I don’t deny my body anything: Vidyut Jammwal

Muscly and fit, Vidyut Jammwal, 39, is known for his extraordinary physique, which has been a star in its own right in films such as Commando (2013), Commando 2 (2017), and this year’s Junglee. He has trained in the Kerala martial art form, Kalaripayattu, and believes in a constant state of awareness and a sense of purpose for every part of the body.

Learning new skills is my mantra. I try to work on different muscle groups by investing time in different areas of my body. I find the weak muscles and spend time training them, thus making sure that every bit of my body is functioning at its best.

I exercise not just as part of my day but throughout my day — while going about by chores and commitments. Sometimes it’s breathing, or balancing my body or even just sitting a certain way.

My three go-to exercises are body-balancing, where I alternate standing on each foot for five minutes; push-ups; and flexing of the fingers and toes because that has far-reaching effects across the body.

I train six days a week. On days when I am working on my cardiovascular system, I opt for skipping, swimming, running and cycling.

For food, I follow a fairly simple and regular Indian diet. Somewhere in the day, I ensure I eat dry fruit — figs, cashew nuts, almonds, dates, apricots. I have a weakness for figs.

I drink a lot of water, making sure my body stays well-hydrated. Sometimes I mix in some ashwagandha powder, muesli powder or effervescent vitamin C mix.

A bowl of green boiled veggies is part of every meal. But I also make sure I consume enough carbohydrates, quinoa being my favourite. I enjoy my pasta as much as I do my quinoa. I don’t deny my body anything — ice-cream, gulab jamun, all cravings are indulged.

What’s most important is not what you eat but how you eat it. I make sure I chew my food really, really well so that my body secretes the necessary digestive enzymes and safeguards me from stomach ailments and overall excessive fat-gathering.