Ileana D’cruz is super fit and looks amazing. We know this because we just met her at a Sketchers event this week. We asked the pretty actress about what she does to stay healthy … and happy! Hint: it’s all about the balance.
The fit life
“There was a point when I was working out three hours a day, I was on the strictest diet possible and I still wasn’t happy with my weight, which by the way, was 50 kilos. It’s bizarre how I was obsessing about my body and how starved I was,” said Ileana. Luckily, that phase is over because the Ileana we see today is real, happy woman with a toned body that still has curves! “The kind of fitness routine I was on previously, I used to be miserable,” she adds.
It’s simple; to Ileana, moderation is the key, saying, “Now I eat what I want to and be happy about it, then workout towards losing the calories. I figured what’s the point if I can’t enjoy myself.”
No to body shaming
Ileana is all about promoting a good sense of self and body and wants people to stop body shaming others. “That is also why I put up that bikini picture (on Instagram). I have flab and I am not ashamed of it,” says the pretty actress, who you can see in the new movie Rustom.
Ileana’s answer to her own weight gain is admirable. “I don’t care if people look at me and think I’ve put on weight. I am happy because I am healthy and I am eating right. The problem is that people have the wrong notion of fitness and think being fit means being skinny but that’s just so wrong.”
Daily diet
Ileana’s routine is simple. She tries to balance out her indulgences with eating healthier, even though that one piece of chocolate every night is a must. She’s a big foodie and just can’t control herself when she sees good food. In fact, she loves cooking and baking and when she’s free you’ll find her in the kitchen baking a sweet treat. “Thankfully I don’t eat it all, I try and feed other people, and I make sure to combine my intake with healthy food and go for a run regularly, ” she says.
Currently she is trying something called the Blood Group diet (eating according to your blood type) which she is very happy about. It lets her eat a whole lot of rice, meat and chicken. all of which she loves. She also keeps away from wheat and milk and bakes gluten-free bread. “But it’s tough when I’ve got to travel because there’s so much good food to try out,” she laughs.
Favourite fitness routine
Ileana thinks walking is underrated but extremely important. Running is undoubtedly her favourite, though. “I went to Bali for a week and was eating fried rice everyday but I came back skinny because I was walking it all off. And especially with these new The Go Flex range by Skechers it’s so much more pleasant. They are so comfortable that I can sleep with them on,” she explains.
She hates the gym and doing push-ups … like us! “When I used to go to the gym I would have to do an hour on the cross trainer and I hated it. I learnt a trick that everyone should use: when you are on the machine just start watching a show or a movie on your Ipad or tablet and you’ll forget about what you are doing. That’s what I used to do and it made it so much easier.” If that’s going to help us look like Ileana, we’re in.
