Video jockeys who are now thriving in their respective fields discuss how their varied requirements shaped their fitness trajectories
Pics/Instagram, Facebook
‘I am thankful for my thick and muscular legs’
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Shenaz Treasury
Shenaz Treasury recalls a family vacation that she had taken to Singapore’s Sentosa island at the age of 12. Having headed into the ocean on a cycle along with her sister, she remembers having struggled to return to the shore as her father called out to her. “My dad got worried because he realised that we were not fit, and made us start exercising. That’s when I was introduced to this world of fitness training,” recalls the host and travel influencer, who went on to practice multiple sports in her 20s. “Because my dad was a captain, I’ve spent a lot of time on the ship, and learned to swim [early on]. I’d pull off 40 laps.”
By the time Treasury entered college, she had a defined midriff, and was often picked for commercials. “But because I was always slightly plump, people would say [I’d benefit from] losing five kilos. I recall, even when I did Ishq Vishk [2003], Ken Ghosh [director] said I should lose weight because the other actress is so thin. [When I was younger], I took too many cardiovascular activities. I’d run across Bandra’s Bandstand and Pali Hill at noon, and also considered becoming a fitness trainer by certifying myself in step aerobics. Back then, no one told us how beneficial weight-lifting is. I wish I had [adopted] that sooner.”
Contrary to popular belief, Treasury says life as a travel influencer gives her enough opportunities to stay in good shape. “While travelling, I stay active. You’ll find me climbing, surfing, or swimming,” she says, adding that she also covers long distances on foot. “It is true that I love to eat, but I consume healthy foods. People call me a waiter’s nightmare because I instruct them to cook my meals with less salt and oil. I also don’t consume refined sugar and choose coconut sugar, dates, and fruits instead. Sure, they are still sugars, but I consume them because I don’t need six-pack abs. I just need to be healthy and feel good.”
Treasury also encourages young girls to avoid “hating their body parts”. “I spent my 20s stressing over my small belly, and no matter how well I eat, I will never lose it, unless I starve myself. Also, I was often [mocked] for my big thighs. I’d wear long skirts to hide them, and it wasn’t unless my first boyfriend gave me the confidence to [flaunt my legs] that I began to do so. Today, I love wearing shorts, and am thankful for my thick and muscular legs. Hopefully, they’ll take me through my 90s. As women, we tend to hate our bodies when we should be honouring them.”
‘When I built some muscle, I stopped getting beaten up’
Nikhil Chinapa
Being a “skinny kid with a big mouth” often landed Nikhil Chinapa in hot water. “I’d get beaten up a lot because I would say smart things to people. At some point, I got tired of being beaten up, so I decided to go to the gym to build some muscles. When I did that, I stopped getting beaten up,” he says simply, adding that weight training has been an integral aspect of his life.
Among the most prominent figures in the thriving independent music industry in India, Chinapa recalls stepping into the gym as a 50-kilo youngster who struggled to gain weight. “I’d force-feed myself, or follow my lunch with a glass of milk. Initially, I found it difficult [to build muscle mass]. I’ve never relied on protein supplements, choosing instead to opt for sources that could be procured from a natural diet.”
As the face of a celebrated music brand, Chinapa spent most of his 20s and 30s travelling across places, and was fortunate to be “put up in hotels with good gyms”. “In the evenings, I’d spend time on the treadmill,” he recalls, adding that while he enjoys adhering to his fitness routine, he “did things in an ad hoc manner”. “When I see how things have changed today, with so many fitness enthusiasts [educating us], I realise fitness is an intense [discipline] and requires focus.” And while an exhaustive profession like his can compel one to put their exercise regimen on the backburner, Chinapa says he was “fortunate to have good genes” that helped him “sustain my physique”.
It was on a Roadies trip with co-judge Neha Dhupia that Chinapa recalls having “enjoyed” a yoga class. “I’ve avoided yoga for a long time, but I enjoyed the class with her trainer. Having a yoga teacher who you can vibe with is important. I started doing it regularly, and found that it improved my mobility, and ability to lift weights. Both the activities complement each other.”
‘[Eggs benedict] is like heart attack served in a pan’
Maria Goretti
Maria Goretti says she set off on her “health journey” as soon as she learned to cook. “I have been trained in the art of French cooking. When I started to learn, I realised how unhealthy some food are. For instance, I would always order eggs benedict at a cafe, but after I learned cooking, I realised that hollandaise sauce was essentially [a mixture of] egg yolks and extra virgin olive oil. That’s like a heart attack [served] on a pan. While one part of me was soaking in the knowledge of cooking, another part was realising that there were certain things that I should be eating only once a month,” recalls Goretti, who gained more knowledge in a bid to make “tasty, but heathy” meals for her kids.
“All of us at home eat differently. Soup is made for my parents, while I enjoy eating vegetables. Arshad [Warsi, actor-husband] eats according to his schedule. I’m usually always trying to figure out how to meet all these demands. [For my kids], I make a lot of stuff with ragi and other millets, and ensure that they get [enough] protein at night. But, my parents don’t digest it easily, so I don’t give them protein before bedtime.”
Goretti’s nutritional advice is fairly simple. She stays away from foods that have a shelf life longer than two days. “Such foods are filled with chemicals that enable them to be consumable for long periods, and this affects their freshness. A lot of brown breads available in the market are not made of wheat, but are simply caramelised or artificially coloured. The safest brown bread that you can eat is a roti.” She encourages people to minimise using additional flavours while consuming vegetables because “vegetables have their own unique flavour”. “Also, when I cook at home, I make smaller portions so that I can cook each meal closer to the time it must be consumed. I understand that this isn’t possible for a lot of working couples because they will end up spending a lot more time in the kitchen, but it was beneficial for my kids. Finally, preparing for your meal is also crucial. For example, marinating meat and keeping it [aside] overnight enhances its flavour and softness. Finally, I do not mix raw meals with cooked food. So, I won’t eat a salad that has pieces of chicken in it, because the digestion of both these food items is very different.”
She encourages individuals adopting specific eating patterns to be vigilant about their choices. “Gluten-free”, she points out, need not necessarily imply that the food has health benefits. “When you opt for gluten-free foods, you may end up using nut flour, which is not particularly a low-calorie option. We have to be smart about the choices we make.”
‘A gym is where a man should come to be a man’
Cyrus Broacha
Given that he developed a deep interest in the sport of body-building early on in his life, Cyrus Broacha says his weekly routines today “look pretty standard”. “On Mondays, I train my shoulders, on Tuesdays, I work on my legs, and subsequently train my chest and back muscles on other days of the week. I target one body part every four days,” says Broacha.
The host had first connected with mid-day to discuss how he was adhering to his regimen amid the lockdown, and today, lessons learned from the phase have encouraged him to adopt new practices. “I’m terrified after the pandemic, because that is when I saw that after a couple of weeks [of rest], it was tough to work out [at the same intensity]. I don’t mind training seven days a week today. When you are in your 50s, you have to use your muscles, or you’ll lose them.”
Broacha’s passion for body-building is easily expressed when the subject of the training patterns of “Indian men” is broached. He is irked by the thought of listless “men entering the gym without the desire to train”, and refers to cardio as a regimen that’s “ too boring for my mentality”. He gets his share of cardiovascular activity with fast-paced and explosive training routines, and chides those who “walk in, do some little stretching, and step on the treadmill at a leisure pace”. “It’s not suited for the Indian body type. [Long-distance runners] end up with skinny-looking arms and legs. There’s no definition in their torso. A gym is a place where a man should train [aggressively]. It’s where a man should come to be a man.”
In the last two years, he has trained attention towards fixing his diet. “You have to think about how old you are. Once you tend to gain abdominal fat, it becomes hard to lose that. I don’t eat a lot of sweets, and don’t include carbohydrates in my first meal. When I have carbs, I consume it with protein to reduce sugar spikes. But, I will treat myself to them because I love rice. But, in the first half of the day, my diet is without flaw.”
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