Most of us think fitness has a deadline and tend to associate gyms and aerobics clubs with a habit that only develops in our twenties and often end up believing that if we didn’t build it then, the window has quietly closed.But rarely do we think that it is never too late to turn over a new leaf and that being fit is actually not associated with any particular age.Tara and Sushila Thapa, a couple in their late fifties from Dehradun, prove this through their inspirational fitness journey. A decade ago, Tara could barely walk without his back aching, and doctors had already warned Sushila that a knee replacement might be in her future.But instead of accepting those verdicts as the final word, they laced up running shoes and stepped out at 5 AM, not to win anything, but simply to feel a little better than they had the day before.And what followed was not just a visible transformation overnight, but a slow, climb full of hardships and challenges.
Meet Tara and Sushila, the couple who changed the definition of being fit in their 50s
A decade ago, Tara Thapa’s days revolved around work, family, and chronic back pain that never really let him walk free from worries. As explained in their videos on their social media account @ttwofit.to.quit, exercise had no place in his routine, and discomfort had simply become normal. The turning point came at a family gathering when someone asked him a question he couldn’t answer: what was his passion, what were his goals? The silence that followed stayed with him, and that evening he decided things needed to change.
The morning that began their fitness journey
The next morning, at 5 AM, Tara ran for the first time in his life. There was no training plan and no running background, just a decision to keep going. According to the couple’s own account in a video they shared online, the start was humbling: “shuruaat mein 1 km bhi nahi daud paate the, phle din 200 mt dauda tha aur meri sans phool gayi thi,” says Tara.Sushila remembers feeling just as overwhelmed adding, “mujhe toh laga jaise ki mera dil hi baith jaega,” and recalling how joggers around them made their own struggle to walk feel even harder.Around this time, Sushila was dealing with severe knee pain of her own, and doctors had recommended surgery. Rather than opting straight for a knee replacement, she chose to join Tara on his morning runs instead, building up slowly. As per a South China Morning Post report, Tara runs a small television repair shop, and Sushila works as an insurance agent- and even after busy work lives, the couple decided to stay true to their early-morning discipline, which made it even harder to sustain.
Progress came in small but consistent stages
The couple explained in their video, “Phir humne ek week sirf walk kia, fir ek min walk 3 min jog, fir hum aadhe km daude, fir 1 km, fir 2 km, fir pata bhi nahi chala hum kab 20 kms daudne lage”.The main win came when they were nearly losing hope, “lag rha tha ki ye humare bas ki baat nahi hai, phir humne ek cheez samjhi, ki hume kisi se race nahi jeetni thi, hume bas kal se behtar hona tha.”There was no single race they were trying to win, they say — only the goal of being a little better than the day before.That consistency, kept up through Dehradun’s winters, summers, and monsoons, eventually turned into marathon finishes and a modest social media following where they now encourage others starting from scratch.The couple says, “Agar aap bhi ek km daud paa rhe hain toh theek hai, humne bhi wahin se shuru kia tha, shuruaat choti thi, par humne kabhi haar nahi maani. We don’t quit we are ‘two fit to quit’!”
