‘Healthy Food and Daily Workout Keep Me Happy’ - Neha Dhupia

My workout regimen:

I am health conscious and workout with a personal trainer. My Fitness Secrets include yoga and a visit to the gym for spinning exercises. It is rarely that I skip my fitness Routine. The day I miss out on these, I make sure I go for a swim. Nowadays, due to rains, my swimming has gone for a toss. I have learnt from Akshay Kumar and believe that if you don’t set aside at least one hour in a day for your health regimen, you don’t love yourself enough.

My daily diet:

My dietician, Pooja Makhija, takes proper care of it. My Diet chart keeps changing in accordance with where I am shooting. When I am travelling, it is in keeping with the outdoor agenda otherwise it is mostly the nongreasy, home-made food I indulge in. Basically it is a well balanced diet with greens, nuts and fruits that keeps me fit and healthy.

My happiness quotient:

Healthy food and daily workout keep me happy and energetic. On the work front, I do not like to burn out, so I take the much-needed break.

The male actors on Ekta’s Kahaani Hamaaray Mahaabhaarat Ki reveal their workout routines

ALL TONED UP!

The actors in Ekta Kapoor’s epic soap Kahaani Hamaaray Mahaabhaarat Ki on 9X say they had to hit the gym regularly and work out hard to suit their macho roles in the period drama. Actor Ronit Roy, who plays Bhishma Pitamah in the new technologically enhanced version of the epic Mahabharat, has a strict fitness regime and claims no actor has been working harder than him to get into shape.

“I started with training for three hours a day and now I work out for about two hours every day,” Ronit says. “I have worked extremely hard on my physique, in fact nobody has worked harder than me.” Chetan Hansraj, known for his welltoned, tall and broad body frame, plays the role of Bheem, considered the most powerful of the Pandavas. Even he vouches for the fact that Ronit worked really hard on his body.

Chetan also follows a strict training and diet routine. “It took me almost four months of training and nutritional control to get into shape for the role. I have also been on a high protein, low carbohydrate diet. I had to stop my intake of cheese and rice and my diet mainly constituted of chicken with other supplements,” reveals the actor. Although he isn’t much of a workout person, Chetan, who played the negative role of Sasha in Kahaanii Ghar Ghar Kii, had to drag himself to the gym. “It has been very difficult for me because I’m a very lazy person,” he confesses.

Compared to other members of the team, model-turned-actor Aryan Vaid, who essays the role of Duryodhan, says he didn’t have to work too hard. “I haven’t put in any special efforts in terms of physique, neither did I change my diet. I think I was already in good shape and I guess that’s the reason why the producers cast me,” says he and adds that working out has become a habit for him now. “I generally workout for one-and a-half hours in a day and I have been working out for the past 16 years,” he says.

Actor Harshad Chopra, who is also a fitness freak like Aryan, plays Arjun in the mega serial. “I have always been a fitness freak. My workouts have been more or less the same,” he maintains. Harshad said bagging the role of Arjun just motivated him to continue his workouts. “When I was offered the role, I knew that I would have to wear period costumes and appear semi-nude on screen for the role, so I had to look good and couldn’t have compromised on the physique. It was almost like a new motivation for me to keep fit, ” he said. Kahaani Hamaare Mahaabhaarat Ki is one of Ekta’s most expensive and lavishly produced shows on television with spectacular sets and designer costumes. It has an array of popular TV stars including actresses Sakshi Tanwar and Anita Hanssanandani.

I weight-train four days a week and concentrate on one body part every day - Neil Nitin Mukesh

My workout regime:
I am extremely health-conscious and very regular when it comes to my workouts. My aim is not to acquire six-pack abs though. I just Exercise to stay fit. I weight-train four days a week and alternate them with cardio exercises like jogging or spinning. Skipping also is fab and I do it often. My workout lasts for anything from one to one-and-ahalf hour. I like to concentrate on one body part every day.

My daily diet:
I’m not too diet-conscious, but I like only homemade food and am somewhat fussy about it. In fact, even for my outdoor shoots, I have a cook around, so I don’t miss my ghar ka khaana. Boiled chicken is one of my favourites. Since I workout, my protein intake is quite high. But I do go easy on carbs. I do binge on chocolates. I have a sweet tooth and I can finish huge bars at one go. So, they definitely are my weakness.

My happiness quotient:
The fact that I’m working keeps me happy. Just being on the sets gets me all charged up. That’s when I’m the happiest. That apart, simple things in life also make me happy. Spending time with family amidst hectic schedules always brings a smile to my face. I am not a party animal, but prefer lazing around with my friends. Catching up with them makes me happy. Also a good workout never fails and definitely adds to my happiness quotient. I am quite a positive person and it’s not a tough job to make me happy. So, I never really have to strive to be happy. Thank God!

My idea of relaxation:
Staying in bed. Watching movies. Chilling out with friends. Going for a long drive. Just doing what I like to do relaxes me. I love swimming and that also relaxes me immensely. Spending some quiet time alone with just myself for company always works. But even having a lovely dinner with my family is a great way to unwind after a hectic day.

Source: Times of India

Shamita Shetty Shares Her Fitness Secrets

Six days in the gym, located on the sixth floor of her building, is what gives Shamita Shetty a super-toned bod. And she sportingly agrees to share her secrets of getting into shape.

Shamita has some pointers:

>> I change my exercise routine every two months because my body gets used to a particular kind of workout and then it stops responding to exercises. It's the same with others too.

>> Introducing new exercises shocks the body. Once your body gets used to the new one, go back to your routine workout. I change my exercises once in every four weeks.

>> I normally have a tight stomach but there are times when it goes loose. Yes, some times abdominal exercises don't work for a person like me too! Especially for someone who does abs three times a week, leaving a gap one day. At such a time, I stop the exercises completely. Like I said before, it's important to shock your body from time to time.

>> I normally work on different parts of my body. I distribute - I do upper body twice a week and lower body twice a week. One day I will do my chest and back, one day I will do my arms.

>> After the exercises, it's important to do your stretches. In fact, I do my stretches in-between each sets. It's important for your oxygen and blood flow. I also do three days of yoga. Yoga loosens the muscles and increases the flexibility.
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Currently, Shamita is doing circuit training.

She does this once in four weeks, and there are two ways to do this: A full body circuit training or just the upper or lower body circuit training.

So, what does circuit training actually mean?
"It means you take one exercise each and mix it together to make one set of three or four different exercises, depending on how strenuous you want the workout to be. Let me explain, one set will have exercises for the upper body, one back, one tricep, one biceps, that would be one set all put together back-to-back. Like this you make four sets," she explains.

You can also do full body circuit training. Here, you choose one big muscle and two small muscles. Your back is a big muscle. And when you really want to burn calories, you work on the legs. "So you do one exercise for your back, one for tricep and one for your bicep," says Shamita adding, "Remember these exercises are done back-to-back."

Each exercise in the sets is to be done 15 times. Shamita shows us full body circuit training, with a set of four exercises each, but before that some warm-up. It's a must.


Shamita's Daily Fitness Routine

The Beginning

Warm-up is very important. It helps ready your body to the strenuous workout ahead. Your heart rate has to go up to a certain level, so that the blood flow to your working muscles is sufficient.

Though 30 minutes of warm-up is not necessary, Shamita prefers doing 30 minutes - 15 minutes on the treadmill and 15 on the cycle.

Treadmill:

"I do brisk walking on the walker on 6.7 speed," Shamita informs. She hates doing cardio and to compensate for that, she hits the treadmill a little longer.

Cycling:

From here, she gets on the cycle. "I don't pedal too fast, but just enough to ready myself to the workout," she says.


Circuit Set 1

Squatting:

Rest your arms backwards on a low bench and support your body weight. Bend your legs a bit and do squats. This exercise takes a lot of strength and should be done at the beginning of circuit workout.

Tricep Pulley:

This exercise I do sitting down where the pulley has to be pulled down. This targets your lats, which is the side of the back.

Bicep Pulley:

For the biceps, you need to stand and do the exercise. You don't rest during the sets really since it's a circuit. But you can take a break to take a sip of water if you feel like.

Dumb bells (sitting):

Sit straight with arm stuck to the shoulder. Now raise the dumb bell with bending just the elbow. I normally like to concentrate on my triceps because that is generally my weak area. I put on weight here easily and I tend to lose weight on my lower body.


CircuitSet 2

Leg extension:

Targets your quadriceps, which is the front portion of your thighs. It's an isolated exercise for the quadriceps.

Chest press (lying down):

You need to stand with your legs slightly apart, with equal balance on both of them. Then you pull the lever down. This exercises your chest as well as a bit of your arms as well.

Leg curl:

Lie flat on your stomach and curl your legs around the machine (see picture) and pull it upwards.
With dumb bells (sitting):

This one is for your triceps. You need to sit, with back straight, and then take the dumbbell over your head. I give support with my other hand, just two fingers, because your hand tends to move with you are moving the dumb bells up and down. Do it for both hands.

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Circuit Set 3

Dumb bells with ball to support the back:

I do this exercise using a ball for my back support, since I have a weak back. I move the ball on my back up and down holding the dumb bells downwards.

Rowing:

The rowing action is for your centre back. This helps tone the back muscles.Bendover rose: You half squat with hips jutting out and raise both your hands backwards. Make sure your elbows aren't bent. This works on your triceps.

Hammer curl:

This exercise works on your biceps. This is done sitting on a bench, with your feet on the ground. Your arms should be on the sides, and you just lift the dumb bells (holding it vertical), bending just the elbow.


Circuit Set 4

Repeat:

I would repeat one of the back exercises.

Leg Press:

Lie back and push the weight away from you. The term leg press also refers to the apparatus used to perform this exercise. This works on your quadriceps, and partially on your Hamstrings and calf.

Inclined chest press:

Again, the weight you use entirely depends on your requirement and also your comfort level. Do this 15 times.

Preacher curl:

This is done resting the elbow on an inclined board or support. All you do is bend the elbow to lift the dumb bell, one hand at a time.


Shamita's Gym Mantra: Exercise regularly, eat right and on time, choose fruits over juices and go slow on carbs after 7 pm

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