Bhagyashree, Raveena Tandon, Madhoo Shah share their fitness secret

Bhagyashree

Bhagyashree credits her ability to have maintained a svelte frame during her prime to her healthy eating habits. "We didn't use the term intermittent fasting then, but I remember my first meal would inadvertently be lunch, followed by a cup of coffee in the evening, and then dinner. So, I was following the IF eating pattern back then too. Also, I would not consume rice and roti at the same time. Back then, if you could dance, and shoot for 12 hours a day without fainting, that was enough. Most of the actresses got their dose of exercise from dancing," says the actor, now a nutritionist, whose interest in wellness stemmed from a desire to heal herself when she was told an arm injury would require surgery.

Instead of opting for the treatment, she decided to study about wellness, and tended herself back to health. Having once been unable to practice yoga - given that it puts the muscles of the arms under stress - Bhagyashree can now pull off inversions with enviable ease. "I realised that most of our diseases are psychosomatic. When you study about health, you realise that there is a lot that you are not doing correctly. People talk about a diet as something that requires you to cut things out of your meal plan. I see it as all that [you should add] to it."

Bhagyashree

The actor admits that at home, abundant attention was paid to eating habits. With her mother being plagued with a bunch of health issues following her diabetes diagnosis at the age of 22, Bhagyashree recalls how she was "slapped so hard" for consuming a cola, one day. "I realised that if we attend to our health early on, and consume everything in moderation, weight can be maintained. I don't subscribe to calorie counting, and consider it important to eat a variety of foods because they all contribute to one's health." Bhagyashree kicked off her routine with calisthenics and pilates, before graduating to other forms of body-weight training. She paid attention to muscle movement, and focused on rectifying imbalances by being attentive of her form, instead of the number of repetitions she could pull off.

‘Filmmakers would cast actresses even if they were not skinny'

Raveena Tandon

Raveena Tandon is among the few actors who have admitted to abiding to a less favourable culture in the '90s. "There was a wave [of starvation] that led to bulimia and anorexia, and I saw many suffer because of it. I tell women that if they want to have a family, such practices can affect their ability to conceive," says the actor, now a proponent of healthy habits like consuming steamed food, and juices. "Now, my family and I derive benefits from consuming grains like jowar, bajra, and ragi, which are extremely underrated. We have swapped oil for ghee."

Raveena Tandon

Tandon agrees that filmmakers in the '90s were not apprehensive about casting actresses who had heavy frames. "Actresses were comfortable in their skin, even though there was a lot of body-shaming from journalists who now call themselves feminists. Activities like yoga and aerobics were popular then. The tendency was to be self-reliant, instead of depend on a trainer. Weight-lifting was unfortunately not a concept promoted among actresses, but, male actors took to it diligently. Actresses were [consumed] by the concept of toning their bodies. Today, health ambassadors have created an awareness about fitness. That is a good thing."

‘Fitness isn't about an hour in the gym'

Madhoo Shah

Like Bhagyashree, Madhoo Shah attributes the healthy practices that she unwittingly took to in childhood, for keeping her in good stead during her prime. "I would spend five hours outdoors, playing cricket, running, or taking to other sports. I'd return home hungry, and eat like a beast. We were never told to eat limited rotis, or avoid carbs at night. Due to the muscle memory that was developed early on, my body was conditioned to burn calories at a faster rate, and [even though I didn't exercise] as a working actress, I never lost shape," says the actor, adding that making her debut in the "era of action heroes" implied that attention was paid to the fitness of the male actors alone. Actors like Akshay Kumar, she says, encouraged outdoor training, only considering the benefits of hitting the gym in recent times. "Of course, actresses wanted to look good, but there was no defined figure that an actress should have had. Even if one was heavy, it was okay."

Having indulged uninhibitedly during her first pregnancy, Madhoo found herself 30-kilos heavier, even after delivery. The weight came as a rude shock for the actor, who has been considering her humble indulgences as "pregnancy cravings". Having turned her attention to learning about wellness, she paints a realistic picture of establishing a lifestyle around appropriate habits. "Everything begins by understanding that the mind, soul and heart need to be on the same page. Fitness is not about the one hour that you spend in the gym. Of course, you need to spend that hour, but everything else that you do in the day must contribute to your health. Stay active, walk the dog, sit less, and don't stuff yourself." While she is mindful of what she consumes, she makes light of the tendency of waiting for a Sunday for a cheat meal, should one crave for it on a Wednesday. "If I want to have a cheat meal today, I will have it today. When your soul wants something, your mind and body should agree. Similarly, if your mind has decided that you want to look a certain way, so that you can enjoy a promising life, your soul should willingly partake in enabling that. If salads are good for you, you should not crave tandoori chicken. If your mind and body are aligned in this manner, you can nourish yourself into good health, instead of beat yourself into it."

Madhoo Shah

The prominence given to fitness trends like pilates and calisthenics today was given to "silly" diets, in the '90s. "People would go on idli, watermelon, or pineapple diets, where they'd only eat that one food all day. I don't see how that is beneficial. Also, I don't subscribe to the concept of counting calories. What does one mean when they say that one can eat only four grapes, or five almonds in a day? What kind of lifestyle is this?"