DNA iCan | Your body has to be functional, says Shahid Kapoor

Shahid Kapoor’s tryst with fitness started when Shah Rukh Khan joked about his lanky body during one of his performances with Shiamak Davar’s dance troupe. Shahid fondly recalls the incident which changed his take on being fit. Today, he is one of the fittest heroes in B-Town.

Ahead of the DNA iCan Women’s Half Marathon, we talk to him about his idea of fitness and why it’s more important to be fit than just good-looking...

Professional hazards

Shahid says that actors need to be honest about the fact that they don’t always look as good as the characters they portray. He explains his viewpoint. “It’s a job where I need to be perceived as somebody who’s always really, really looking good. That’s not humanly possible. So, I would say this is a profession which requires you to look good and sometimes, it takes away from health and fitness. Sometimes, we push ourselves really hard and that’s not safe or healthy for any of us. 

There’s a certain amount of professional hazard attached to that and you need to know where to draw the line and choose to look after yourselves first.”

Good looks don’t equal fitness

Bringing home the truth of the adage that appearances can be deceptive, Shahid reiterates, “I think people shouldn’t get carried away when they see actors looking great because they have to work very hard for a long period of time to get there. So sometimes, people who look really really good might not be fitter than someone who doesn’t look as good, but is more capable. Fitness is not only about how one looks. That’s my personal philosophy.” He advises, “You shouldn’t obsess about how you look. Rather just focus on how you feel about yourself. That’s very important.”

Vegetarianism not restrictive

Shahid says vegetarians can be fit, too! “I am a vegetarian. I’m here to tell you vegetarians who are told that you can’t have a good body that’s crap. In fact, I don’t even eat eggs or cakes and pastries that even has any residue of egg in them. I am very particular about that. And I have actually made this body in the last eight to 10 years of training really, really hard. I think I’ve looked my best many years after I turned vegetarian. So I don’t think that is restricting at all,” he says. The actor adds, “I don’t drink alcohol. I never have and that’s something I believe in strongly. I used to smoke, I’ve stopped smoking.”

Not repetitive

The actor mixes up his workouts. “At the gym, I do a lot of functional stuff like drills, which is more athletic. I dance, so that automatically gets me to move my body in different ways. I do stuff that isn’t repetitive at all,” he says, adding, “I also get on the treadmill once in a while.”

Extending muscles

The actor says that he likes to train five times a week. “I don’t like doing only weights. I like to do a certain amount of functional training, I like to run. Everytime I hit the gym, I get on the treadmill at least for sometime. I would also like to do some yoga, but I don’t get so much time for it. But it’s on my agenda and it’s something I’ve been wanting to do because I realised it’s very important for my body. When we train in the gym, all the movements we do are essential. Weight-lifting is to contract the muscles so that they grow. You also need to do something exactly opposite to that so that you can extend your muscles. Because otherwise you will end up becoming stiff and very unnatural. It’s equally important for you to do stretching before and after or some other form of exercise, which helps you extend that.”

What fitness means to me

Shahid says fitness is holistic to him. “It has to be that way. Your body has to be able to do different things with a certain sense of dedication,” he says, adding, “Functionality is a big part of that. Your body has to be functional. It’s not about being fit and looking good, it’s also about using your body for different functions — whatever it might be. It’s about doing various things so that your body is not restricted in any way.”

Have a body, keep it fit

Tearing down a gender-based approach to fitness, he says, “You have a body, you should keep it fit. Male or female don’t have differences, it’s pretty much the same. So everyone should be fit and healthy.”

In the right light

Calling DNA iCan a great initiative that “promotes and inspires people to do something that helps them feel fit about themselves or gives them constructive goals for their bodies”, Shahid concludes, “I wish it all the best.”