Sweating It Out With Ruby Bhatia- Femina

I have changed my workout to one that is more sustainable than intense. I walk on the treadmill for half an hour every day. Walking has increased my stamina and my workout lasts longer. I also do crunches on the incline bench. This way the pressure is more on the lower abs which tend to bulge. I also do a bit of weight training and stretches. I do my stretches anywhere – in the make-up room at a shoot, in the cloakroom at the airport after checking in, or at home if I am too tired to work out.

Sports I love:
I love swimming and make it a point to swim at least once a week. It is a great way to relax and gives you a lot of flexibility and grace. It is also a great way to round off a fitness routine. I also love playing basketball and used to play it in school. I think playing any kind of game or practising some sport is a great way to relax.

My trouble spots:
My lower abs where I get a little paunch is a trouble spot. I learnt ballet dancing when I was younger and used to do crunches regularly to maintain a flat stomach. I stopped for some reason in the year 2000 and have lost control of my lower abs in the last two years. Now it is very difficult to get it back to its original fit condition.

My favourite form of exercise:
Walking, as I think it is very relaxing. You can walk at your own pace and create a rhythm for your body according to your stamina and staying power.

Exercise for the mind:
I just breathe. I learnt to breathe right, thanks to my theatre experience. It is interesting how we don’t even realise that when we are tense or worried, we don’t breathe at all. So if you have nothing to do, just breathe right. I also meditate where I do ‘japa’ – chanting a name of God.

My diet plan:
I am a vegetarian. I usually have 10 almonds, two dates, and I also have a glass of beetroot and carrot juice. Before I even brush my teeth, I have a litre of water. I also eat fruit before a meal because the absorption of its nutrients by the body is the best on an empty stomach. Sometimes I have a sandwich made of brown bread, with cucumber and tomato or soyabean and paneer. These days I have a milkshake of bananas, milk, almonds and dates.

Lunch is usually a fruit like papaya or melon or an apple, and dal and subzi with either roti or rice. If I have roti for lunch then I have rice at night.

Dinner is similar unless my maid makes idli sambar or a soup or something. My dal has no tadka given to it so there is very little oil used. I keep it that way with all my food – as oil-free as possible. I also eat a salad with my meal and enjoy steamed vegetables with salt and pepper.

Bodies I admire:
I like athletic bodies like Halle Berry’s.

Tip for Femina readers:
If you want to lose weight, have two glasses of water before you eat, so you eat less. Also, carry a bottle of water mixed with the juice of two limes and no salt or sugar. Drink a bit of it whenever you are hungry, it will give you energy and you eat less.

To exercise the abs, hold your stomach in for a minute and then let it go for 30 seconds. Do this for five minutes three times a day and you will get results.