“Practicing calisthenics keeps me active, healthy and motivated,” said Shoaib Ali of Sony SAB’s Baalveer Returns

What does fitness mean to you?

  My Nana and Mama were into wrestling and fitness so I have grown up watching them and hence, fitness is an integral part of my life. I don’t do much of weight training, but instead practice calisthenics. It keeps me active, healthy and motivated so, fitness is something very important for me 

How do you keep a healthy balance between your mind and body?

I do meditation and some chanting to balance my mind and body. Whenever I get some good 15-20 minutes of time, I just sit down, relax, and focus on my breathing and the sounds that I hear. Just being there in the moment makes me feel really happy.

Following your demanding and hectic routine, how do you manage to stay fit and maintain a healthy lifestyle?

When you are shooting for around 13 hours a day, it’s really tough to maintain a healthy lifestyle. However, I make sure I eat healthy and keep a track on my proteins and carbs. My mom cooks me food, so I rest assured that it’s all healthy. Along with this, I try to work out whenever possible, on the set, in the makeup room or wherever I get around 15-20 minutes. This is how I try to maintain a healthy lifestyle while shooting for Sony SAB’s Baalveer Returns.

Do your roles require you to maintain a fit body?

Yes. For my current role of Ray in Baalveer Returns as well, I am wearing a costume, which is body-fitted. Therefore, I keep up with my workout as much as I can to maintain that physique which looks good in that costume and enhances my performance as well.

Any quick healthy snack that you rely on during your busy days?

My protein bars help me the most. I always have them with me and whenever I feel hungry, I grab one.

One food item that you simply cannot resist?

It has to be Gulab Jamun. I really love it and can’t resist myself if I see Gulab Jamun. However, to maintain a perfect diet, I try to control myself.

What kind of music do you like listening to while you work out?

I don’t go to the gym and instead work out at home. So, I listen to motivational speeches with a nice motivational background music.

What motivates you towards fitness?

The very first thing that motivates me towards fitness is myself, as I want be a better version of myself every day. Every day is important and precious, so I prefer taking a step forward daily. I look up to a lot of people, for fitness, like Arnold Schwarzenegger. I have been following him since I was very young, when I saw his movie ‘Pumping Iron’. I always wanted to be like him, though I don’t want to become a Body-builder now.

Any Fitness tip for your admirers?

I would like to suggest everyone to try to maintain a healthy diet. If you are eating healthy, if your system is getting healthy fuel, the body will work efficiently. So, give your body healthy food and spare some time out of the busy schedule, at least 10-15 minutes, to run. Also, try to figure out an exercise in which every body part has some movement. Do some body-weight workout for 15 minutes like 20 push-ups, 20 sit-ups or running for 5 minutes. Keeping the body warmed up is important.

Watch Shoaib Ali as Ray in Sony SAB’s Baalveer Returns, Monday to Friday at 7 pm