Ayushmann Khurrana on fitness and being a long-distance runner rather than a sprinter
Upala KBR (DNA; March 9, 2016)
Fitness is having a presentable body and peace of mind. It’s not about how much you sweat in the gym or workout. It’s about how much energy you can muster at your workplace. Fitness gives you confidence. It’s the basic propulsion of life. I’ve only built abs once for Bewakoofiyaan because my character played squash. Otherwise, I’ve only had real roles with pretty much real body sans the bulk and ripped body.
In Dum Laga Ke Haisha, I was supposed to be skinny and strong at the same time, which was the trickiest of situations. My trainer Hitesh Shah trained me like a coolie, as I had to pick up Bhumi who was 88 that time. And I was 67. For two months, I used to piggy back my trainer and run. And the result was I became stronger than my body double, who was present at the shoot to take the back shots. He couldn’t pick up my co-actor. So I ended up giving all the shots sans the support of a body double.
Keeping fit
I keep fit by sleeping, eating and working out. Repeat. My workout is a mix of weight training and cardio. My mantra is not to overdo it. I travel a lot. So I conserve my energy for my shoots and gigs. My Twitter bio says actor anchor author crooner donor poser composer blogger JOGGER hogger. So ya, I jog!! It gives you a crazy sense of freedom when you run. You become one with the nature and the whole world seems rooting for you.
The three principles of fitness I always follow: Follow a routine. Listen to your body. Don’t overdo it. When people ask me how important is it for women to be as fit, I tell them that it’s an invalid question. How can fitness be gender based? It’s imperative for everybody. But the fact is fit mothers will produce fit children. Our next generation depends on the fitness of women.
What we can do
Men can help to celebrate Women’s Day by making women feel special every single day. I know about the dna iCan Women’s Half Marathon. I’ve run a half marathon in school. I was always a long-distance runner instead of a sprinter. I like to think of myself as a lambi race ka ghoda.