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Model Prabhjot Singh, a mechanical engineer from Government College, Ludhiana, and a ramp model by profession shares his fitness mantras.
"Bananas do not make you gain weight. They contain less fat than a piece of chocolate. It is good to include bananas in your diet. They keep you full, give you energy and are good for your mood. They help you stay happy and positive," says Prabhjot who also produces music under the brand name Muzical Doctozs in Punjab.
This engineer-turned model aspires to become a director one day. An avid biker, Prabhjot has converted his Royal Enfield 535 into a Café Racer and owns three Yamaha RD 350s. "I am a big Yamaha fan," he says. When asked about a Yamaha he would die for, pat comes his reply, "Yamaha RD VMax."
A vegan for a past one year, Prabhjot shares his fitness mantras.
How do you maintain your body? Please share your fitness regime…
For me fitness is more about diet and not just workouts. I am a vegan and being one I don't just not eat meat but also don't eat dairy products like milk, butter or ghee.
You are from Punjab and yet don't relish milk and dairy products?
It's been a year since i turned vegan. I used to eat everything before.
Isn't that torture?
No, it's not. It makes me feel beautiful and good about myself. I know I am not killing any animal.
So, it is more than just diet that helps me stay fit.
You don't do workouts?
I do exercises but not that often any more as I used to do it before. I have been studying a lot about workouts and what I found out is you are not supposed to workout everyday. You can do other things that can help you tone your body and burn excess fat.
So, when I feel like working out, I go to the gym. Otherwise, I run almost 45 minutes to an hour and do yoga.
That's what keeps me fit.
How do you maintain your fitness schedule during fashion weeks or other modelling assignments?
Yes, it goes for a toss, drastically. In a day, a model walks five to six shows.
So there's not much time to go to the gym. Every model wants to do gym and look good.
How do you keep yourself fit during fashion week?
When we don't have shows, or before fashion week starts we do our workout. It is not that you workout for just a day and your physique stays with you. You workout regularly and your fitness stays with you.
Could you tell us about your healthy diet routine?
I eat lots of salads for breakfast and dinner. I love to eat greens because they are very essential for your body. It has got all the necessary nutrients to help keep your body fit. I do keep munching on nuts whenever I can. Earlier, I would eat chocolates, but almost a year ago, I started eating nuts instead. That is how I fulfill my cravings for sweets.
What do you have for breakfast, lunch and dinner?
It is good to eat all these three meals at a fixed time but being into modelling, one cannot afford to have a fixed routine.
I try to have my breakfast between 9 to 10 am. I prefer to eat watermelon and other fruits. You are supposed to eat fruits early morning. If you eat fruits later, it is believed it is not good for your body. So, mornings starts with fruits.
Lunch is cooked food like dal, roti, sabzi – that's what we cook at home; I love to cook food.
For dinner, again it is salad or if I feel like again I eat rotis.
When did you last eat non-vegetarian food?
Last September during the fashion week I ate non-veg. After that I became a vegan.
Your favourite healthy dish…
Does it have to be healthy and favourite as well? (Laughs). That's tricky.
I think my favourite healthy dish is obviously a fruit. Mostly, you will find me eating bananas. I consume around 20 bananas a day.
But it is not showing anywhere. People think that eating bananas makes you gain weight…
This is the myth that all these guys around (models and fitness/calorie-conscious people) need to break. Bananas do not make you gain weight. They contain less fat than a single piece of chocolate. It is good to eat bananas. They keep you full, give you energy and are good for your mood. They help you stay happy and positive.
Your fave cheat food…
Pizzas, no doubt. Whenever I feel like breaking the rules or going off the track, I order pizza.
How often is that? Or how rarely do you indulge yourself with pizzas?
If you want to know the truth last month, it was kind of, every second day. But now it's been a month that I haven't had pizzas. But even when I order pizzas, I cannot have cheese so I order one without it, which is funny for the pizza guys as well.
Your top motivation for workout…
I am my own motivation since I was a school kid. I have been into sports all my life; I have played national level football too.
Before we started this interview you said that you are not fit and asked me to interview somebody else who was better at fitness. Now, you are saying that you have always been fit!?
I am fit enough but somehow models are not supposed to be 'okay' with whatever fitness they have. You need to have some complaints about your fitness so that you go, 'Oh, I need to keep this thing better'.
Everyday you should have some complaint about your own fitness. That too keeps me motivated.
Being your own competitor is the best fitness motivation for me to hit the gym or keep fit.
Photographs: Courtesy, Lakme Fashion Week