Hooked onto fitness since childhood

I have been into fitness right from the time I was 12, years old. It all started when I enrolled for Shiamak Davar’s classes. We were made to do a half hour work out before dance and that included toning flexibility stretches. Over a couple of months I started realising the difference the exercise was making to my body. I was very thin with no appetite at all. Suddenly I started feeling hungry, putting on good weight, and falling sick less often. Also my body started looking much healthier and more toned. Everyone around me noticed the change, it was then that I realised the difference exercise made in my life and since then there has been no looking back.

Today, I dance four times (kathak) dance a week and workout in a gym 4 times a week. I try to balance a good combination of cardio and weight training to feel and look healthy and fit. Dance is a good form of cardio so in the gym, I try to concentrate more on weights and toning, stretching and flexibility. I am very fond of weight training as it de-stresses me. I also run on the treadmill for twenty minutes.

Diet

I drink a lot of water and avoid fried food and sweets. I try to eat something every few hours to keep my metabolism good. I have 3 meals a day. I keep eating fruits or biscuits during the day.

My day starts with a bowl of porridge, followed by egg whites and fruits. Lunch is usually rotis with dal and any sabzi or chicken. In the evening, I have an apple or pomegranate juice around 4pm. Around 7pm, I have soup broccoli or chicken. And dinner is usually brown bread with some continental chicken.

Mind

Dance helps me relax and unwind. Dance for me is akin to meditation (besides being the best work out). It makes me unwind and music especially classical or semi classical takes me to another world away from all the stress, when I am stressed out I dance for hours. Also in any given situation I try to think positively and concentrate on all the good things rather than getting worked up about something that’s troubling me.

Spirituality

Spirituality is all about faith it could be in any power. I don’t think it’s always necessary to always go to temples and pray. God is within us and we must be true to our conscience and also following the constant inner voice inside us.

I chant (Buddhist chanting) for 15 minutes daily and recite the Gayatri Mantra several times in the day. I always bow down to the temple at home after a shower. I recite a prayer every night before sleeping and thank Him for the lovely day.

I feel its important to believe in ones own self and always be positive because positive thoughts is the one thing that is always in our own control and we must never give up faith and hope!”