Fashion designer Shilpa Reddy
Express News Service
HYDERABAD: Shilpa Reddy, an entrepreneur, model and fashion designer is a great source of inspiration to many through her push for a sustainable and healthy life. In conversation with CE, she shares her ‘secret’ to a healthy, happening life.
When asked how she manages to keep herself fit and fine, Shilpa says, “The more you use your body, the more it will work for you. It is a simple yet fundamental mechanism of the body. There is no other way to a healthy life than to have an active lifestyle — that’s just how the body is designed. Not everybody needs to go to the gym, there are multiple ways of keeping yourself healthy and fit in the comfort of your own home. It is just that most people lack motivation. For example, you can use a flight of stairs in different ways to strengthen yourself and stay active.”
Shilpa is a huge advocate of mental fitness, which she says has become a pressing topic of concern in today’s day and age, for the right reasons. “Not all mental health issues are clinical. Most of it is just our inability to manage our bodies, our minds, our emotions and our energies. Our lives are not like that of the other creatures on the planet. We come with so many possibilities and have to work to become successful and have a joyful life. Be it physical or mental, to live a fulfilling, happy and healthy life, you have to be active, invest time in breathing exercises and some kind of yoga/mantra chanting and meditation. All these work wonders to balance the energies within and create a chemistry that helps you live a holistic and joyful life.”
Talking about her daily workout routine, the fitness enthusiast says that she has been training consistently for the last 19 years. “I have tried many forms of training, but never removed weight training from my routine. I train for an hour and a half. I do full-body lifts throughout the week, adding track, functional and mobility training to them. I spend 45 minutes for my yoga kriya, breathwork and meditation.”
Everybody would love to know what goes onto her plate, and Shilpa reveals, “I don’t follow any diet in particular, but I balance my plate with 30 per cent proteins, 30 per cent good fats, no complex carbs consumed after light cooking and not too much salt. I don’t have overcooked food, my food is mostly grilled and has no sugar, no deep-fried stuff, no junk and no carbonated drinks. I eat a little bit of everything when I have to, but in an absolute portion-controlled way.”
Shilpa’s Instagram is loaded with her outdoor activities and adventures with her adorable son. “My son has always been physically active and we, as parents, have made sure that he did. He is a good swimmer and started skiing at the age of eight. This year, he started training with a professional trainer. I felt he was ready for some adventure, so, I started planning a few outdoor trips for him that would push him out of his comfort zone, excite him to do something different and make him fearless and confident, along with improving his mind-body coordination, presence of mind, agility and endurance. All this comes with loads of fun. Children don’t like too much structure till about 14-15 years of age. So, these kinds of outdoor activities excite them.”
Shilpa is known to take adequate breaks from her hectic schedules, and for good reason. On how it is important for everyone to take a vacation once in a while, she says, “People take a vacation for different purposes. But, the primary reason is to get a short break, refresh, rejuvenate and reboot yourself to come back to your aspirations with full force. My family plans a vacation to spend quality time, have undivided attention for each other and catch up on all the things that they normally don’t do on a day-to-day basis. Also, of course, engage in fun activities.”
Not everybody looks forward to their workout, and with many having resolved to take fitness seriously at the start of the New Year, Shilpa has some tips to share. “There is a world of knowledge available to everyone who is seeking it in today’s day and age. You can follow one or two authentic websites or YouTube channels by reputed platforms, people or coaches.
There are plenty of training programmes that teach you to use your own body weight and structure training for 10-30-minute workout sessions that you can learn from.” Fitness, to Shilpa, means the fundamental necessity to live joyfully and to be able to experience a larger slice of life. She continues, “My guru always says that your body and mind should never become an impediment in your life. Once you manage them well, life is a beautiful, smooth ride.”