‘You owe it to your body to treat it well,’ says the actor, who turned 62 in December last year. 'You take so much advantage of your body. You eat, drink, sleep, smile, travel, talk, have sex -- you use this body for everything. Then why not look after it so that you can use it longer? This is what I believe in.'
If you ask me, I guess that just sums it all up. In case you weren’t able to guess the obvious, I am referring to Anil Kapoor here. The man swears by a few principles- positivity and discipline. He looks up to individuals like the Dalai Lama and fellow actors from the industry, much younger than himself, who have put it in the work to look youthful.
If I were to test this man’s body age, I am pretty certain it would be no more than 40. For the convenience of everyone, Body age is a measurement of how old you are biologically based upon your health and fitness level as opposed to what your birth certificate indicates. For example, someone who is thirty-five years old may have a body age that is ten years older. This is a testament to Anil Kapoor’s will power and desire to stick to his regime even on shoots and during social gatherings, as some of his B-town co-stars have pointed out.
So what does he really do that gives him the exuberant energy the likes of Ranveer Singh can only think of matching, and the fact that he could easily be confused as a sibling to his three children? Well, in his own words, it is a mix of some simple tools-
Discipline- without this, no goal can be achieved. He exercises on a daily basis without fail, also focusing on different workouts to keep his body from plateauing. To look like a 40 year old at 60+ says a lot about the hard work that goes into this.
A diet regime- He eats rice, but in moderation, focuses on how it is cooked and what type or rice it is. Moreover, he consumes 5-6 small meals in the entire day. Small frequent meals are something that I have recommended to my clients for years now.
No Junk Food- He never eats foods like samosas. I think the message is pretty clear here.
Mindful Eating- He’s worked hard to stay slim so he eats carefully. Even while indulging (which is sometimes), he stays mindful. We know this in the back of our minds but fail to exercise/implement it in our own lives.
Sacrifices- One has to give up some pleasures to achieve what one wants to. My advice would be to let go of that one habit that you know is causing your body distress.
Peers- Having the right people around you is very significant because people with good habits rub off on you, and the same happens if you are around people who overeat. “When I see Salman Khan and how hard he works on his body, I want to work harder on my body. Look at how hard Hrithik Roshan and Ranbir work.” I personally couldn’t agree more to this.
Sleep- One of the key areas that we neglect on a daily basis. Lack of sleep can have an inflammatory response on the body, and stress is never a good sign. Lack of sleep leads to secretion of a stress hormone called cortisol, as a result of which we end up gaining weight. I spoke about this in detail in my Valentine’s blog.
Positivity- this is his mantra for existence. “I had the good fortune of meeting the Dalai Lama. I felt so cleansed! Just listening to him is an enriching experience. He said how you feel and choose to live is all up to you. If you lie to yourself and to others, you're bound to be unhealthy. At 82, look how radiant the Dalai Lama looks! I try my best to do the right things.” I strongly feel that we all need to change our outlook towards life in general. We need to see our body, our health as an asset, as a gift and must take all the necessary steps to look after it.
Have a query about nutrition or just want to talk about your eating choices? Just drop it on my Whatsapp and i'll get back to you.