Pooja Batra and Kim Sharma reveal secrets to their fitness after 40

Day after day interacting with celebrities whorsquove defied age to flaunt enviable physiques it is evident to this writer that the seeds to good health are sown early on For Pooja Batra who is set to feature in Zee5rsquos upcoming actioner Squad it was from childhood For Kim Sharma an exercise routine became part of the lifestyle 15 years agoPooja BatraBatra grew up watching her parents indulging in a game of squash and her brother taking to swimming lessons each day At a time when few understood the relevance of sports her parents ensured that the kids took to an athletic activity after they returned from school The efforts bore fruit as Batra went on to compete in national level sprint races including 100 and 400meter dashesLater in Los Angeles she took to mixed martial arts ldquoI trained three days a week for six years and acquired a brown belt with two black stripes I find MMA good for your physical and mental health When you learn a routine and execute movements using both sides of your body you are joining the dots in your brain and keeping it active for a long period of timerdquo says BatraThe art form she says gives its practitioners the tools to enhance themselves and live a life that is more composed and disciplined ldquoIn order to thrive as a human being you need to have satva the Sanskrit word for balance Yoga and MMA lead you to live a balanced liferdquoWhen the pandemicinduced lockdown put the brakes on her MMA training Batra found herself drawn to yoga pranayama and kriya practice ldquoI am now a certified yoga teacher and did my first yoga retreat in Nosara Costa Rica in AugustrdquoThe actor was led on a path of holistic wellbeing Her wellness credentials extend to a certification in Integrative Nutrition Health IIN which taught her that the ldquobody is an alchemy of all the things you put in itrdquo ldquoIf you put gold into your body you become gold Knowing the dynamics of intake versus expression makes it simple to monitor the weight Fitness is needed to stay happy Irsquom also a hiker and have hiked to the base camps of Mount Everest Mont Blanc and Mount Baldi YosemiterdquoKim SharmaWhen Kim Sharma was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Disease 15 years ago she was given two options that could work as antidotes mdash medication and exercise She picked the latter and vowed to make it part of her lifestyle Today a bunch of activities including functional training pilates and cardiovascular work form the crux of her wellness routine ldquoI also enjoy pole dancing It has many advantages for the upper body and core For me itrsquos a refuge from weekly chores During the onehour training session I do not look at my phone talk to anyone or laugh It is a special time in the day for merdquoUntil she turned 40 Sharma says she was fortunate to have been able to maintain her figure despite her large appetite She had to learn to minimise her carb intake as agerelated metabolic slowdown began to take a toll ldquoI avoid white rice sugar and maida which has never been beneficial for anyone But I do have a cheat meal because I think abstinence doesnrsquot get you too far I am watchful of what I eat but I donrsquot deprive myself because deprivation becomes evident on your facerdquoWhile she gave a go at capoeira she says the MMA form she enjoys is kickboxing ldquoBut post 30 I focus on preservation over exertion I want to train for long and I wonrsquot take to activities that could hamper my progressrdquoKim Sharmarsquos fitness tips The most important thing is to have body acceptance Be okay with how you look and work from there Itrsquos important to have both a smart diet and smart exercise regimen Remember that you train for one hour but can ruin your regimen over the remaining 23 hours due to a bad diet Also Irsquove seen people train for three hours without achieving anything So a smart routine is crucial Fat burners supplements and things that mess with the body will also mess with the mind I canrsquot stress enough on the importance of water in a weightmanagement plan Also lack of sleep reduces your BMR which is cause for concernThe Cheats Aahana KumraWhatrsquos your cheat mealChole bhature and rajma chawalHow often do you indulgeTwice or thrice a weekCheat meal vs cheat dayUsually I stick to one serving But during festivals I can indulge all day longDo you compensate for itYes I do On the day that I indulge I do a bit of extra exercise I also train harder in the gym the next dayOn my playlist Kalki KoechlinMac DuncanRed Hot Chilli PeppersRadioheadSufjan StevensFitness tip that works forShreyas TalpadeI include a combination of training methods into my routine I couple cardio with weighttraining functional training and sports I mixandmatch to avoid getting bored