6 min readNew DelhiMar 21, 2023 04:30 PM IST
First published on: Mar 21, 2023 at 04:30 PM IST
From her diet, her favourite meals, her exercise routine, to her struggle with PCOS, Anshula Kapoor has been candid about it all. But, for the 31-year-old, who recently also shared her weight loss journey, the key to a healthy life lies in having fun while keeping oneself active throughout the week.
“On some days ‘exercise’ means I hit the gym and do a traditional weight training program…but on other days it means I put on a dance playlist in my room and just get goofy for a half hour of fun!” she captioned an Instagram video that showed her weight training with a cable pulley workout, as well as dancing.
Explaining that the ultimate idea is to get some movement, she said, “The goal is to have fun doing some kind of movement 5-6 times a week. It took me a while to do this, but once I stopped looking at exercise as a form of punishment for what I’ve eaten in the week, I found myself looking forward to working out a whole lot more. Now when I look at it as a way to have fun, I feel like it has a positive effect on my mental health too,” she added.
This is, however, not the first time actor Arjun Kapoor’s sister has spoken about living healthy in the truest sense of the word.
Anshula Kapoor also shared a video on her Instagram Stories (Source: Anshula Kapoor/Instagram Stories)
“For me today, being ‘healthy’ means so much more than what I look like in the mirror,” she wrote on the social media platform.
“One of my first steps to becoming a healthier me was to acknowledge that mentally I wasn’t in the best place, and that I had to address what was eating me from the inside before I could even begin working on anything else. This was the most uncomfortable part. And the most difficult part too. It took so much therapy. So many tears. So much uncertainty. Fear. Setbacks. Discomfort. Self doubt. Then came the self realisations. Thus began the healing,” she added.
As part of her workout regimen, Anshula had shared that lat pull downs — known to help develop the latissimus dorsi muscles that cover the back and activate the muscles of the middle back as well as the biceps — are her favourite exercise.
Here’s what comprises Anshula Kapoor’s workout (Source: Anshula Kapoor/Instagram Stories)
Sharing details about her massive weight loss transformation, Anshula noted that while the “trainers keep changing my program” it’s basically a strength workout with some functional training thrown in to the mix towards the end of each session. “In a week, we do strength training four times and 1-2 days, I end up doing cardio,” she revealed.
On what a typical diet at home looks like for her, Anshula had listed:
Breakfast: Egg and one toast with black coffee, or egg, and half avocado.
Post breakfast: Black coffee
Lunch: Typical Indian — 1-2 ragi rotis, 100-150 grams boneless chicken + big bowl of sabzi. “I am not picky about vegetables. Cook it Indian style and I will have just about anything,” she said. Or occasionally a quinoa or lentil-based pasta with a vegetable salad and some grilled chicken or chicken wings.
Anshula Kapoor’s diet looks like a balanced one (Source: Anshula Kapoor/Instagram Stories)
Snack: Depending on how hungry I am or if it’s pre or post workout, any of the following two things: A fruit with nut or nut butter. An egg sandwich or vegetable sandwich, or some chicken and vegetable kebabs; or a protein shake with some nuts, or a thepla or 2.
Dinner: Roasted chicken or tandoori chicken with grilled vegetables on the side, or ragi rotis with boneless chicken cooked Indian style + a bowl of sabzi (Indian curry)
Post-dinner: I stay up late. So, if I get hungry post dinner, it’s usually a protein shake or a small protein-based snack. However, born with a sweet tooth, Anshula also revealed that she likes to dig into desserts like “most gooey chocolate cakes, the ones with the molten lava in the middle”.
Why staying active matters?
Doing aerobic-exercise for 150 minutes or more in a week has shown to help the body fight illnesses, according to World Health Organization. In essence, any form of physical activity at any time of the day is beneficial.
“Regardless of form of activity, being active improves the body’s glucose homeostasis and improves the body’s cells’ response to insulin,” said registered dietitian Garima Goyal.
Even an activity like brisk walking for 30 to 35 minutes a day for a minimum of five days in a week has benefits for health, said Dr Pradip Shah, General Physician, Fortis Hospital, Mulund. “It roughly burns 125 to 150 calories and if you walk for 10,000 steps, then it will burn around 500 calories,” Dr Shah said.
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Anshula Kapoor on what exercise means for her (Source: Anshula Kapoor/Instagram) 
Anshula Kapoor also shared a video on her Instagram Stories (Source: Anshula Kapoor/Instagram Stories)
Here’s what comprises Anshula Kapoor’s workout (Source: Anshula Kapoor/Instagram Stories)
Anshula Kapoor’s diet looks like a balanced one (Source: Anshula Kapoor/Instagram Stories)
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