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Journalism of Courage
Actor John Abraham, a strict disciplinarian when it comes to his diet and fitness, has said there is no age bar when it comes to exercise and anybody can start it anytime. In fact, he exercises mostly in the company of elderly women.
Speaking during an “Idea Exchange” session at The Indian Express, the ‘Tehran’ actor even said that diet could change the trajectory of one’s health. John is known to have stayed away from sugar for 25 years and has turned vegan over the years. He has also gone on record earlier on how he loves a simple farmer’s meal, comprising all kinds of millets. “Anybody can do anything provided you are goal-oriented,” he said. Listen in.
Can anybody start exercising anytime?
Absolutely. So I’ll start by saying this, my training partner, the woman who trains with me in the gym, is a 74-year-old woman who is battling stage two cancer. She comes back to exercise after gaps, obviously, after a chemotherapy session. She’s hopefully going to go into remission. So the point I’m going to make is there is no age to get fit. There’s really no age. It may sound very cliched but it’s a mindset.
A lot of women feel that their life post-menopause is over and tell themselves, ‘I just can’t do it anymore.’ Please throw such thoughts out of your head. You can get fit at any point of time in your lives. And most of the people I train with or I train or I give advice to are women. So very contrary to the image I have, where people think I hang out only with dudes, I don’t.
What’s the mantra of longevity?
I just speak about living a good life. If you want longevity, quality of life, you’ve got to eat the right things, think about the right things, and be very, very disciplined. And a lot of people come up to me and say, ‘Oh, you know, work is so intense and we have no time to work out.’ I ask the men if they have a girlfriend or if they take out time to meet her. They say, ‘ya, ya, we do.’ I then tell them, ‘Think of your body as your girlfriend. Think you’re having an affair with your body. You find the time to take care of your body.’ The same applies to women too.
You are a vegan. Do plant proteins suffice in maintaining a balanced nutrition?
Yes, but not completely. I’m not an expert. I’m sure there are many dieticians out there who probably know much more than I do. But combine different plant-based protein sources through the day under guidance. I think what really matters is a combination of good sleep, good exercise and good food. It’s a tripod stand. Without one leg, you will collapse. So just do everything in a healthy balance. And you’ll find your way. It’s as simple as that.
