FIT AND FABULOUS - TAHIRA KASHYAP KHURRANA

How the writer and filmmaker achieved the best shape of her life without resorting to crash diets or giving up her beloved dark chocolate

- SANDIPAN DALAL

In an era where fitness journeys are often chronicled through quick transformations and extreme diets, Tahira Kashyap Khurrana has been wowing everyone with a refreshing and sustainable approach to fitness on Instagram for months now. The director, writer and producer, who is married to actor Ayushmann Khurrana, has managed to get into the best shape of her life without succumbing to crash diets or abandoning her love for dark chocolate. Her story is one of balance, gradual progress and mental wellbeing, using social media as a tool for accountability and support.

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

Tahira’s fitness journey commenced during the 2020 pandemic lockdown. Like many, she found solace in comfort food, indulging in peanut butter, jam and malai toast sprinkled with sugar. This indulgence led to a gradual weight gain, which she humorously noted in her Instagram series, Lockdown Tales. However, it was a routine blood test that truly motivated her to change. “I got my blood works done, and my cholesterol was a little high and a few other parameters were a little haywire,” Tahira recalls. “I was like, this is no age to have this sort of spike. And these things should be in my control. That’s when my fitness journey started.”

To ensure consistency, Tahira turned to social media for accountability. She began documenting her fitness journey with the hashtag #IShowedUp. This simple act of posting her gym visits, even on days when she didn’t feel like working out, instilled a sense of accountability to both her followers and her. “Social media was a big crutch for me. I put that hashtag, #IShowedUp, and even on days I really didn’t want to work out, I still went to the gym,” she explains.