She makes fitness sound fun

Manpriya Singh 

She eats a lot. Doesn’t diet. Doesn’t exercise. Which is precisely why TV actress Kanika Mann (the parallel lead of &TV’s Badho Bahu) makes for a perfect fit in the fitness column. Twelve to 13 hour of television shoot schedules don’t leave much scope for exercise, but she credits her stamina to good-old wisdom passed on from one generation to the other.  “It’s all naani-daadi ke nuskhe,” she laughs, as she digs into a ‘kachri’ in between her shots and before sharing with us on a few good habits that help her cheat her way to fitness.  

No gym, no exercise 

I don’t diet or gym ever but I do go for walks after dinner. I usually never hit the bed after dinner. Also, at the end of every meal, whenever possible, I sit upright with my legs folded. This is also some sitting position in yoga and it helps in digestion (she doesn’t know the name of the asana). I also take almost one hour to have each meal. 

First thing in the morning 

I wake up around five in the morning and have a bottle of water. This is irrespective of what time I may have gone to sleep. I automatically wake up around 5 am, have water and then go back to sleep again. 

Diet each day 

Other than the fact that I am a pure vegetarian, I don’t have any restrictions on diet. My breakfast, lunch and dinner are all regular meals comprising dal, sabzi, roti and rice.  The only limitation is that I don’t have spicy food. I get my energy from vegetables, vada pav and things like those. 

In-between hunger pangs 

I snack through the day on almonds, fruits, salads and my mother’s homemade ladoos. 

Sweet notes

Since I don’t have a sweet tooth, I don’t crave for desserts though I do like hot gulab jamun and moong dal halwa. 

City connect 

As freakish as the little efforts she puts behind that no flab figure, has been her journey to Tellywood. She laughs, “I just auditioned in Punjab, they took a look test and I went to Mumbai after I got selected for the role. I had never thought I’d be a television actress nor had I ever participated in theatre or play during school or college.” 

A law graduate from Panjab University, she is currently pursuing Master’s in Law. “That’s my Plan B to please my parents,” she credits 

manpriya@tribunemail.com