Love your body, set realistic goals

Deepika Padukone has a hot bod. Sure, she has an athletic frame but she has worked hard to achieve a shapely figure. She rarely misses a day at the gym. She is a role model to a lot of teenage girls. Even younger actresses like Alia Bhatt look up to her. Deepika shares her  fitness secrets. And warns against  starving and gimmicky stuff like six-pack abs. 

Get athletic
Says the actress, “For me, fitness is part of my lifestyle. It’s not just something you do sometime. I come from a sports family, so I understand the importance of health and fitness as an athlete. It was a part of my growing-up years. My daily schedule consisted of waking up at 5.30 am and leaving for the badminton academy where I would play badminton for two hours after which the bus would drop me off home. I would have my breakfast and then leave for school. My dad being an athlete and mom being a fitness freak, I know how important it is to start your day with a workout. I play badminton as much as possible. An athletic lifestyle leads to a super shape!  

Pilates is perfect
A couple of years ago, one day I looked at myself and my body in the mirror and felt that I could do so much better. I had signed Cocktail and I had to wear clothes that my character demanded. I wanted to feel 100 per cent confident while wearing those outfits. It was at that point of time that Yasmin (Karachiwala) came into my life and explained to me why doing pilates was so important to get the kind of body and level of fitness that I wanted. I have been hooked on pilates ever since. The kind of lifestyle I lead, I work 12-14 hours and day and get exhausted very quickly. Pilates opens up the body and I feel refreshed and energised after doing it. When I am not shooting I try and work out around six times a week. The beauty of pilates is that you never get tired of it. Like you do with other gym routines. 

Don’t diet
I never diet nor do I follow any dietary restrictions. People misinterpret the concept of diet. You don’t get a fit-and-fab body by starving yourself. It’s all about understanding your body, how it reacts to certain foods and what it needs. I don’t control my food but eat everything —from coconut malai to rice. People think they put on weight when they eat rice, but I eat rice and even sweets but in moderate quantities. 

Food reacts differently with different people. The trick is not to consume enough calories. Eat what your body needs and not what your eyes are eating. Yasmin always tells me to eat smart. The worst thing you can do to your body is to starve or do certain things like build six-pack abs in 10 days. Be as fit as possible but give your body that time to adapt. People want to lose 10 kg in two weeks. It’s not possible and not fair to your body. You risk injury and do immense harm to your body by doing such things. 

Know yourself
Love your body and set realistic goals. Sometimes putting on weight can be beyond our control, including hormonal changes. Two years ago, I had put on 5 kg. Instead of going on some drastic diet I accepted the fact that my body had undergone some changes due to some hormonal imbalances and started planning out my exercise routine. Everything fell into place after that.

I would sum it up as – know your body type, what to work on and always enjoy what you do. The secret of success is to enjoy what you do and feel good about it. Be fit because you deserve it.”