Happiness key to good health: Neil Nitin Mukesh

The actor has been hitting the gym since a tender age. “I was very active as a kid and my parents often tell me how I’d never sit in one place. I could climb the compound walls of our house with absolute ease. Later, I would exercise on pull up bars. So, I was always athletic. I was also into aerobics and gymnastics,” he says. 

He focuses on one body part every day. “I follow a six-day workout routine along with cardio every alternate day. There are times when I do cardio daily, depending upon the body type I’m trying to achieve. I usually spend around an hour and 15 minutes every day. I do three sets of six exercises, 15-20 repetitions per set. It’s followed by cardio for approximately 45 minutes to an hour,” says Neil. “Every day, post workouts, you can catch me on the tracks running around,” he adds. 

“Happiness is the key to good health. There is a misconception that fitness is all about acquiring six-pack abs. It’s about your core strength. Also, a combination of right food and workout is essential for optimum results. For me it’s 70 per cent diet and 30 per cent workout. You are what you eat,” he muses. His day starts with fruit followed by two slices of brown bread toast, a bowl of porridge, dates and six egg whites. Lunch is usually boiled vegetables or a bowl of vegetable broth without salt and steamed fish. For dinner, he eats lots of steamed fish and boiled vegetables.