Ileana D’CRUZ on beauty, fitness, health and wellness.
Your view on beauty?
Colour doesn’t define beauty. Be yourself, always. I keep my make-up to the basic eyeliner and mascara and wear hues of reds and pinks on my lips as well. I’ve tried every kind of hairdo across the board. Everything from sleek, straight hair, smoothened-back buns to side ponytails and crimped hair are my choice of looks. I’ve taken to a texturised ponytail more than once, including a messy braided bun and picked the basic blowout when needed.
Your ‘take’ on fitness?
Being naturally slim, I do not have to do much, but there are a few things that I do. I love to do activities like dancing, skipping rope, swimming, or running on the beach. I do not like to spend too much of time in the gym. I find it claustrophobic, and get dizzy on a treadmill.
Running. Being a Goan, it is easy for me to run on the beach. I feel it liberates me. I go for a run, three times a week, 4km every time. Running makes me feel better and I prefer to alternate between a slow jog and fast running. The short-high energy bursts accelerate my calorie burning. Running also seems to have chiselled my famous cheekbones.
Swimming. My favourite exercise is swimming and I love doing different kinds of strokes, like the butterfly, the breast and the backstroke. I can do 100 laps once I get into the pool. The combination helps tone my chest, inner thighs, shoulders, buttocks and arms.
Your view of health and wellness?
Diet ‘rules.’ When it comes to food, I love eating, but I control myself with a number of small meals which I eat throughout the day. I love eating simple meals with loads of protein and pulses in it, as well as fruits and vegetables.
On my plate. I don’t believe in crash dieting. I start my day with breakfast — fruit juice followed by two poached eggs with two slices of whole wheat bread [toasted], an hour later. I finish it with coffee and a little milk. Between lunch and breakfast, I sip on coconut water, or sweet lime juice. Lunch is at 1:00pm. It includes two chapattis, dal, chicken, or fish, and vegetables, such as cauliflower. For evening snacks, tea and a khari biscuit are good enough. Dinner is the same as lunch.
My cravings. I’m fond of eating sweets — rasagullas, rasmalai and dark chocolate. But, in order to maintain a healthy weight, eating too much at a time is a big ‘no’ for me.
Your ‘take’ on work-life balance?
It’s a thin dividing line — it all depends on you; as to how you balance the two without wobbling your own, or someone else’s, feathers, or nerves. Remember: it’s always good to be yourself and balanced.
Your mantra to beat stress?
Relax. Meditate. Exercise. If you don’t find the ‘flow’ not going the way you want it to, just switch-off for a while. Go back to your relaxation mode. This will now work to your advantage.
