Woman PowerWalk ambassador – flagged off first of its kind competitive ‘Power Walk’ spanning 7 kms
• Gorgeous Malaika Arora literally electrified the arena –walked on Max Bupa PowerWalk machine to generate electricity for a noble cause
• Ayushmann Khurrana and Sanya Malhotra flagged off the 2-km and 5-km walkathon
• International wellness expert Sucheta Pal kicked off the day with a Zumba and fitness session

New Delhi, February 21, 2018:Following enormous response from participants across Mumbai and Bengaluru, the 6th edition of Max Bupa Walk For Health culminated in Delhi. The country’s oldest and most anticipated annual walking event, Max Bupa Walk For Health lived up to its expectation and enthralled over 10,000 Delhiites recently. Walkers – professional and amateur – turned up in huge numbers to be a part of the initiative that aims to keep people healthy.

Max Bupa Walk For Health Season 6 brought the internationally acclaimed and exciting form of walking to India – PowerWalk. After making its debut at the Mumbai edition, the 7-km competitive Power Walk was flagged off by the first ever ‘Woman Power Walk Ambassador’ Malaika Arora along with Max Bupa’s MD & CEO, Ashish Mehrotra. The 5-km and 2-km walkathon was flagged off by Badhaai Ho actors Ayushmann Khurrana along with Dangal girl Sanya Malhotra.

Max Bupa Walk for Health is a first of its kind initiative which has been educating families about the benefits of walking to bring about a positive and long term sustainable behavioral change in their health and overall wellbeing. The mega event was held at Major Dhyanchand National Stadium. This year, the event also endeavored to educate people to walk for the health of their city and the environment while walking for their own health. To this end, Max Bupa introduced a first of its kind specially engineered PowerWalk Machine that generates electricity/ power through human steps.

With the introduction of India’s first ever PowerWalk initiative, Max Bupa has taken its commitment toward health to another realm as it now aims to educate people to walk for their own as well as the health of the environment. Demonstrating their commitment towards the environment at the Max Bupa Walk For Health 2018, Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar turned ‘PowerWalkMan’ when he walked on the Max Bupa machine at Max Bupa Walk For Health Season 6 Mumbai edition. The tradition was carried forward by actor Malaika Arora who also donated steps on the Max Bupa PowerWalk machine that helped generate electricity meant to be donated to old age homes. She also stressed on the dual health benefits of such an innovative PowerWalk Machine on physical health and the environment (saving natural resources consumed in generating electricity) and urged the participants to take up this intense form of walking.

Ashish Mehrotra, MD and CEO, Max Bupa said, “India is reeling under the burden of lifestyle diseases, largely due to today’s sedentary lifestyle. And Delhiites, in particular, face serious health issues owing to the rising pollution levels in the city. The enthusiastic participation by Delhiites at each edition of Max Bupa Walk For Health is an indication of the increasing awareness about health and the urge amongst people to lead fitter lives. It’s great to see 10, 000 Delhiites walk together for good health and take the first step towards improving the health of the city and also contribute towards improving our environment.”

Ayushmann Khurrana, one of Bollywood’s most versatile performers said, “Personally, I’m quite regular with my workouts and gym sessions. I normally exercise daily to feel good and active. Walking is a great boon as gym is not available at all places. It’s so much more than just burning calories. I love what Max Bupa has been doing for India with Max Bupa Walk For Health and this time by introducing Power Walk, they have given Indians another reason to head out. My first experience with the initiative has been a fantastic one, I’ve never sung for an audience at 7am in the morning but it was amazing to sing for such a huge and enthusiastic Delhi crowd who had come out to demonstrate their commitment to health by walking. I’m sure every year more and more individuals will come forward and join Max Bupa’s brilliant initiative.”

Over the last 5 years, the initiative has garnered support from a number of celebrities, health and fitness enthusiasts, social activists, politicians and sports personalities such as Akshay Kumar, Kangana Ranaut, Saif Ali Khan, Sania Mirza, Shilpa Shetty, Sonam Kapoor, Anupam Kher, Anurag Kashyap, Kunal Kapoor and Smriti Irani among others. Last year, Radhika Pandit and Anju Bobby George flagged off the walk in Bangalore.

PowerWalk is an internationally acclaimed and scientifically proven form of complete work-out that has multiple health benefits. It is an intensive and more evolved form of walking with a speed at the upper end of the natural range for the walking gait, usually between 7-9 kmph. PowerWalk requires energy expenditure over traditional walking by as much as 55 percent.

Malaika Arora, Power Walk Ambassador, said “Your body is your temple and you should respect it. It is important to give your body some time every day no matter how busy life gets. I have always advised people to go out and get moving. It could be something as simple as walking every day for 30 minutes. And once you’ve got into the groove, even upgrade to something like PowerWalk. Power Walking is a part of my snappy secret pre-workout routine. It is intense and requires a lot of stamina and energy, but yields great results. Not only does it tone the body and give a more muscular appearance, but also increases stamina. It is wonderful to have Power Walk come into the mainstream in India, courtesy Max Bupa and I am excited to be a part of this iconic initiative – Max Bupa Walk For Health – that inspires millions of Indians to commit to their health. Walking is the secret sauce of my fitness regime and should be a part of everyone’s daily health routine.”

Further, on power generation through the Power Walk machines Malaika added, “The Max Bupa PowerWalk Machines are an amazing concept that allow you to not only track how many calories have been burnt but also puts this exhausted energy into good use that helps the environment. While I’m always ready to exercise and do something for fitness, the Max Bupa Power Walk machines do inspire me and everyone else to walk the extra mile for a good cause. Sanya Malhotra added , “It is very important to stay fit but its not very difficult, as many people think. Staying fit is as easy as putting on one’s shoes and going for long walks, nothing much is needed. I walk for my warm up and/or cooling down routine. Whenever there’s shortage of time, I turn to walking, it really costs nothing to stay fit – just intent. And is someone needs to spice up their walking schedule, Max Bupa has also introduced Power Walk to Indians. I am glad to be a part of Max Bupa Walk For Health this year and to have got a platform to connect with people and be a part of their journey towards better health.”

Over the last 6 years, the initiative has garnered support from a number of celebrities, health and fitness enthusiasts, social activists, politicians and sports personalities such as Akshay Kumar, Kangana Ranaut, Saif Ali Khan, Shahid Kapoor, Sania Mirza, Shilpa Shetty, Sonam Kapoor, Anupam Kher, Anurag Kashyap, Kunal Kapoor and Smriti Irani among others.

Aside from the 5 kilometer and 2 kilometer walk for families, there was plenty of action at the Max Bupa Walk for Health event to amplify the fun quotient – fitness session by International Zumba Trainer, Sucheta Pal, RJ on stage, music, food, free health checks and live performances. Kids got to meet their favourite cartoon characters Peppa Pig and George. Walkers also participated in exciting on spot contests at the venue and won prizes. Participants from several leading NGOs, walking groups and communities, corporates and colleges added diversity and colour to the event. Extending great trust, a host of popular brands like Green Sole, Nickelodeon, GoQii, FitPass, Bookmyshow, Lets Walk Gurgaon etc. also joined the initiative.

Note to editors:
Max Bupa Health Insurance
Max Bupa a 51:49 joint venture brings together a combination of Bupa’s health insurance and customer service expertise with Max India’s understanding and experience of the Indian health and insurance sectors. Max Bupa offers quality health insurance services through a dedicated team of over 1900 people and its network of 29 offices across 19 cities - Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Pune, Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Surat, Kochi, Kolkata, Patna, Goa, Gurugram, Lucknow, Vadodara, Thane and Jodhpur. Max Bupa offers individual and family oriented health insurance policies for Indians across all age groups. Max Bupa has a direct working relationship with a network of over 4000 top quality hospitals and healthcare. Over the last seven years, Max Bupa has introduced many innovative offerings that cater to the evolving health needs of various customer segments. For more details about the company and a list of all our network hospitals please visit www.maxbupa.com.