'You can get away with love handles'

'My only goal is I should be feeling better tomorrow than what I am feeling today.'
'And for my tomorrow to be better, I need to work on it today.'

Kriti Kharbanda doesn't have an ounce of fat on her body.

The pretty actress who loves to stay fit and fashionable doesn't believe in crash diets.

"I love all types of ice cream. Biryani is something I really indulge in and Chole Bhature too," the 30 year old tells Rediff.com Contributor Prateek Sur.

How important is fitness for you?

Extremely important. In fact, your mental fitness is more important than your physical fitness.

You can get away with love handles, but not with anxiety and sadness showing on your face.

My fitness journey began with being mentally sound.

I realised the importance of being indulged in therapy because an actor’s life is so busy that they forget to take care of themselves.

The sad part is it was happening to me as I was a workaholic.

I was working all year round. I would never take a holiday.

I would not take time off work as I would feel guilty about it.

People often say 'This is your age to work' and I was driven by that thought.

I loved playing squash and I started playing it again. I've played tennis for a good 7 years and did a lot of sports in school.

I never skipped meditation.

Do you follow a strict diet?

I eat food which is right for me and something that I enjoy.

So, if I ate ice cream I'd burn it out during cardio. This way I balanced it out.

I never went on a crash diet ever.

I ate what I wanted and worked out for the following week to balance it out.

I don't just work out to keep myself physically fit. I work out so I can eat (laughs).

Food makes me happy.

My only goal is I should be feeling better tomorrow than what I am feeling today. And for my tomorrow to be better, I need to work on it today.

So what do you eat on your cheat days?

I feel I am cheating every day now (laughs).

You have one life, live it large.

I wanted to be strict on myself before the pandemic but now I'm like 'What is wrong with me?' What if something happens to me tomorrow and I’m not able to eat something that I love to eat.'

I love all types of ice cream.

I love Tiramisu. I can eat it any day.

Thankfully I don't have much of a sweet tooth. Biryani is something I really indulge in and Chole Bhature too.

When you're not in the mood to hit the gym, how do you work out at home?

Yoga. Not only does it help fitness, it also increases flexibility and is a good workout for my mind.

Yoga is all about balance.

If your balance goes off, your chances of injury automatically increases.

The concentration that you require to do a cool dancing move and to do yoga is pretty much the same.

What about sleep? Do you get enough time to rest?

Oh, I love sleeping, just like everybody does (laughs). But it is important to be disciplined with your sleeping schedule.

You cannot sleep at 2 am and wake up at 12 in the afternoon (the following day), and say that you've got enough sleep. That is not healthy.

I am trying to get myself disciplined and get a fixed sleeping schedule. It (Sleep or lack of it) affects my mood a lot.

What does fashion mean to you?

Fashion is not about other people feeling impressed by what you wear but how you feel when you wear a particular outfit.

My style is very easy and comfortable.

A fashion trend that you dislike

I find shorts extremely uncomfortable for some reason.

Also, I don't like to wear fur unless it is winter and you're abroad.

A designer whose clothes you admire?

Sabyasachi. I've been his fan for as long as I remember.

Personally, I have always liked my traditional Indian heritage. 

Sabyasachi is original and true to his craft. I love how Indian his designs are.

I adore Indian wear. I love wearing a sari.