If you’ve gone through Mohsin Abbas Haider’s timeline on Instagram you must have seen a lot of work-out footage, among other things. Mohsin has been involved in some rigorous workouts for the last couple of years, owing to his profession and very public image that demands he always look his best. But, Mohsin says, he’s been a fitness aficionado since his college days; in fact, he was very keen on gymming even when he was a child.

Gearing up for his film Baaji that releases next month, Mohsin Abbas Haider spoke to Instep about achieving his fitness goals, managing workout sessions despite a tough routine and lifestyle choices that define him.

"When I am not up for a role that requires me to hit the gym, I eat everything - from junk to street food to what not," he began to share, adding that he is a foodie. "However, when I have a target to achieve, I cut off carbs from my diet that comprises very less spices; I go for a hardcore diet - egg whites in breakfast, salad or chicken for lunch and fish/steak or red meat for dinner, with fruits and juices in between."

Speaking of his fitness goals, Mohsin added, "I have never wanted to be heavy or muscular - that was never my goal. I have always liked to have a lean, toned body and I aim to stay like that."

Mohsin, who garnered much appreciation for portraying a child molester in last year’s social drama Meri Guriya, shared that he hits the gym twice a day when he has a target to achieve while he works out once during the day when he isn’t prepping for a role.

"Our work requires us to exercise, to look good onscreen," he admitted. "We tend to look bigger on the screen as opposed to off screen so if we gain some pounds, we look fat."

The artist revealed that he has a personal trainer, Shabbir Ahmed Khan, at Structure Gym in Lahore who was recommended to him by writer-actor Vasay Chaudhry. The trainer makes sure Mohsin attains his goals, despite his tough work and travel schedules, and the secret to his six-pack abs is a lot of cardio exercises.

"The major part of my workout comprises weight lifting while it incorporates aerobics at times; I don’t do yoga," Mohsin noted, adding that his trainer keeps it very simple for him.

Besides workout, a good amount of sleep is also extremely important, according to Mohsin. He shared that when he is working out a lot, he sleeps really well. However, the nature of his work doesn’t allow him enough time to sleep; he works till late night and travels a lot so it becomes a tough task to get enough sleep. Still, he believes that around 7-8 hours of sleep is essential and those who are able to get this much sleep are very lucky.

Adopting a healthy lifestyle can be a tough job but maintaining it is even more challenging. One needs constant motivation to keep up with healthy habits and routine. For Mohsin, motivation comes from three sources. 1) He follows some pages on Instagram that have motivational content, 2) he loves himself and has a desire to look and feel good about himself, and 3) he reminds himself of those who don’t want to see him succeed and this proves to be quite helpful.

Moving on, when asked about maintaining mental peace and how important it is to him, the 33-year-old artist replied, "At the end of the day, everything boils down to mental health. I have spent half of my life by now and I have come to realize that when it comes to mental health, professional help is very important - one should go for it. Just like physical fitness for which we go to the gym, for mental health issues we need to seek help from relevant professionals."

He furthered that working out is also therapeutic. "Once Shoaib Akhtar told me, ‘Whenever something is bothering you and you are stressed out, go running until you are totally drained. It helps distract your mind and serves as a therapy’," he recalled.

On a parting note, Mohsin has a very useful advice for his fans and readers. Being the only son to his mother, he always tried to stay away from things that could damage him or affect his family and he advises the same for others.

"Stay away from habits (drugs, smoking, alcohol) that control you rather than you controlling them. Work on attaining a beautiful body, mind and go for healthy lifestyle choices. Be proud of yourself and let your parents be proud of you. All the best!" he concluded.