Malaika ARORA on beauty, fitness, health and wellness.
Your view of beauty?
Beauty, to me, is beauty and wellness from the inside out — as also inner and outer care. Not what people think from the outside. The whole idea is also not what others think of you, but what you think and express about yourself.
Your view on health and wellness?
You should aim at balance — balance of the mind, body, and soul. Diet is as important as exercise, so is sleep, not to speak of relaxation too. My diet plan —
- Morning. One glass of warm water with honey and lime, followed by one litre of warm water
- Breakfast. One small bowl of seasonal fruit, idli or poha, upma, or porridge
- 12:00pm. A glass of vegetable juice with amla; one egg white with two brown toast
- Lunch. Brown, or red Goa, rice; 2-3 vegetables, chicken, or fish, and one bowl of sprouts as salad
- 4:00pm. Idli, or poha, or upma, or one peanut butter sandwich
- Dinner [Latest by 8:00pm]. Soup, or salad. A light meal, but no lentils, or dal
- Night. If hungry, an orange, or carrot, or any seasonal fruit, or dry fruit, like almonds and apricots.
Plus — I follow my own cardinal rules.
- Breakfast ‘like a king, lunch like a prince, and dine like a pauper’
- No carbohydrates at night
- Don’t starve — eat healthy and everything in moderation
- Avoid fried foods
- Have a strict diet for the week and binge on Sundays
- Cook everything in extra virgin olive oil
- Have plenty of carbs through the day, like sweet potatoes, potatoes and brown bread
- If you eat healthy, you will go a long way.
Your ‘take’ on fitness
I do yoga thrice a week at home, while alternating it between gym and pilates. You’d call me a yoga junkie. Besides doing yoga, I work-out thrice a week; I am mostly into weight-training with my trainer when at the gym.
Your ‘take’ of work-life balance?
I fully believe that at the end of the day, you should love what you do. It all percolates from there. A lot of people say that I was at ‘the right place at the right time,’ but there is a level of commitment that I bring to the desk. I work with blinkers on. I’ve also always had a fiery yearning to be independent: financially, emotionally, and physically. I feel lucky for the opportunities, but I think it takes the presence of mind to grab them and stay well and also well-balanced.
Your mantra to beat stress?
Yoga and meditation. I do trikonasana with bricks, for example, to beat stress and anxiety. You too should, but only if you are at ease with the exercise, or allowed to by your teacher — because, no one is exempt from stress, or anxiety.
Note: “Malaika Arora,” as The Economic Times, reported, “is all set to foray into the literary world with her debut book on nutrition. The book will offer readers a deep dive into her healthy eating routine and cover some key elements of food and nutrition — like the relationship between eating right and overall well-being, challenges associated with food deprivation and the process of mastering discipline in eating with a guide — as also on how to mix a nutrition plan with fitness goals. The publication date, or the publisher’s name, are yet to be announced.”
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