CELEB HEALTH

Actor-producer Aijaz Aslam, whose career in the entertainment industry spans over two decades, is winning hearts with his performance in ongoing mystery thriller Cheekh. He is also gearing up for an upcoming light hearted, comedy play, Dolly Darling that is produced by Abdullah Kadwani and Asad Qureshi and goes on air this Ramazan on Geo Entertainment.

Aijaz Aslam, now in his 40s, is one of the fittest celebrities around, fitter than many of his contemporaries. Surprisingly, he wasn’t like this forever; in fact, he was quite overweight as an adolescent and had to work hard to eventually attain a toned body and a healthy lifestyle.

"My lifestyle choices completely changed when I decided to get myself in the best shape possible; since then, I took it very seriously," he shared with Instep. "I’m not really a health freak but yes, I try to maintain a healthy lifestyle which is not easy for many people."

Aslam’s major fitness goal is to stay fit and active as long as he can. To achieve that, he follows a healthy lifestyle which includes workout and balanced nutrition. Here the actor shares his fitness regime, eating and sleeping routine …

Meals

"I don’t follow any meal plans or a particular fancy diet," Aslam shared, adding that he prefers taking meals that are balanced. He consumes two main meals a day and avoids eating after 8 at night as he believes our body does not really need any food after this.

"I eat fresh fruits during my meals; I always prefer natural foods like dates, olives, nuts, etc. in my breakfast. Eggs are my all time favorite since my childhood and I have them every day. However, I keep changing my breakfast menu so that I don’t get bored but I make sure I stick to healthier and natural options. No canned food at all."

Speaking of juices, the Cheekh actor informed that he is not a big fan of juices at all. "I think juices have a lot of sugar and no fibre (it’s lost in the juicing process). Smoothies are a better option and I like berry smoothies better."

Workout

Staying fit not only requires a healthy eating routine but also calls for some workout, at least thrice a week. The actor certainly realizes the importance of an active lifestyle over a sedentary one; hence he does some serious workout five days a week.

"I do a combination of Cross Fit yoga and weight training," he shared. "When we workout we must follow the right body posture. It’s very important. Otherwise there are more chances of injuries. Also, we should keep our mobile phones aside during our workout time."

Peace of mind

"Mental health is the most important of all and we must do something which we really enjoy to relieve our stress. I ride my motorcycle with my biking group and that’s the best stress reliever for me," maintained Aslam, who is an integral part of the Harley Davidson bikers’ group in Karachi.

Sleep also plays a significant role when it comes to mental peace and the actor does not compromise on it either. He follows the early-to-bed-early-to-rise-mantra. "I sleep early and wake up early and hit the gym early morning. For me 6-7 hours of sleep is good enough so I try to sleep as early as I can to wake up fresh."

Motivation

Adopting a well balanced lifestyle may be a challenge but maintaining it is an even bigger challenge. On what motivates him to keep up with a healthy eating and exercising routine, Aslam noted, "This lifestyle needs a lot of inner motivation and dedication. Fortunately, my acting profession demands one to look good and fit so it keeps me motivated. I love my work."

Piece of advice

"My advice for all those who want to stay healthy and fit for a longer time is to adopt a healthy lifestyle instead of going for all kinds of short-term fashion diets," concluded the actor.