Lisa Haydon And Hrithik Roshan: Shiny, Happy People

She’s a sensual yogini, he’s a focused gym buff. There could be no better ambassadors than Lisa Haydon and Hrithik Roshan for our health and tness goals in the New Year.

- Sheree Gomes Gupta

For someone who has struggled with body image issues for as long as I can remember, the mental transition from wanting to be thin to striving hard to get fit happened only two years ago, when my husband fell seriously ill and I was hit with the realisation that I need to be the ‘healthy parent’ to our 12-year-old son. Everyone needs a kick-start, and this was mine. So, I made three wise investments—I signed up with nutritionist Suman Agarwal (who doubles up as my counsellor when needed), downloaded seasoned marathoner Jeff Galloway’s ‘Easy 5K’ app on my iPhone (a run-walk programme I follow diligently thrice a week) and bought a fitness tracker to push myself to hit a minimum of 12,000 steps a day.

Being overweight for the better part of my teen years wasn’t the easiest—I still have my ‘fat days’ despite losing over 20 kilos and being in the best shape I’ve ever been post-pregnancy. Learning to love one’s body takes years of un-conditioning.

While confidence, sex appeal and curves (remember Sridevi in Chandni?) are what set our idols apart for the longest time, the noughties saw the idea of ‘size zero’ become all the rage. Everyone wanted to be like Kareena Kapoor in Tashan—incidentally, the actor has vowed never to get that thin again, for a movie role or otherwise. This decade, thankfully, has been, for the most part, about embracing health. ‘Skinny’ may not be out just yet and fat-shaming is still an evil we’ll have to deal with, but at least we have many more fitness role models to look up to, people who make you want to get off that couch and achieve your health and fitness goal. Which is why Vogue India’s January issue, with its focus on stories that inspire and empower you to be in your best physical shape, has always been a favourite for me. And this year is no different.