Talent500 co-founder takes up power walks during long calls, aims for 12K steps daily

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic this spring jolted Vikram Ahuja, co-founder, Talent500 – perhaps as much as it did the job-seekers that use the career-accelerator platform. Talent500 was much sought after by recruiters and aspirants alike during the lockdown, having recently launched ‘Take Two,’ an initiative designed to help women in tech successfully return to the workforce after having taken a year-long sabbatical. However, Ahuja reckons the early days of the pandemic were a testing time.

“Personally, for me, the biggest change during lockdown was understanding how taking care of myself - mentally, physically and in spirit - was important before I could claim to take care of my business, my colleagues, peers or even family,” he said.

“With gyms shut, I’ve incorporated yoga into my daily routine via an online fitness website, I choose between a combination of vinyasa flows and high-intensity workouts. I’ve also realised the best way to keep active is scheduling power walks during long calls, doing an average of 12000 steps daily. The only downside was having my phone mugged right off my hands during one such walk,” Ahuja added.


He has also been using sleep and activity trackers to adhere to his daily routine. “I also use an Oura Ring, which tracks my daily sleep and activity. It’s a sleek looking black metallic ring. I’ve been much disciplined with my daily routines. Post the first few months of lockdown, I caught myself dealing with mood swings, up and down mental states and unpredictable emotions given everything happening around us.”

“I’ve hence spent time understanding how meditation and mindfulness could be an important balancing factor to keep the mind cantered during these days of uncertainty and upheaval. I’ve explored breath-work sessions or ‘pranayama,’ which are intense breathing exercises that reduce anxiety, and help one recognize and deal with stress. It has also helped me become more self-aware,” Ahuja said.

Despite the pressures of work, Ahuja says he has tried to make time for things he enjoys. “My family and I have been fortunate enough to get out of the city every occasion we get - from camping to weekend drives or getaways, being out in nature has been a huge change for our kids. Like many others, I’ve put my Netflix and Amazon Prime subscription to good use and discovered movies and shows I would have usually never spent time on, such as Korean films. I also found time to get back into film-making mode with a few, fun short videos and take up a few online courses, including one on magic.”