Staying fit with a back injury isn't easy. Former Miss Universe, actor and entrepreneur Sushmita Sen reveals how she walks the tight rope
A slip disc while shooting for a film in 2006 left Sushmita Sen unfit to perform even the mundane gym exercises. "Restricted from working out and doing a lot else, I ended up with tonnes of weight," she says. That's when she got introduced to Aerial silk (AS), a broad term for a form of dance that involves hanging in the air using specially made fabric.
"I could have complained about a bad back for the rest of my life or done something about it," says the doer, adding that her doctor is surprised at the difference it's made to her body. "There are things I can do that someone grappling with my sort of back injury would find tough to under nor mal circumstances," she adds.
Ready to hit the spotlight with new films in the pipeline, Sen is sporting a svelte new body. Here, she tells us, how she got it back.
A touch of silk
My workout keeps changing through the week. It switches between internal training -walking, running, skipping, and strengthening. I don't like the idea of working out for hours, but keeping my body active from head to toe works. I am not enthusiastic about weight-training, like I was earlier.
AS is a mix of yoga, dancing, ballet and one of the most disciplined martial arts, Kallaripayatu. It's now a part of my everyday workout and on days, when I am not doing it, I do stretches. They give me a blood rush to stay charged throughout the day and keep my skin glowing. Because you are using your own body weight, each and every muscle is working out, leaving you toned.
What I like about AS is its meditative feel. You need to have the ability to lift the entire weight of your body to perform it -this comes with practice. Beginners find it tough, and must start slow, but anyone can do it really, and once you are into it, it's pure bliss.
I used to find going to the gym torturous. With AS, I look forward to mornings.
Battling water retention
My face and tummy are my problem areas. When my face starts to feel chubby, I know there is an issue with my weight. Water retention is another concern and I try and monitor my diet to keep it under check.
A typical breakfast includes a bowl of fruit within 10 minutes of waking up, followed by a glass of warm water.
Breakfast is two toasts with six egg whites made like a French toast. Two hours later, I eat a pear.
Lunch, which is after another break of two hours is half a bowl of black dal, one bowl of gobi sabji, a piece of fish cooked in foil with ginger and coriander, one bowl of rice and two rotis. Evening snack is limited to four biscuits. Two hours later, I have a glass of vegetable juice.
Dinner is half a bowl of dal, beans and one measured bowl of onion-cucumber raita or plain dahi with masala. Sometimes, I have two rotis and three egg whites. I ensure I have at least 14 glasses of water through the day.
Luckily, I don't have a sweet tooth. I usually don't include sugar in my meals. Otherwise, I give my body pretty much everything. I eat a pastry if I feel like it. But, since my body is not used to over indulging in sugar, I usually find it a challenge to finish a whole one.
What I do gorge on is sushi. This is the only dish I don't mind over indulging in. There was a time when my friends would pray I wouldn't start eating it for breakfast, too.
Mind over body
My fitness advice is, discipline your mind and your body will follow. Most of us believe fitness is about training your body. But, unless your mind is disciplined, your body will resist every attempt to get fit. And, once in your lifetime, try AS -it's an experience that will leave you liberated.
BDST: 1249 HRS, JUNE-15, 2014
