Move over, Gen Z: India’s 60+ fitness stars are having a moment

Forget the obsession with Gen Z for a minute on World Senior Citizens Day. There is a cooler generation quietly taking over fitness feeds — silver-speckled seniors who are lifting, swimming, doing yoga, running marathons and even taking on HYROX. Many are parents and grandparents, but they are also proving that getting older does not mean pressing pause on life. Meet the senior fitness influencers choosing movement, adventure and a little bit of rebellion over the stereotypical idea of ageing.Nishriin Parikh and Kurian JacobsMala Mansukhani, 66: The fittest aerial yoga expertMala Mansukhani is far more than the myriad titles in her Instagram bio—author, philanthrop, and self-proclaimed fittest grandmother. Her journey began at 25, when a depression diagnosis prompted her to take control of her well-being through daily walks. Now 66, that routine has transformed into taking to the sky for her viral aerial yoga videos that you must have seen on your feeds.“Movement helps you solve problems in your head, on your own. The longer you walk, the more you realize, ‘Yes, I can handle this!’ That mindset is an addiction,” says Mansukhani who started with the gym and yoga. A drive to break monotony eventually led her off the ground and into the air. “You should never stop challenging yourself—nothing makes you age faster than monotony. Yoga has always been a part of my life, and taking it to the sky seemed like a natural progression.”For Mansukhani, physical strength gained real purpose when it intersected with family caregiving. “I gave up my design practice to take care of my mum when she got very ill; she was my best friend. I’ve tried to take that love forward, combining it with my obsession with fitness,” she explains. Through Grow Younger, she turns that philosophy into community action. “You name it, we’ve done it—birthday parties, shopping trips, yoga sessions. Mera kaam hai in ladies ki aashayein puri karna,” she laughs. “Life is a rollercoaster, but the rules are simple: just keep going, and don’t eat bahar ka khana.”Ashu Jain, 59: From chronic pain to HYROXAt 59, IIT PhD holder and fitness influencer Ashu Jain has completed more HYROX races than most gym bros half her age. But her journey didn’t start in an elite training facility; it began with a firm refusal to spend the rest of her life on prescription drugs. At 54, dealing with severe body pain, hypertension, and post-menopausal health issues, her doctor told her she’d need lifelong medication.“I was 54 and at the doctor for a myriad health issues. The doctor said I’d have to be on lifelong medication to feel better, and immediately I was like, no way,” says Jain. She started with simple, daily walks and minor diet tweaks. “I started losing weight and feeling my energy come back. Everything else, including physio, just gave me temporary relief—but the changes from a little bit of movement were forever. It felt like a luxury to be so pain-free.”From there, things snowballed naturally into Zumba, trekking, and gym sessions. Her jump to endurance sports happened spontaneously on a beach in Goa in 2024 when she decided to just try running. What she thought would take three months—running a half marathon—took two years of steady effort, but she kept going. When HYROX caught her eye at the gym, she took the plunge. “All the youngsters were doing HYROX, and my trainer said, ‘You don’t have to compete, just complete.’ That stayed with me and changed my whole mentality,” she says. “If I have to give anyone advice, it’s to chase a goal with small targets. Start with three weeks of movement—there are no shortcuts to success, but it will give you so much purpose later in life.”Renu Siddhu: An athlete who refused to give up65-year-old Renu Sidhu is a breath of fresh air. While she is now a mother of three and grandmother of one, long before that, she was an unstoppable young athlete in Punjab on the brink of reaching the nationals. Growing up in a small village and studying in Jalandhar, her dreams were cut short when her grandfather forbade her from travelling for a 21-day training camp. 19, she was married to an IPS officer, settled into domestic life—yet she never let her athletic spark die. She channelled that relentless energy into raising her kids, refusing school buses to pedal them an hour each way on her cycle, and ensuring sports were a daily non-negotiable.“I got fame when I was 60, and it’s all because I stuck to my passion,” says Siddhu. For her, staying active was never about social media clout, it was a way of life. “Passion takes you places, but you have to be determined. When my kids were young, I used to ride an hour back and forth on a cycle just to drop them off at school. I never let them just sit around; they were always playing cricket or badminton. More than the accolades, it’s that deep passion that keeps me alive.”That unyielding drive eventually pushed her onto bigger stages, including conquering the brutal Devil’s Circuit obstacle race in 2019, ‘Battle of the Fittest Woman of Gujarat’ (2019), and being the first runner-up of Mrs Galaxy Queen Classic (2019). She has also opened her own gym in Ahmedabad to inspire people like her to join.Now over 60, she’s setting her sights on her next big hurdle: competing in HYROX. And even as she realises there might not be many women her age lining up at the starting line, meaning she may have to run it entirely alone, she isn’t letting that hold her back.Nishriin Parikh: India’s first 60-year-old bodybuilding championAt 60, Nishriin Parikh is anything but your typical senior citizen. This September, she will represent India as the only 60-year-old woman competing in the 58th Asian Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Championships 2026 in Bangkok. Her path began after her kids left home, right before her 50th birthday, when she set out to achieve the best shape of her life and signed up for an Indian Body Builders Federation bikini competition alongside women her daughter’s age. With her family cheering her on, she stepped onto the stage, won, and launched a secondary career that now spans world championships and winning podiums. Today, she balances gymnastics with her daughter, teaches martial arts, and proudly wears her post-uterine-removal scars as badges of resilience.“Family is my anchor—I met my husband in 1990 at the dojo, and that foundation is why I believe in living a long, full life,” says Parikh. “To make it last, you have to focus on yourself, and movement is what keeps you mentally and physically strong. People always ask me how to keep aging parents motivated, but I tell them that’s where the family circle comes full context. It’s the duty of the children. That’s the entire point of my channel: your parents gave you everything to build your life, so now it’s payback time. Taking care of their health the way they once took care of yours is how you honour that anchor.”Kurian Jacobs: A champion swimmerKurian Jacobs spent decades navigating a high-powered international banking career, but idea of retirement was not one he agreed with. After stepping away from the corporate world, he mentored professionals, explored healthy cooking, and even launched his own speciality kombucha brand—anything to avoid standing still. But his athletic career began purely accident when his old college buddies roped him into a state swimming championship just for fun and nostalgia. Childhood swimmer turned accidental competitor, Jacobs quickly realised that an individual sport was the ultimate recipe for lifelong independence.“Entering swimming competitions was accident. When college friends invited me to join a team for the state championship, I joined more for friendship than winning. But when the medals came, it was thrilling. And when I didn’t win at the nationals, I got determined,” he said.That determination sparked a full-blown professional swimming career at age 69. He started watching YouTube tutorials to fix his technique, trained harder, and dominated national podiums before taking his talents abroad in 2023. Now a WalkAbout Athlete and one of India’s most decorated Masters swimmers, he swept nine medals at the World Masters Games in Taiwan—including a horic gold in the 3km open-water race in the South China Sea. Currently eyeing a world record in the 75-80 age category at the upcoming World Masters Games in Japan, he proves that athletes never truly retire.“A sportsman never retires,” Jacobs explains. “If you’re in a team sport, you need a full squad and an opposing team to play in old age. But a swimmer or an athlete can just get out there on their own. Learn an individual sport—there’s no retirement now.”