Sachin's fitness mantra: Spend more time in gym, less at

Stressing the importance of fitness, cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar Wednesday exhorted people to spend more time in the gym than at the dining table.

"We are a sports-loving nation and not a sports-playing nation and hence we somewhat lack in fitness. As per reports, we are diabetes capital of the world, we are number three in obesity," he said, speaking at Vasai near Mumbai.

He was here to inaugurate Vasai Taluka Kala and Krida Mahotsav 2018, an arts and sports festival, in the presence of veteran singer Hariharan and Marathi actor Mrinal Kulkarni.

"These numbers are not something one can be proud of and if we don't change these numbers then there is no benefit of having a young population," the former India captain said.

The time spent at the dining table and the gym should be swapped, he said.

"When we are in the gym , we are looking at the clock, (thinking) when my 20 minutes on the treadmill will get over (and) sometimes we leave it in 15 minutes.

"Whereas when we are sitting at the dining table, we are looking at the kitchen (and thinking) when my next 'Bhakri' or 'Paratha' is coming. When we will swap this, five minutes more in the gym and five minutes less at the dining table, then automatically the health will improve," he added.

"My new-year resolution is to encourage everybody and make India a sporty and sports-playing nation," he said, addressing a huge crowd.