Shilpa Shetty Kundra, the fitness conscious nay fitness freak diva of Bollywood had recently participated in the Saffolalife event on the eve of World Heart day Celebration in lieu with Chef Kunal Kapoor and VJ Cyrus Sahukar at Hotel Grand Hyatt in Santacruz, Mumbai.
What is your take on being a part of the celebration of Saffolalife’s event on the eve of World Heart Day?
I feel great and really excited to be a part of the Saffolalife endeavor that is inspiring people towards a better heart which in turn encourages them to live a healthy life through simple and small steps which are very enjoyable yet effective. Besides I personally believe that the most important thing is to choose a physical activity that works for you and your routine and one which can also lead you to make it a regular habit.
What was the turn of event that lead you to be a total conciseness of fitness?
The birth of my son Viaan Raj Kundra. That is when my disciplined approach towards fitness began. Prior to his birth I was hardly conscious of keeping myself fit & fine. At that time my fitness routine was limited to my profession as an actor. In fact I just used to love to gorge on junk food and eat about anything and everything. I often used to put on weight and then take refuge in workouts to loose my excess weight. But now its reverse. I have turned a total fitness freak and I also take great care of my dietary regime.
What kind of dietary habits one should adopt to always have a healthy heart?
First of all one should believe in the saying, one which is also backed by Saffolalife, “Eat your way to a healthy heart” which is not difficult to put into practise in our day to day life. I would say that the dietary habits are having more food comprising of fibre. Then one should also not skip a meal, no matter what, one should at least have small portions at the right and prescribed time and one should also not forget to drink a lot of water from time to time to ensure that our body remains fit and fine and our heart remains healthy. One more thing is that one should eat one’s food, no matter what you eat, by chewing it properly. One should not just eat in a hurry just to fill one’s tummy. But one should take enough time to chew the food so much so that our saliva gets properly mixed with the food we eat and which in turn will help in proper digestion. All said and done I am most happy that at least Saffolalife is inspiring people to take such small steps towards a healthier lifestyle.
What are the 3 Saffolalife mantras to have a healthy heart?
They are very simple and could always be adopted very easily. The mantras are 1) Eating Better 2) Staying Active and 3) Being Happy.
What is your personal mantra to have a healthy heart?
The following is not my mantra but something that I have come across and I also believe in it, “Eat your food as your medicines. Otherwise you have to
eat medicines as your food. And the 5 Best Doctors in the World are 1.Sunlight 2.Rest 3.Exercise 4.Diet and 5.Self Confidence
So all these proper fitness regime had inspired you to pen down your dietary rules and regime in “The Great Indian Diet”?
At one point of my life I had thought that something was going wrong and a lot of it has to do with what we eat. I was always meditating regularly and even used to practice yoga at least 5 time a week and I have also come out with a Yoga CD. I had started practising yoga since I was in the Big Brother’s house. So I thought why not a book on the Indian Diet and its rules and regime and the result was the book titled “The Great Indian Diet” and believe me both my Yoga CD and the book was really well received and they sold like hot cakes. But incidentally speaking I had co-written the book with a lifestyle coach and health expert Luke Coutinho. Oh My God!!! I feel as if I am promoting our book “The Great Indian Diet” once again and that too on the Saffolalife’s platform!!!
You had also taken part in Saffolalife’s other campaigns namely “Walk Together” & “Protect Her Heart” along with your better half Raj Kundra. How was your experience then?
The experience was no doubt superb and enlightening. You see every year Saffolalife comes up with newer campaigns to coincide with the World Heart Day. I just love to be a part of these campaigns which always urges people to take “Small Steps To Healthy Heart”. That apart these campaigns also helps us to know the benefits of being active and above all being happy. You see with our over demanding lifestyles these days, the one thing we can really do for ourselves is to choose our reactions to the things around us. I for myself think that it is all about finding joy in little things. Besides the Saffolalife campaigns, held every year, enlightens us how the simple act of being happy, laughing or simply spending quality time with your family can help in having a healthier heart and healthier life as well.
Nowadays you are seen as a small screen judge in Sony TV Channel’s Super Dancer. So what else is happening on your professional front.
Frankly speaking nothing much to speak about at the moment. I can’t even say that I am waiting for the right break with a meaty role, either on the big screen or the small screen. All that I am being offered these days are to judge reality shows. But honestly speaking how many such offers can one take on. But nevertheless I am happy doing what I am doing and I am really enjoying every moment of it. At the moment I am very happy judging Super Dancer along with Geeta Kapoor and Anurag Basu. Even the participating kids, even as small as 6 years, are phenomenal. They are just terrific and extremely talented. At the moment we are passing through the show’s newly attempted phase of “Grand Premiere”. But sadly enough this show will also come to an end soon with its “Grand Finale”.
