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Actor and host Faysal Qureshi shares his fitness regime and stresses on how important it is to exercise during quarantine.
Faysal Qureshi is one of the very finest actors of Pakistan’s entertainment industry. For almost threedecades, the 46-year old star has been entertaining audiences with his acting prowess and still manages to look healthy and fit. He has numerous drama serials to his credit,including Bashar Momin, Khalish, Baba Jani andHaiwan amongst many others. Faysal Qureshi recently returned to the small screen with Muqaddar, in which he essays the role of a Sindhi feudal businessman, Sardar Saifur Rehman.
While he is getting rave reviews for his performance in the ongoing drama, Instep got in touch with the actor in a bid to know how he is maintaining his fitness regime during the current pandemic.
According to Faysal, he has been following a healthy diet regime, along with exercise, since the age of 12. “I have a tendency to easily gain weight if I indulge in unhealthy foods.So out of the 12 months in a year I spend 10 months following a strict, healthy routine. Other than that I make sure to stick to my diet at least three months before any of my acting projects starts,” he shared.
Talking about his eating habits, he shared that normally he takes three meals a day; but because it is Ramazan, these days he takes two meals - sehriand iftar. As far as what nutrients dominate his diet, he informed, “Everything is very calculated, like there is a certain amount of protein and fibre that I consume on a daily basis. Apart from this, in order to stay energetic throughout the day, I include oatmeal and lots of vitamin C in my diet.”
He continued, “I avoid rice, bread, sugar, fried items and we are not ordering anything from outside so I am having home cooked food like lentils, veggies and meat. The trend of intermittent fasting has caught on like wild fire and everyone is trying it, so now that we are all fasting and go without eating for almost 14 hours, this automatically helps us burn fat. However, during Ramazan, I require a little more energy than the usual days so I eatwhole-wheat bread and oatmeal at sehri. At iftarI don’t eat oily and fried stuff like samosas and pakoras.”
He further went on to say that during this testing time, when coronavirus has infected hundreds of thousands of people across the world, it is very important to boost your immunity system. “Make sure to add two to three dates and some dried figs (anjeer) in your diet. Moreover, olives and ajwain (carom seeds) help build your immunity system. Drink loads of water – around 3 to 4 litres – keeping your body weight in mind. Water not only flushes your system but also keeps your skin glowing and fresh.”
Faysal shared that he works out six days a week and his exercise routine includes muscle training, High Intensity Training (HIT) and cardio exercises such as running and at times boxing. “My workout regime varies; at times I do HIT and muscle training alternatively for two months or so. And when I want lean muscle, I switch to cardio completely and then add HIT thrice a week,” he said.
With gyms being closed due to the global pandemic, the Baba Janiactor told Instep that it was very difficult in the beginning, but in order to stay fit and active he started HIT at home. “High Intensity Training has eight sets of exercises, but I was doing four sets initially. Now I am doing some muscle training and cardio, which is really good for the heart. Luckily I have weights at home so I have included some light weight training in my exercise routine,” he added.
Faysal also requested his fans to not laze around the house and stay active by walking for at least 30 minutes every day. “If you don’t feel safe going outside for a walk, then do some squats and pushups at home. One needs some kind of movement now that everyone is home and practicing self isolation. There are multiple training and workout videos on YouTube, just follow that. So get up and get moving,” he advised.
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to escalate, it is of utmost importance to focus on mental health now more than ever. He asserted, “It is a difficult time for everyone, but if you want to relieve your stress, start working out on a regular basis. Exercise helps increase endorphins, a hormone which triggers a positive feeling in the body. Whenever you workout you feel happier and refreshed. Try reading books and spend as much time as you can with your family. Focus on the positives, eat healthy and avoid oily and spicy food.”
