Fitness is about making a lifestyle choice for daily living. I try to pack in as much activity during the day; it could even be walking my dog. The idea is to get about 30 to 40 minutes of activity, 4-5 days a week.

Focus on exercises that build strength, endurance and flexibility. I am not chained to the gym, though it is a good place for starters. Fitness is about being healthier, looking good is a fallout. Make fitness omnipresent in your life, these choices are easier for the long term, than for a short-term regime.

To make fitness part of your life, it helps to have people around you, who think similarly. My husband is supremely fit. Sometimes we are surrounded by people who can make you feel guilty for making healthy choices.

You cannot live on a diet for the rest of your life. Ideal intake of food is finite. So, if you have a brownie, plan and compensate for it, using the input-output equation. Stay away from processed food.

When I finish exercising, my heart beat is rapid and endorphins or happy hormones are released. That’s when I meditate for about five minutes.

(Gul Panag is Actor-turned-politician, and now writing a book on fitness)

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