CELEB HEALTH

Singer turned actor Junaid Khan, who can be presently caught in multiple TV plays including Kamzarf, Yaarian and Hania, has a lot up his sleeve. He is gearing up for an upcoming TV play (opposite Hira Mani) as well as a song with his band Call while he has also signed his first film. The actor admits that he likes to keep himself busy and therefore he takes up multiple projects at a time. To one’s surprise, despite all his work commitments, he manages to take out enough time to hit the gym and is pretty serious about it!

Upon seeing some glimpses of regular gym workouts on his Instagram feed, we got in touch with Junaid to speak about his lifestyle choices and fitness goals. Though he feels he should be a health freak given his profession, he believes in having a balanced life - a life that doesn’t put too many restrictions on him as he wants to live it to the fullest. Here he shares his eating routine, workout regime and much more…

Fitness goals

Junaid isn’t in a rush to achieve any fitness goals and wants to go very slow and steady when it comes to adjusting to healthy choices. He wants to have cheat meals alongside healthy food so that he doesn’t miss out on anything. "My fitness goals aren’t very rapid. My only focus is to live a balanced and a healthy life, and have a good, fit, lean body," he shared.

Eating preferences

While Junaid doesn’t eat healthy all the time, there are a few items such as cottage cheese, oats, coffee, etc, that are a constant in his diet. He tries different combinations based on what suits his body. "I cannot cut carbs completely because they are very important for my body while I have proteins and a bit of fat aside from nutrients such as Vitamin D, D3, Zinc, etc," he informed.

Workout regime

Four to five days of workout is good enough, according to Junaid, who feels that one shouldn’t do it seven days a week because our body needs rest too. "This way your body will not feel drained, will be healthy and will also get time for muscle building," he maintained.

"I believe more in free weights at the gym," he added. "Being a guy, I think we need more of it because we need muscle. To keep my body flexible, I go for a bit of stretching prior to the workout. Once a week, I opt for some cardiovascular exercises including running, burpees, etc., while I also make sure to get into some yoga."

Mental balance

"Mental health is very important," Junaid asserted, adding that to keep the body function well, mental stability is very essential. He is of the view that to attain mental peace, one needs proper sleep and that he sleeps about 7 to 8 hours a day. "Mental health and physical fitness go hand in hand. I like to be grateful for what I have and spend time in activities and with people who make me happy and keep me grounded," he shared.

Self motivation

Self motivation is key to achieving anything in life he believes; unless it comes from within, one is unable to fulfill their dreams. Likewise, maintaining a healthy lifestyle requires a lot of motivation to keep going. For Junaid, while it comes from the fact that he is a singer-actor and has to look a certain way, it is also because he wants to enjoy the blessings of life. "I want to live it with full capacity for which a healthy mindset and a healthy life is very important along with a healthy body," he stressed.

Piece of advice

"Stay positive, sleep well, stay active, eat right, enjoy yourself and try to be grounded. It is very important to feel content and satisfied. Be happy!"