Abs-olutely toned

Is a heroine’s life easy to lead? Behind the glitzy form-fitting costumes, sculpted size-zero figures, seductive dance moves and more... is hours and hours of exercise! With fitness goals being the order of the day, fans look upto stars to motivate them almost on a daily basis with the ubiquitous ‘#gymlife’ Instagram post — but where is the time? Amidst packed schedules and country-hopping song shoots, the modern-day actress hardly has time to stick to a regular gym routine or an instructor.

Parvathy Omanakuttan

To compensate the monotony and time factor, a host of alternate fitness activities that can be practised on the go — or doesn’t need high-grade equipment or space — is in vogue with these leading ladies, even in Kollywood as well. 

Kickboxing, bokwa dance workouts, aerial silk, etc. are just some of the measures that are being coveted today by the glam girls — and what’s more, they have fun while at it!

Trisha, who is addicted to workout sessions, keeps dabbling in different activities. A few months back, she put up a post stating that she has started learning kickboxing. On October 7, she took to Twitter to let the world know that she’s now into 3 in 1 aerobics, and also termed it to be a really fun experience. On the other hand, Amala Paul’s yoga routines have all her fans going ga-ga over her. Hansika Motwani is also someone who has transformed herself physically in a short span of time. 

The latest addition to the list is Amy Jackson who is currently in the city shooting for 2.0, and is heating up Instagram with her incredible, sexy postures. the actress, who recently joined Zorba, the renaissance yoga studio, is preparing for her role in the flick (rumoured to be that of a robot) by going all-in: paddleboard yoga, aerial, piloxing and hot yoga are just some of the sessions she has tried so far! 

Amy has next lined up — brick and basketball yoga sessions as well, which are aimed towards improving her core, flexibility, balance and strength of her already-toned physique, reveals Sarvesh Shashi, the founder of Zorba.

Akshara

Beauty queen Parvathy Omanakuttan, who sports a killer body, asserts that she practices Ashtanga yoga and aerial silk acrobatics. “It has been two-and-a-half years since I started doing Ashtanga yoga; it has helped me overcome injuries that are caused due to my profession. I’m expected to wear heels for hours and yoga has helped me heal. I also practice aerial silk which helps build my upper body strength and balance. I’m not someone who’d spend 24x7 at the gym — as working out builds muscles and makes me look manly! It is always a mix of everything for me.”

Pia Bajpai

Akshara Gowda of Arrambam fame gets bored easily when she is stuck onto one form of exercise. She goes on to say, “I can’t stand on a treadmill for half an hour without my mind thinking about a thousand things! I’m not a bodybuilder; my idea is to be fit. There is so much pressure on you when you’re at the gym.. why do we always have to look a certain way? When I’m working to be fit, I might as well make it fun.”

The Bogan actress stumbled upon aerial silk acrobatic when she was in the US. “I really loved it, but when I came to Chennai, I could not find a studio to practice it. I need to be mentally present when I’m working out. That’s when I started bokwa workout which is more like dancing. It helps you burn calories and take you away from the monotonous workout routine,” she shares.

However, actress Pia Bajpai begs to differ. The Abhiyum Anuvum actress says, “I’ve been into cross-fitness and weightlifting. I get that one should change their routine with time. I also tried out yoga and dance. But, it didn’t work out for me. If you concentrate on multiple things at the same time, you may not be able to perform in a fulfilling manner. That said, it differs from person to person.”
Celebrity fitness trainer Alkhas Joseph who has trained several actors in the industry, states that people expect variety in everything today. “When I was training Suriya, he learnt martial arts for the ‘Bodhi Dharma’ character in AR Murugadoss’ 7 aam Arivu. He also learnt juggling for another on-screen character. If a character demands, they learn different activities. Otherwise, I don’t see top actors find time to indulge in different workouts.”

He also adds that the trend is changing rapidly. “People expect their workout session to be fun and not boring. So, they tend to juggle different activities. At the end of the day, it is all about losing weight and staying fit. Many add aerobics or some form of dance to their routine to make it entertaining,” he concludes.

(With inputs from Gautam Sunder)