Akshay Kumar, 58, swears by these rules to remain Bollywood’s fittest: Up at 4 am, dinner by 6 pm, fast once a week

In another conversation with Amar Ujala Samvad, Akshay described his routine in even more detail: “My day starts at 4–4:30 am. I sleep early by 9–9:30 pm.” Joking about the peace of the early morning hours, he added, “That is the only free time I get with myself because that time my wife and children are sleeping and there is no stress!”

Breaking down his day: Strict hours, no vanity van

In a long interview with Galatta Plus, Akshay explained why he firmly sticks to an eight-hour workday. “I work 8 hours a day. I personally feel when you are in front of the camera, it captures your each and every pore. After eight hours, your body gets tired. There are 24 hours in a day. I lead a very disciplined life. You need 8 hours of sleep. You need 2 hours to eat, 2 hours of workout. You need a few hours to spend with your family.”

One of his most admired habits is his absolute focus during shoots. “That eight hours that I am working, I never go to my vanity van. Once I am on set, I just want to be there. I only leave to use the washroom.”

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Eating clean: Akshay Kumar’s diet philosophy

At the launch of the book Your Body Already Knows, Akshay emphasised the importance of early dinners: “Early dinner is important. When we go to sleep at night, our eyes are resting, our legs are resting, our hands are resting—every part of our body is resting. But what is not resting is your stomach because we have eaten food late.”

 

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He explained the science simply: “By the time you get up, it is time for him to relax. But when we get up, we eat our breakfast and again the poor stomach is working… The stomach, all the diseases come from there. I think the diseases will not come near you. So it is important to eat at 6:30 pm because you get your time to digest your food, and by the time you are about to sleep—9, 9:30, 10 o’clock—the stomach is completely ready to rest.”

Akshay also fasts once a week

“I take my last meal on Sunday night and don’t eat again until Tuesday morning.” He avoids eating anything heavy after 6:30 pm, and when he does feel hungry, he sticks to light, clean choices: “Egg whites, carrots, radishes, or soups and salads.”

From long ago, his nutritionist Mohit Savargaonkar revealed that Akshay prefers sattvic food—“no spices, no onion and no garlic.”

For Akshay, Mohit said, “plain food with great flavours through fresh herbs is magical.”

When Twinkle Khanna once challenged him with “What’s in your dabba?”, Akshay shared the contents on Instagram with pride: “Eating clean is not an option but a way of life for me… Here’s a glimpse at what made me spring into action this morning—my favourite avocado on toast and chia pudding. It’s healthy, tasty, and keeps you full for hours.”

Time off: 125 days of the year

On The Great Indian Kapil Show, Akshay surprised viewers by revealing the number of days he intentionally takes off each year: “I take 125 days’ leave in a year. This includes 52 Sundays, 40 days of summer vacation, 12 days off during Christmas, and 3 days during Diwali. I also make it a point to take a 7-day break after every three months.”

 

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His philosophy behind this scheduling is simple: “We all have the same 24 hours in a day and 365 days in a year. The most important thing in life is time management… Simplicity. Don’t complicate life. Don’t take stress. Stress is extremely harmful.”

Akshay’s workout regime

Akshay begins his morning with jogging, followed by an intense, unconventional workout.

 

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“I do rock climbing, I don’t pick up weights. I love to play lots of sports, and my gym—if you see—is basically made for monkeys. I only hang. There are no weights.”

His fitness philosophy rejects heavy lifting and embraces natural, functional movement. His routine includes jogging, running, neck exercises, cycling, kickboxing, swimming, and yoga.