I’m now down to a single cup of tea a day: Tisca Chopra talks fitness

The actor says she loves yoga and can walk for miles, but running around after her six-year-old daughter is the best kind of exercise.

Tisca Chopra shot to fame with Taare Zameen Par (2007); wrote, produced and acted in the short film Chutney (2016), which has 124 million views on YouTube; and is now in Hostages, a Hotstar series directed by Sudhir Mishra. Her fitness mantra: Love your body, and it will love you back…

(Photo courtesy: Ajay Kadam)

I believe I owe it to my body to keep it supple and fit. Mornings are the most crucial time of day for me. I like the silence. Yoga, meditation and some chanting help me orient mind and body right. I plan to add some weight training to this routine; I’m just waiting for a shoulder sprain to heal.

Yoga is my all-time go to exercise. When I travel, a yoga mat accompanies me.

I also love walking. Not much of that is possible in Mumbai, but when I’m in the mountains especially, I can walk for miles and miles. Running around after my six-year-old daughter I think is the best kind of exercise.

For diet, I follow intermittent fasting pretty strictly. I don’t eat after 7 pm or before about 10.30 am. I have a massive sweet tooth that I am constantly struggling to control, but I don’t like alcohol, so that’s a big plus. I do drink at least 2 litres of water a day, and include chia seeds in whatever form I can.

At every meal, there is salad and vegetables. And I eat seasonal vegetables like doodhi, karela, tinda and lotus stem. I also eat eggs and fish, but no other animal protein. If I am hungry between meals, I snack on almonds and walnuts.

I used to love tea but I’m now down to a single cup — a good elaichi tea in the morning. I am not tempted by food so much. A certain discipline has become second nature.

My guilty pleasures? Frozen yogurt, walnut cake, piping hot tea… and pani-puri.