By Siddhi Jain

New Delhi, Sep 4 (IANSlife): Ace Indian cricketer and an all-rounder on field, Ravindra Jadeja says that it is "definitely a good thing" that the youth are more focused on fitness activities these days.

"Fitness activities are an integral part of the high-stress lives most of the youth are facing these days and definitely help to maintain a balanced lifestyle. Also with a lot of youth enrolled in universities, it's important to also focus on fitness as I believe it really helps to keep you actively maintain healthy energy levels," Jadeja told IANSlife in an exclusive interview.

The sportsperson recently came onboard with Rajkot-based Marwadi University as their face, as he also belongs to India's Saurashtra region.

"Marwadi University is an upcoming private university in India based out of Rajkot in Saurashtra, very close to my own hometown. In that sense, the partnership made a lot of sense since both my and the University origins are the same and both of our visions are to become the best at what we do. I found that our values were aligned not only because of our origin but the fact that we want to set a benchmark in our respective fields. The University is very popular in Gujarat and is making a mark in the higher education ecosystem. We came together in order to connect with the youth on a deeper level not only from an academic point of view but to promote building a healthy attitude towards an active lifestyle and growth mindset."

How does he maintain his own fitness when not training for a match?

"Training is not the only time I focus on fitness and it's important to maintain a base level of fitness so I'm always ready to go. While I'm off training, while the intensity is definitely less, I still focus on diet and at least some cardio and strength routines."

His top three fitness tips?

"You have to maintain your body and recover your body well, as in sleep, massage, yoga. Do whatever you like but you should be able to recover very well in order to maintain your fitness level."