For actor Soha Ali Khan, fitness has always been about taking care of herself inside out. Keeping aside an hour for exercise every day, Soha prefers doing Yoga and pranayama to keep fit. Occasionally, she also takes online zumba sessions, which is more of a fun family activity since her daughter enjoys dancing. We talk to the actor, writer and mother about her fitness regimen and more. Excerpts:
Besides being a fitness enthusiast, are you diet conscious?
I make sure I eat nutritious meals throughout the week and include a mix of nuts and seeds, vegetables and fruits, as well as pulses and grains and probiotics. I also include snack breaks, and usually prefer opting for healthier alternatives like almonds. Lunch is a conventional Indian spread, which includes a seasonal vegetable, daal and brown rice/chapati. Dinner is similar to lunch, along with a meat (fish or chicken preparation). But for both lunch and dinner, I make sure to include a big dose of green leafy vegetables and salads along with the meals. I avoid fried snacks and opt for healthier options like roasted/salted almonds, sprouts, fresh fruits, vegetables with hummus or sunflower seeds. I am personally a little weak for vegan chocolate cake.
Are you an outdoor or an indoor fitness person?
I don’t mind either actually. I practise yoga regularly which I like to do in open spaces — like the terrace or a park. However, these days I’m practising it indoors and during cool/rainy days I keep the windows open.
What were the exercises you followed to get back into shape post-delivery?
I resumed doing yoga after a month. In fact, immediately after delivery, there were a few core-strengthening exercises that I did at the hospital as advised by the nurse. It helps your abdominal muscles to get back in shape. Later, I also did breathing exercises and walked for 30 minutes daily. After several months, I got back to my usual routine of playing badminton and doing exercises to strengthen the muscles.
As a family what are the healthy habits that you maintain?
I am a very mindful and conscious person and I follow across everything I do — the food I eat, the clothes I wear or the way I run my household. My husband also has a similar thought process, and we try to live a life where we ensure we eat clean and healthy food, minimise our waste, and value everything we have been blessed with.
What are you currently busy with? Any new book or movies?
Professionally, I am going to do a couple of web series, hopefully later this year when things open up. Of course, in the past two-three months, I have been busy with mainly being a mother and also working from home. Besides that, I’m reading regularly and listening to a few audiobooks, which have been on my list for 2020. Beyond that, sometimes my daughter and I bake together, and we recently made a Jaggery Almond cake, which turned out quite well.
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@sharmidas