celeb health
Instep Desk
Actor, singer and songwriter Tipu Sharif, who is currently featuring in four TV plays (Ghayal, Sang-e-Mar Mar, Izn-e-Rukhsat and Faltu Larki) has been part of the entertainment industry for over a decade. Having made his acting debut in 2005, Sharif has played a diverse set of roles in a number of TV plays including Main Abdul Qadir Hoon and Mere Meherbaan.
Aside from acting, he has also experimented with music. He released his last music video ‘Lamhey’ on Valentine’s Day and plans to take out his first solo album, Ilham (inspiration) alongside a few singles including ‘Judaaiyaan’, ‘Kyun’ and ‘Kiran’. Last year, Sharif also made his big screen debut with the critically acclaimed biography Manto and is also a part of upcoming film Saawan in which he plays the role of an army officer.
Sharif’s mantra is very simple. "Work hard or stay home unemployed!" He makes sure he works hard to achieve what he wants to. According to him, there is a lot of stress as well as competition in his profession. One needs to make sure he performs well and that requires staying fit. "Staying healthy is almost as important as staying alive," he told Instep. "Performing well and staying fit requires a lot of lifestyle choices that have to be made part of one’s life and the three most important factors in this regard are food, sleep and exercise. Here’s how the actor maintains a healthy lifestyle…
Fitness goals
"My fitness goals fluctuate according to the needs of the task that lies ahead. Sometimes I bulk up, sometimes I slim down. It’s all as per requirement. I always maintain a general level of fitness so working from that point makes it easier to change the physique. I run a lot and swim quite often."
"I eat whenever I feel like it but I try to ensure that my body gets an adequate supply of all vital nutrients. I follow a very diverse diet that revolves around a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables. I increase the consumption of proteins, like meat and dairy products, when I want to bulk up and consume more vegetables, pulses and beans when I want to slim down. As far as juices and shakes are concerned, I love having sugarcane juice or coconut water whenever I can. Other than that, I don’t go for fruit juices because they carry a lot of unnecessary sugar; I prefer to have fruits instead. I don’t take any supplements."
Workout regime
"I work out daily and always on my own. Personal trainers are very important but unfortunately there aren’t many great ones around. A lot of people calling themselves personal trainers are just glorified bodybuilders throwing around a lot of fitness related words. I always start off with yoga/martial arts stretches and make sure I never miss cardio session. I use all the equipment available in the gym; however, I do not recommend prolonged usage of treadmill."
Mental health
"Mental health is very important for physical health and vice versa. Spending time on things that I like to do always boosts my mood. I consider at least 6-8 hours of sleep important to stay active, lesser hours bring a lot of illnesses, sooner or later."
Personal advice…
"Find out what your fitness goal is and then work towards achieving it. Always research before, during and after you have tried a particular training regimen. Never skip running and swimming. I believe, ‘Healthy heart, healthy body’."