Kick-start A Healthy Lifestyle: Gul Panag Tells You How

6 Mantras To Keep In Mind

Build a family culture of fitness: It's important for the whole family to do something healthy and fun together: play a sport, run together or take a trek. Fitness shouldn't be a punishment! It's important to practice what you preach - a son will never take fitness advice from a pot-bellied dad!

Stop thinking about what others think: Many times we place unnecessary barriers in our heads - can I run in my locality in shorts? Will others laugh at me if I'm fat? Remove all these thoughts from your head - people admire those who are making an attempt to make themselves healthier.

Elevate your heart rate for at least 30 minutes a day, 4x a week: This is a simple goal to begin with. Ensure a mix of cardio (running, cycling, going up and down the stairs) and stength (push-ups, dumbells if you have). You don't need fancy equipment or even join a gym to begin with. Commit to it and be regular: your body needs consistency, not shock (like a huge workout once a week).

Find space, not excuses: Sometimes, people skip exercise because of, say, travel. You just need a small space in your room to jog on the spot and do push-ups. Exercise will happen as long as you want it to. Build it into your day and make it something you have to do - despite work and social obligations.

Exercise won't absolve you of the sins of overeating: There's always the risk of eating junk thinking that your exercise will cover it. Far from it. You can undo in minutes, the workout of hours. Vigorous cycling for an hour burns 600 calories, which is just half a medium pizza. Be aware of calories you're consuming, especially seemingly harmless snacks.

Indulge once in a while but be aware of your indulgence: Fitness doesn't mean you shun out your cravings! It's perfectly fine to give in once in a while. But keep it to once in a while, and plan well in advance. For instance - pick two 'cheat meals' a week, figure out when you want them and plan your life. This way, you won't deviate, plus you'll feel good rather than guilty when 'cheating'!

Now, a little more from Gul on her association with fitness!

On her own fitness story

When I was a kid, my dad (who was an army man) made fitness a ritual and took me along on runs around our place - which was a good 3 km run. He used to run with me, so I couldn't cheat or escape! So 5-6 PM became 'our time'. As a result, I became the 'fit kid in school', it just became part of my life. I realised I could focus on studies better, my energy levels were up after working out. It then became a regimen, and it's a way of life I've just carried forward to this day.

On why fitness should be on everyone's mind

Quite simply, it's so that you can live life to the fullest even as you get older: Travel the world instead of being weighed down by medical issues after you retire! Once you cross 50, it's difficult to build muscle - so it's important to be fit while you're young. There are several psychological advantages as well - you feel good, you'll think better: Endorphins are all sorts of magic! It also has a snowball effect on your diet: Once you work out, you don't feel like wrecking your health by snacking on unhealthy things. On the other hand, if you don't exercise, it's very easy to fall down the I-screwed-up-might-as-well-screw-up-some-more rabbithole and reach out for that greasy burger.

Why this is important now more than ever

Before there were white / blue collar jobs, humans used to eat a lot because their physical jobs mandated it. When machines took over, our diets didn't change - in fact, we were taking richer food! Imagine filling a car with more petrol than it can hold. That's exactly what we're doing to our bodies now. It's important to know just how much fuel (ie, food) our body needs, and work off the rest with exercise.

Some resources to help you get started

Dr. Sara Solomon's YouTube channel - fitness and recipes
Alexia Clark's & Tanya Poppet's Instagram accounts - short fitness ideas and daily inspiration
For more - Gul Panag follows a wealth of fitness experts on Instagram, which you can see here.

There are so many fitness resources out there - websites, YouTube channels, apps - just search for what you're looking for, what diet you want, how much time per day you have - you will definitely find something. Just remember - don't overthink, just get started!

And finally, on her favourite 'fitness' destinations

I try to exercise wherever I go, and it's a great way to travel. I love running around other cities when I visit - like London or Paris. Close to home, there are some beautiful treks (Kalsubai for instance) and lakes (like Mulshi Dam). Within the city, Sanjay Gandhi National Park is fantastic for the entire family, and Marine Drive is great for running if you can make the trip there!

About Gul Panag

To say she wears many hats is an understatement: She's an aviator, Bollywood actor & producer, automobile & fitness enthusiast, biker, adrenalin junkie and adventurer. She is also an entrepreneur in the fitness space, having co-founded Mobiefit, a tech company that makes fitness apps that, among others, encourages kids to get into exercise early. She is a fitness consultant and has run several workshops for clients. Catch what she's up to (and get inspired!) on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.