In an age of quick-fix fitness trends, shortcut diets and 30-day transformation challenges, real discipline sometimes gets lost in all the fanfare. But some of the soundest advice concerning fitness may come from people who live it daily quietly and consistently.
Debneil Dutt, a 16-year-old Class XI student from La Martiniere for Boys, Kolkata, who has represented West Bengal and India in Taekwondo, believes fitness is not about extremes. It is about routine, balance and mental strength habits that work equally well, be inside the classrooms, sports arenas, or everyday life.
Fitness is built through routine, not motivation
For this young athlete, fitness goes beyond martial arts training. It starts with basic lifestyle habits: “a clean diet, adequate sleep with a disciplined daily routine.”
“Fitness doesn’t require motivation; it requires consistency,” he says. This strategy recently paid off when he won in athletics without any specialised training, simply because his body was already conditioned. Being “fit from day one” mattered more than last-minute preparation, he explains.
Discipline creates confidence
Years of training, starting as early as two years old, shaped his mindset. Early setbacks, particularly in fights, he said, contributed to the development of mental toughness. Discipline eventually took the place of uncertainty, and preparation naturally led to confidence.
It became clear when he represented West Bengal and won two gold medals in the National Taekwondo Championships 2026 (VIFA Cup) in Bengaluru. This tournament had more than 1,000 participants from elite state teams all over India.
Winning, he says, is seldom an accident. “You win most battles during training,” he believes, adding that mental preparation is as important as physical conditioning.
Mental fitness matters as much as physical strength
Remaining calm under pressure, measuring progress rather than results, and relying on preparation are practices he is actively working on. “I train my mind the same way I train my body,” he says.
Balance, not burnout
Despite excelling in Taekwondo, he has never limited himself to a single sport. A former member of his school’s cricket team and now a left winger in his school’s football team, he feels that playing various sports helps improve agility, teamwork, and adaptability.
He has a National Dan-2 Black Belt in Taekwondo, and the Kukkiwon Council, the World Taekwondo Headquarters in Seoul, has awarded him the 2nd Degree International Black Belt (Dan-2). He says that he respects all sports, but his international experience has helped him discover his true identity in this sport.
He participated against athletes from different nations, including Korea and Nepal, at the 9th TIA Open International Taekwondo Championship in December 2025 while representing India and winning gold.
So what’s the real fitness formula?
Debneil says it is all about two simple things:
Firstly, ‘discipline’ - showing up every day, even when the motivation isn't there, and secondly, ‘consistency’ - Trusting the process and repeating the basics.
No quick fixes. No magic overnight changes. Just habits developed slowly. Perhaps the most important lesson of all is that being fit is about doing the right things every single day, not about doing more.
