Envy of a million ladies and desire of a million men, she is the perfect epitome of beauty, good health and fitness. You long for a body that resembles her perfect, hour-glass figure, and wish you had a flawless, glowing skin she is gifted with. But then, as they say, fame doesn’t come cheap – so did she have her quota of rigor, sweat and days of grueling hard work, which have finally paid off with her bagging the title of being one of the most promising talents in Indian film industry. From being a sports enthusiast and a top notch model to a talent in Bollywood, Deepika Padukone has come a long way.
She has worked upon herself, upon her diet, weight and fitness, to now be in an enviable place where she can call the shots, make heads turn and keep the flab away. And all of this, with strict discipline that can only come from the love of being healthy and beautiful.
A 24 year old, who speaks of good health, wellness, beauty and fitness in one package, that’s Deepika Padukone for the uninitiated! So, what’s the mantra behind this lissome beauty?
Simple: “Make fitness your way of life”. And with this mantra in mind, we take you through what goes in the making of the ravishing Deepika Padukone!
“Vow to remain active – Make it a ritual”
Deepika has promised herself to not let a day pass without having indulged in some form of activity, be it workout in the gym, yoga, free exercises in her garden or even playing badminton. And this in itself is enough to show how she has been able to maintain herself! Fitness has been a habit for Deepika, a daily ritual, that she just cannot ignore. And if you make it a habit to workout each day, you would never feel like you have actually worked out, it would seem like any other regular activity.
“Do what suits your body best”
Deepika believes in doing the activity that suits her body best, rather than going with the flow. “There is no point in doing what everyone else is doing, if it troubles your body” she affirms. zDeepika does not go by a compulsion to hit the gym, and neither does she indulge in weights if it’s a boring day. Depending upon her mood, time and situation, she takes to different activities including gymming, an hour at the badminton court, practising yoga or even shaking a leg at a dance studio.
Deepika’s fitness mantra combines of:
Gymming: “I go to the gym whenever I can. When I am travelling, I do make it a point to work out in the hotel gym”. For those looking at weight loss, here’s what she has to say, “just like me, you need to combine cardio with weight training, because then can you lose weight and tone up at the same time”.
Yoga: Deepika swears by yoga and makes it a point to practice it every evening. “I do yoga in the evenings”. Yoga helps in rejuvenating the mind and the body and makes for a great overall body workout.
Daily walks: “If I can’t go to the gym, I walk twice a day, half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the evening” confesses Deepika. And by the way, did you know walking is considered to be one of the best cardio exercises for a woman?
Dance: Now this is what sets the ravishing 23 year old apart from her contemporaries. When not in the mood for the gym, Deepika prefers shaking a leg to loud music! Jazz, Bharat Natyam, Kathak, you name it and she does it! “In my modeling days, this dance training gave me grace and poise; today, it helps to keep me fit” quips the talented actress.
Get up early, run and play: Deepika attributes her body’s flexibility and agility to “the days when I used to play badminton. I used to get up early and run for 40 minutes and do heavy weight training. It helps me now in terms of flexibility”.
Her diet:
She loves to: Deepika is a diehard foodie and loves to binge on Thai food and chocolate desserts. She does not believe in starvations and confessedly, “lives to eat”. But then just as she enjoys the pleasure of being a gourmet, so does she make it a point to not miss her workout sessions either! “Only diet or only exercise won’t help in overall body weight loss. You have to combine the two” she explains.
A balance of carbohydrates and proteins: She takes a balanced diet with carbs and proteins.
Eat smart: “If it’s a dosa, I have it minus the potato filling; if I am having eggs, I take only the white portion and if I have idlis I substitute coconut chutney with a pudina chutney”. Bottomline: Watch what you eat!
A rice lover: While you may fret at the sight of rice for fear of piling on calories, Deepika being a South Indian and a self confessed rice lover, has never had to shy away from the versatile grain for the fear of weight gain. “I guess my body is so used to rice, that it doesn’t react to it at all”.
Homemade food: “During shoots I eat regular homemade food with dal, two rotis, sabzi, raita, salad or sometimes it is non vegetarian food. But if it’s studio food then I stick to idlis and very light food”.
Breakfast – a must:
Deepika has three main meals in a day, breakfast being the most important of them all. “I can’t do without breakfast. I have a huge breakfast – upma, idlis, dosa, parathas – whatever it is, I eat a lot of it.” Now you know why they say, breakfast like a king!
No rice at night:
Deepika strictly makes it a point to avoid rice and non vegetarian food at night.
Dislike curd, but: Those who hate having curd, you’ve just got company. Deepika is not the one to like curds, but she compensates for it by having milk and cheese. Do you?
For the picture perfect, Personality – her skin, hair, looks
The first thing in the morning: As soon as she gets up early morning, which is not later than 7 am, is to “have a glass of water”. “Drink lots of water to keep your skin clear” advises Deepika, yes, that is the one thing that sure has contributed to the glow and suppleness of her skin.
Cleanse, tone and moisturize: Deepika’s daily skincare includes cleansing, toning and moisturizing. “Healthy skin needs mild cleansing, for which I use gentle soaps. I use mild products that do not strip my skin of essential proteins”.
Be regular with your hair: Get regular hair cuts, so as to keep the split ends away and condition your hair each time you wash them, so that they remain flowing, and silky.
Dare to experiment: While on one day you would spot her in Jeans and a simple white tee with a hair band, the next day it would have to be a pink flowing dress with a smart up-do and in short pants and sports shoes with a ponytail the next… so keep experimenting too!
C’mon girls, let’s go the Deepika way!
Find out more on Deepika Padukone Forever site
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