Fit for life

In her latest book, celebrity fitness trainer Deanne Panday warns that there are no quick fixes to keeping fit

For Deanne Panday, fitness is in her genes. This lithe fitness trainer, who is out with her second book, Shut Up and Train, boasts an exotic gene pool, with a Scottish-Nepalese father and Portuguese-East Indian mother. Panday was always the "bigger one" in the family of six. "I had big bones, so I had to work out regularly to keep fit. As I have got older, I do feel that it is okay to get a little belly fat. The idea, however, is to remain healthy," she smiles.

Panday started her journey as a writer with her first book, I'm Not Stressed, which she considers a relevant topic for most working professionals. "I wanted to help people cope with stress, which not only takes a toll on people's skin, hair and heart, but also happens to be the biggest killer of modern times," she says.

9 RULES TO FITNESS FROM PANDAY

1. There is nothing like quick weight loss.
2. Say no to supplements.
3. Functional workouts always work best, as you avoid injuries and backaches.
4. Do a combination of martial arts, strength and weight training.
5. Keep workouts short, just 45-50 minutes.
6. Work on your hamstrings to add more flexibility and cope with a stiff lower back.
7. Abs are not the deciding factor of fitness, mix cardio with abs.
8. We never suggest over-training.
9. I never work out diet charts, I leave that to a trained nutritionist.

Her second book doesn't contain vague promises and neither does it describe fad diets. Rather, it offers programmes to help every individual with a different body type. "Shut Up and Train is about how to make a programme work for your body type. It has various chapters on toxins, how to clean up your liver and gut to avoid weight gain, eating healthy and detoxing. I strongly feel that crash diets never work, they always crash," she laughs.

Panday has fought and overcome many a battle in her personal life as well. For instance, it took her 10 years to give up red meat; also, it took her a while to accept the slowing down and ageing of her body. "In my experience, yo-yo diets never work, you have to remain committed to fitness - it is a lifestyle choice you make. I never suggest that my clients try fat burners, steroids or even protein shakes. I make my own protein shakes with seasonal vegetables and fruit, which I believe is a healthy approach," she admits.

Panday also reveals that many Hollywood and Bollywood actors whom we take as paragons of fitness and perfection may actually be unhealthy and fighting many lifestyle diseases privately. "I always tell people to try not to say you want to look like Gisele Bundchen or Angelina Jolie. They have to look a certain way as crores are riding on them. You should aim at feeling good and not attempting to get a six-pack," she adds.

But having said that, Panday is clear that it is not okay to be fat, lazy and not exercise. "A lot of people come to me asking if they should give up carbs, and I strongly say no. There are good and bad carbs, and I do not advise them to avoid potatoes, bananas or rice; you can eat everything if you are active," she says.  

Best friends with actors Bipasha Basu and Kunal Kapoor, whom she trained as well, Panday says that the first step towards fitness is getting your medical history sorted out. So that one knows exactly what is wrong where and how it can be fixed.