Opening Doorz

Opening Doorz Editorial | June 30, 2017

Aarti Chabria on her workout routine, eating habits and spiritual quotient…

Workout Routine
I do yoga three times a week early morning and go to the gym every alternate day. These are the days I do weight-training. I focus on specific body parts on specific days. I have a personal trainer who guides me to do a lot of functional TRX core strengthening and kick-boxing, on days we want to do different stuff to keep it interesting. On days I’m not training at the gym, I usually engage in a fun activity like cycling, dancing, running, or I go for a good swim. I make sure I support all exercise with enough sleep and a good protein diet to give the muscles get enough recoup time. Our bodies are not made in the gym in any case; they are made in the kitchen. You are what you eat!

Eating Habits
I am a foodie and I love my food. If I hear of a new restaurant that has opened, I want to go and try it out. I’m highly attracted to anything with melted cheese, truffle oil and yummy smelling stuff. Food aroma is irresistible. I also have a very sweet tooth. You can imagine what would become of me if I was to give up the foodie in me: I’d be very, very slim and unhappy. So I try and create a balance and keep one cheat day! My cheat day starts Friday evening and ends Saturday evening.

For most of the week, it’s home food for me. If I’m on the sets, my little dabba goes with me. I start with two glasses of warm water in the morning followed with a cup of tea. For breakfast, it is a bowl of fruits consisting of apple, pineapple, mango, or the seasonal fruit. Half an hour later, I have an egg preparation. No bread at all for me.

Lunch is usually cooked veggies, dal, roti with any dough other than wheat (could be jowar, corn, or rajgira) with a glass of lassi or a bowl of dahi. I eat rice whenever I feel like. Evening snack is usually chai with some diet nick-nacks or a bowl of fruits depending on what I feel like. Dinner consists of soup (chicken or fish) with a bowl of salad. A glass of jasmine tea before I go to bed is a must. I ensure I have a lot of water intake during the day.

• Eating tips
  Give up bread to heal that leaky gut. According to me, bread whether white or brown, is the worst for your system. It lines your intestine and doesn’t allow any of the juices to be absorbed. Most of us have a leaky gut and don’t even know about it. Whether one is gluten intolerant or not, I think bread is a bad idea and I avoid it completely: No Pizzas, sandwiches, or subways for me!
• Protein is a must: it provides the building blocks for tissue, hormones, enzymes and accounts for 15 per cent of the body. The building blocks it provides are amino acids and different proteins provide different amino acids and ratios of amino acids. Ask a dietician how much is good to intake depending if you want it for body-building or just general good health.

Spiritual Quotient
I believe in the supreme power of God. I have very deep thoughts on spirituality which you would know if you watched my short film Mumbai Varanasi Express which has layers of so many things that are usually only felt but not spoken about. I believe strongly in Karma. And I do the hanuman chalisa everyday. I believe burning a diya purifies the energy around the house so that’s brilliant to do too.

Also Read: Kamal Sidhu’s fitness regimen