Opening Doorz

Opening Doorz Editorial | June 09, 2017

Kamal Sidhu on her workout routine, eating habits and spiritual quotient…

Workout Routine
Training has always been a vital part of my lifestyle but that doesn’t mean I never have to motivate myself. It really is the trickiest part on certain days but the key is to listen to my body’s need to mix it up by adding variety into my week’s physical activity. It can either be an endurance run, swim or cycle on one day, interval training on another, tennis twice a week and mobility and stretching with yoga or in the pool on a lighter day. Depending on the week, I try and do a minimum of 3-4 days and while the weather is dry I only workout outdoors.

Come the monsoon and with tennis virtually off limits, it’s time to mentally gear up to being indoors for some ‘off-season’ strength work. My motivation is to strengthen myself to play tennis again, after the rains. I enjoy playing sport, I always have. Sometimes that means playing football or shooting hoops with my son and my husband… and the fitness regimen’s role is to support that. I wholly recommend adults who are relatively fit to spend some time and learn a new sport, outside of their fitness routines. Besides, it does wonders for releasing dopamine, the hormone responsible for your happiness and well-being.

Diversity in training is not just for my pleasure but to constantly feed my body and mind with new stimuli and learning. I recently landed up on a driving range and now foresee Golf playing a role in my life!

Eating Habits
I’m a three-meal a day kind of gal. Breakfast is my absolute favourite. I kick it off with close to a litre of water once I wake up, then some good ol chai, preferably with ginger, then two eggs, whole grain bread and on other days some oats.

Lunch starts with coconut water, followed by a balanced salad of spinach leaves, mixed vegetables, feta cheese and some chicken or fish. Another day might include a light pasta or dal and rice. Some days include a mix fruit platter of pineapples, watermelon, papaya, apples and pomegranate and a cup of coffee or green tea.

Post a work-out, I rehydrate with nimbu paani and a dash of salt and sugar. Dinner is always balanced but the amount of carbs I intake would depend on the quantities consumed at lunch. If it was just a salad, then I tuck into some chapatis or rice with some protein and veggies. Ideally, I wind up the day with a square of 85 per cent dark chocolate! ‘Mmmm’.

My timings are really dependent on my son’s school schedule. I have breakfast by 8/8:30 am, lunch by 1:30 pm and dinner at 7:30-8:30 pm. Then it’s bed time by 11pm for a 6:30 am wake up! Except for weekends of course, when I look forward to a lovely bottle of red!

Spiritual Quotient
I spent a considerable amount of time experimenting with meditation and pranayama when I was on my own travelling for a living. So much so that I am completely aware of it at any given time of the day and catch myself going through the paces at random moments. I could be reading, running, swimming, stressing or stretching… it is always about the breath, and getting it under control. When you become mindful of the breath, you become aware of the mind and its connection to our emotions and the world and the universe around us. The breath is the beginning and the realm of my spirituality!

Also Read: I want to start praying a lot more