Bodies are made in kitchen

Mona

Playing Sandy in Punjabi show, Vilaiti Bhabhi, actor Kanwalpreet Singh is happy being stationed at his hometown. Effervescent and enthusiastic, this lead actor of the show is happy tweaking his health regimen to stay fit through the long shifts that he’s putting in…

Fitness for me

I am a firm believer of ‘bodies are made in kitchen’. I do exercise but even more stringent I am with what I eat or drink.

Moment of change

Being a true-blue Punjabi, I was a foodie. It was during the shoot of a commercial for Endura Mass that the director said more than once in front of 100 plus crew, ‘pull in your stomach’. I was embarrassed to the core. That was the last day of my mindless eating.

I begin the day with

Like others, it is lukewarm water with lemon in it. Trust me it works!

Diet through the day

An apple followed by eggs for breakfast. Lunch is chicken or dal and sabji. Dinners—I have avoided for long.

I snack on

Fruit or dry fruit. Whether at home, on the sets or on the go, I always have a small box of nuts to steer me clear of junk.

Gym body

I love to gym. Over the last few years, five days a week has been the sacrosanct routine. Though I pick up fun classes like aerobics or dance workouts; the most I enjoy is intense two hour free style workouts that give novelty as well as the push that the body needs.

When on the go

While I insist whenever on outdoor schedules to have a hotel with a gym, whenever I cannot make time for the gym, I simply run. Running a few kilometers ensure that you don’t get the fat accumulated at wrong places. Due to shoot schedules, all I am doing these days is run 2-3 km every single day.

Sweet tooth

Sugar is out of syllabus in the line I have chosen. That was not always the case. I remember gulping down one kilogram of ice-cream at one go without it a thought. It’s only later knowing what an ice-cream is made of and what it does to your body that I now stay away from it and all other desserts.

Then, I slip…

While I follow no-sugar policy now, not many days ago someone brought gulab jamuns on the sets. Saying ‘bahut swad hai, bahut swad hai’, he offered me one. I tasted and stopped only after I had gulped like 12 of them. Felt so sorry afterwards. Since then, I haven’t looked at any sweet.

A regular cheat day…

…is massive. Last month, as by chance we had an early pack up, I made it to Pal Dhaba with a cousin in tow. Ohho, how we ate – chicken, mutton, biryani – I am afraid I had some 5,000 calories in go. Such cheats days happen, though only once in 5-6 months or so.

What I cannot resist

Butter chicken. You know like any Punjabi, it’s rather hard for me to say no to it. However, I try to have ‘less-buttered’ version now (sigh).

Watch out for

Most common mistake we make is not watching diet properly. Exercising is no gate pass to eat all you can. Focus as much on what you eat as on your exercise regimen, stay fit!

mona@tribunemail.com