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FABULOUS AT 47
Mumbai Mirror | Updated: Aug 27, 2019, 06.00 AM IST

PICS: SATISH MALAVADE

By Anindita Paul

Actor Mandira Bedi shares some guarded wellness

mantras that have helped her look — and feel— the best

At 47, actor Mandira Bedi personifies ‘fitness goals’. The actor,

who is currently in the third week of an ambitious 100-day
fitness challenge that combines clean eating with a daily 45-
minute workout, has recently achieved washboard abs. Yet,
Bedi insists that she wasn’t always as fastidious about fitness.

“In my 20s and 30s, I’d occasionally hop over to the gym or go
out for a run. Since I’ve always had a high metabolism, fitness
was never a priority. That changed in 2008, when I was invited
to be a contestant on a stunts-based reality show. I was keen
on being a strong contender and that was the first time I
trained with a personal trainer, who made me do a lot of
functional training. The hard work paid off and I became known
as one of the ‘strong girls’ on the show,” she says.

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The more her body transformed through exercise, the more

invested Bedi became in fitness. “Today, I am the fittest and the
strongest I have ever been. I am training my hardest and
looking my best,” says Bedi.“I know that I don’t have age on
my side. I also know that I have worked hard to get where I am
and I am determined to stay here.”

Nutrition mantras

In the past, Bedi was willing to experiment with any diet plan
that promised results, but now she’s more “mindful”. “I’ve even
tried keto for weight loss, and it has worked for me. Even
today, if I occasionally let myself go and gain a little weight, I
will switch to keto for a few days to reach my goal weight.
However, I am aware that any nutritional routine can only be
sustainable if it is balanced. Losing weight, I’ve learnt, is the
easy part. Keeping it off in the long term is where the challenge
lies,” she shares. Bedi also steers clear of any nutrition plans
that advocate the elimination of entire food groups. Even when
it comes to sugar, which is Bedi’s weakness, she is working on
developing her ability to eat the occasional sugary treat without
her indulgences completely derailing her nutritional routine. “In
the past, I would give up sugar for extended periods. But I
don’t want to swing between two extremes. I want to be able to
eat a bite of dessert and be able to stop at that. It is this self-
control that I am constantly working towards,” she says.

Bedi’s current nutrition plan is based on the principles of

intermittent fasting, with a 16-hour fast and an eight-hour
eating window. “Earlier, I would eat for all the wrong reasons —
comfort, boredom and habit. Today, I recognise when my body
is hungry and give it the nourishment it needs, without having
to count my calories or macros,” she says. In keeping with her
100-day challenge, Bedi also posts her food diary online. This,
she says, keeps her accountable. “I eat two-and-ahalf meals
on weekdays. I break my fast at noon with fruit, Greek yoghurt
and nuts. My other two meals comprise eggs, dal and subzi, or
a salad. These are interchangeable depending on my hunger
and schedule. I make sure to get my last meal before 8 pm,”
she says. To make sure her body gets the 20 g of protein she
needs for training, she adds a scoop of protein powder to her
yoghurt or eats a protein bar. On weekends, Bedi loosens the
reins to allow larger portion sizes and the occasional treat.

Mental well-being

One of Bedi’s biggest realisations about fitness, she shares, is

the importance of tending to her emotional health. “I spent a
good part of my 20s being completely in awe of the fact that I
was in the entertainment business. In my 30s, I struggled with
insecurities about my longevity in my chosen profession where
women typically have a short shelf-life. Now that I am in my
40s, I have learnt to love myself for who I am. This is a marked
contrast to my younger years, when I was my own worst critic.
I’ve struggled with anger and depression,” she says.

A few months ago, she visited a hypnotherapist in a bid to

better understand and resolve these issues. Fitness, she says,
has been a constant source of solace and inspiration. And Bedi
doesn’t shy away from social media, and uses it as fuel for her
wellness journey. “I’ve learnt that the key to making social
media work for you is to understand what you want from it. I
use it to keep myself motivated and inspired, and to expand my
repertoire of exercises,” she says. She also spends the first 30
minutes of her workouts on prayer and affirmations, which puts
her in the right frame of mind at the beginning of her day.

█ Earlier, I would eat for all the wrong reasons — comfort,

boredom and habit. Today, I recognise when my body is
hungry and give it the nourishment it needs, without
having to count my calories

A full-body routine for Mandira Bedi’s comprises the

following exercises
█ The ‘strong girl’ workout

Bedi designs her own workouts, making sure to constantly

change up her routine so that her body does not become
accustomed to only a certain set of exercises. On days when
other commitments come in the way of her gym routine, she
makes sure to pack in an intense 45-minute home workout.
Even on rest days, she makes sure to get at least 10,000 steps
or heads to the pool for a swim. “My workouts are more
focused on endurance. I usually don’t lift heavy weights. I
combine weight training with high intensity cardio to get my
heart rate up. I typically focus on one body part a day,” she
says.

█ SET 1 repeat 3 times

Shoulder press — 15 repetitions

This exercise can be done either with dumbbells or the

shoulder-press machine

► Holding on to the handles of the machine, engage your abs

so that there is a slight gap between the lower back and the
back pad of the machine.

► Press the handles up without locking your elbows.

► Lower your arms until your elbows are slightly lower than
your shoulders.

Leg raises on decline bench – 1 minute

► Set the angle of the bench to around 30 to 45 degrees. Lie

down on the bench backwards, with your head the highest end
and hold the pads above your head for stability.

► Keep your feet and knees together as you point your legs to
form a straight plank with your body. Your legs should not be
resting on the bench. This is the starting position.

► Bring your feet up as far as possible and then lower them

back to the starting position.

► Add intensity by holding a dumbbell between your feet.

Side raises — 15 repetitions

► Hold your dumbbells by your side with your palms facing

your body.

► Lift the dumbbells with a slight bend at the elbow and your
hands tilted slightly forward until your arms are parallel to the
floor. Exhale as do you this.

► Inhale as you lower the dumbbells back down.

Squat to lunge — 1 minute

► Stand straight with feet shoulderwidth apart. Bend your

knees while keeping your upper body as straight as possible,
as though lowering yourself onto a seat behind you. Lower
yourself as far as you can without leaning your upper body
more than a few inches forward.

► Raise your body and turn to your right side. Bend your right
knee to drop into a lunge. Straighten your legs and return to
the starting position. Repeat on the other side.

█ SET 2 repeat 3 times

Close-grip lat pulldown — 10 repetitions

► Sit in front of an adjustable cable machine with a straight-

bar attachment positioned at the high setting.

► Extend your arms upwards to grab the bar. Your hands

should be three to five inches apart with both palms facing your
body.

► Pull the bar down until it touches your chest. Pause and
then slowly return the bar to the starting position.

Weighted leg raises — 15 repetitions

► Sit on the end of bench and place a dumbbell between your

feet.

► Lie back on the bench. Hold the sides of the bench, behind
your head, for support. This is your starting position.

► Raise your legs and bend your knees at a right angle.

► Lower your legs and straighten your knees to return to the

starting position.

Back row — 12 repetitions

► Sit down on the machine making sure that your knees are
slightly bent and not locked.

► Extend your arms to grab the handles. Pull back until your
torso is at a 90-degree angle from your legs. This is your
starting position.

► Keep your torso stationary as you pull the handles back

towards your torso. Breathe out as you do so. Avoid swinging
your torso back and forth as this can injure your lower back.

► Slowly return to the starting position as you inhale.

Skipping — 1 minute

█ SET 3 repeat 3 times

Decline dumbbell bench press — 12 repetitions

► Secure your legs at the end of the decline bench and lie
down with a dumbbell in each hand. Extend your arms in front
of you. The dumbbells should be at shoulder-width with the
palms of your hands facing upwards. This is your starting
position.

► Lower the dumbbells to chest-level and then push them

back up to the starting position. Take at least twice as long to
go down than to come up.

Decline bench sit-ups — 20 repetitions

► Lie down on a decline bench, which has been set at a 30-45

degree-angle.

► Place your hands on either side of your head. This is your

starting position.

► Contract your abs and raise your shoulders off the bench by
about four inches.

► Lower your body to the starting position

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Glute bridges — 1 minute

► Lie down on your back with your feet shoulder-width apart.

Bend your knees.

► Raise your hips upwards as high as you can. Contract your

glute muscles. Hold this position to 1-3 seconds before
lowering your body to the starting position.

Running — 1 minute

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