"I was a professional physical instructor in a spa" - Sharad Kelkar

Sharad Kelkar, who is currently doing Saat Phere on Zee TV, knows a lot about fitness! And that's not just a coincidence! It's because he himself was a physical instructor not so long ago. Riya V Anandwala talks to him about his fitness regime. Are you health conscious? Well, I was a professional physical instructor in a spa. I did my graduation in Physical Education. So were you working anywhere as an instructor? I was working in Madhavrao Scindia's club in Gwalior for around one and a half years, just after my graduation. After that I headed for my MBA. Do you think that being fit is now becoming a trend? If it's becoming a trend then good, because people need to be physically as well as mentally fit. People who are fat, develop a complex regarding the same, so if it becomes a trend, it's beneficial to an extent. It's becoming a habit to be fit. What does being healthy mean to you? Well, according to me being healthy does not mean only being in shape, one can have an average body also, meaning less amount of fat. A major problem in a city like Mumbai is insomnia. So basically being healthy means being fit, mentally also. A lean body with appropriate carbohydrates is also good. More of cardio or more of weight training? I always did more of weight training and less of cardio. But now, I think I have to do more of cardio (laughs). Earlier body building was a kind of hobby for me, but now things have changed. Do you think men are now working out for a metro sexual look? Well, most of them are striving hard for a metro sexual look! But I am completely away from it. How many meals do you have in a day? Well, now a days I have only one proper meal. But ideally, one must have a very heavy breakfast, a good lunch and a poor dinner. I do have loads of fruits in my ice box like watermelon, oranges and apples. My co-actors keep peeping in my box every now and then. Do you take a day's off from your hectic schedules to pamper yourself? I wish that would happen, but unfortunately, we just get one day off in a month. What is your height and weight? My height is 6.1" and weight 81 kgs, which I want to cut down to 78, that's my target. As you shoot most of the time, does it affect your health? The lights are too strong and they really affect one's health, well, other than that binging on tea and coffee is another bad habit, I normally have five cups of tea. But one cannot avoid it! Another thing is, I keep getting a backache, that is because of too much of standing. So that results in a hunch. Are you into yoga or any kind of meditation? Well, I am not in touch with yoga, but I learnt it in college. Bharat Thakur, who is a very renowned yoga teacher, was my senior. What about sports? I am into sports like basketball, specialised in Judo and also cricket.