Shriya Saran shares her fitness mantra
South and Hindi film actor Shriya Saran doesn't have a gym membership, and quickly admits she has a generous appetite. Yet, the 5'6" tall lady carries a figure most women would crave; one that turned heads as she walked the red carpet at the Midnight's Children premiere at the 56th BFI London Film Festival last month, wearing a blue velvet choli that showed off her back.
Saran would rather climb down to the compound in her Lokhandwala complex to spend an hour doing free style exercises than be trapped in the "unnatural AC environs" of a gym. "I exercise every day, not because I am an actor but because exercising keeps me healthy and happy," she says.
Saran chats about her wellness regimen:
My fitness funda
I don't chase the perfect figure. I'd rather focus on staying and eating healthy. A combination of running, swimming, yoga and circuit training works brilliantly for my body. I am blessed with an active metabolism, which allows me to eat to my heart’s content. I prefer Indian food because it’s a balanced diet. I pick grilled eats over junk.
Mumbai throws a challenge
My dad worked for Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), and I spent my childhood in Haridwar where he was posted. I was an active kid, cycling with my friends back from Delhi Public School, where my mother taught chemistry. I miss doing that in Mumbai. The city has hardly any walkways, jogging or cycling tracks.
How I stay fit
I exercise five times a week, and prefer doing it outdoors rather than inside a gym. That way, you sweat more and stay away from unnatural surrounding which air conditioned gyms trap you in. I start with a 20-minute run followed by 25 minutes of circuit training, which is an excellent high intensity but basic workout to strengthen the body. Back extensions, squats, lunges, push-ups, side to side jumps, jumping jacks, sit ups, bicep curls — I do it all in three sets of 15 repetitions each. The training works out various areas of my body.
Next, I spend 10 minutes doing the Suryanamaskar, and finish it off with a five-minute run. I’m done in 60 minutes. While I continue with circuit training, I alternate running with swimming and yoga during the week.
Life on set
When I have a long, manic shooting schedule, and can’t find the time to exercise, I keep aside half an hour every morning for yoga.
Otherwise, my exercise regime is driven by the look that a film demands. In Sivaji: The Boss (2007), I had an Indian look — not slim, not overtly curvy. So, I had to follow a weight training regime, and lose two kilos. For Midnight's Children (2012), for which I played a slum girl, I had to look emaciated. I lost another two kilos for the film and followed a cardio routine, rather than weight training, to achieve the waif look.
My strength and weakness
I have a flexible body, thanks to the combination exercise routine I follow. But I'm fairly lazy when it comes to working out my legs and back.
What I eat
I start my day with a glass of orange juice — it's rich in vitamin C, good for the skin and helps burn fat. After an hour, I have a masala omelette made from two egg whites, a bowl of porridge and a paratha. Between lunch and breakfast, I munch on fruit.
Lunch is usually grilled fish with two chapatis, sabzi and daal. I dig Malabar, Andhra and Goan fish curry. I enjoy most vegetables but I am not a fan of karela. And I stay away from red meat.
I like having an evening snack of sprout or vegetable salad along with nuts. My mother's chana cutlets, I love. I make sure I eat dinner by 7.30 pm since the body's metabolism slows down late at night, and food is stored as fat.
Before going to bed, I have a glass of hot milk drizzled with honey. And I never compromise on sleep.
I crave
Dark chocolate. My fridge is always stuffed with bars. I am addicted to coffee, which is not such a good thing. But I try keeping my cravings in control.
Image courtesy: BCCL
