Bollywood icon Kareena Kapoor Khan, at 44, continues to exemplify grace, glamour, and an unwavering commitment to health and wellness. Her secret to maintaining a radiant glow and enviable physique isn’t about fleeting fads or extreme measures, but rather a balanced and disciplined approach that combines diverse workouts with a traditional, wholesome Indian diet. This holistic philosophy emphasizes consistency and overall well-being over quick fixes, inspiring many to embrace a healthier lifestyle.
The Core of Her Workout: Strength, Yoga, and Variety
Kareena Kapoor’s fitness regimen is a dynamic blend of various forms of exercise, proving that variety is key to sustained motivation and comprehensive physical development. Her routine is meticulously designed with the help of trainers like Mahesh Ghanekar and yoga instructor Anushka Parwani, focusing on building strength, improving flexibility, and boosting cardiovascular endurance.
Embracing Strength Training for Longevity
For women over 40, strength training forms a crucial component of fitness, and Kareena has integrated it effectively into her routine. Her trainer, Mahesh Ghanekar, emphasizes a mix of weight training, functional training, and core training, often structured as heart rate-based circuit workouts. These sessions push her heart rate to 135 bpm and above, sometimes reaching 170-180 bpm, with a focus on quick recovery between sets. The goal is to burn 400-500 calories per hour without machines, challenging both the brain and body.
Kareena’s strength training tools include weights ranging from 2.5 kg to 12 kg, weighted plates, steppers, dumbbells, and kettlebells. To combat monotony, she also incorporates creative exercises using household elements like walls and staircases. Specific strength exercises observed in her routine include:
- Kettlebell Swings and Woodchops: These dynamic movements engage hips, glutes, hamstrings, and abdominal muscles, improving rotational power and cardiovascular endurance.
- Plank Variations: She performs challenging plank exercises like single-leg raises with planks, plank hip dips, and even reverse plank walks on a treadmill to engage her core and build stability.
- Leg Raises and Rotations: Targeting lower abs, core strength, and hip flexibility, these are crucial for toning and stability.
- Crunches: Classic crunches are included to define and strengthen her upper abdominal muscles.
- Shadow Boxing Drills with Dumbbells: This enhances shoulder endurance, cardio fitness, and core stability.
The Power of Yoga: Flexibility and Mindfulness
Yoga has been a constant in Kareena Kapoor Khan’s life for over a decade, described by her as “a part of my soul”. It is not just about physical postures but also promotes holistic well-being, enhancing flexibility, strength, balance, posture, and mindfulness. Her yoga practice nurtures physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellness, requiring minimal equipment and making it accessible anytime, anywhere.
She is known to practice challenging poses like the Plough Pose (Halasana), which stretches the spine, back, and neck, and strengthens shoulders, arms, and legs while promoting better blood flow. Other beneficial yoga asanas in her repertoire include Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose) for core and arm strength, Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) for back muscles and chest opening, Trikonasana (Triangle Pose) for leg strength and spinal stretch, and Naukasana (Boat Pose) for toning abs and improving balance. She has also been seen performing a challenging yoga flow from Downward Dog into a weighted Wild Thing pose, showcasing incredible strength, balance, and control.
The “Almost Monastic” Diet and Lifestyle
Kareena’s fitness goes beyond just workouts; it’s deeply rooted in a disciplined lifestyle and a healthy, traditional Indian diet plan, often guided by celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar. She has been following a similar diet since 2009, prioritizing consistency and gut health over calorie counting.
A Focus on Traditional Indian Foods
Her diet emphasizes local, seasonal, and home-cooked meals, avoiding extreme restrictions and incorporating “desi superfoods” like ghee, coconut, and curd. She believes in eating every 2-3 hours to keep her metabolism active.
A typical day in her eating plan might look like this:
- Early Morning: Dry fruits such as almonds, raisins, or figs. Alternatively, soaked almonds or a banana.
- Breakfast: Traditional Indian dishes like paratha or poha.
- Mid-morning: Seasonal fruits, coconut water, or homemade sherbet to curb cravings.
- Lunch: Often includes dal and rice, or a cheese toast. When on sets, she might prefer rice and dal, but otherwise, she enjoys roti-sabzi. Millet is included twice a week for variety.
- Mid-afternoon Snack (4-6 pm): Healthy options like nuts, peanuts, sprouts, or homemade snacks. She might also have tea or coffee with full-fat milk and sugar, but avoids caffeine after 4 pm.
- Evening Snack: Seasonal fruits like mango or a mango milkshake.
- Dinner: Her comfort food, often khichdi with ghee, pulao, or dal-rice. She enjoys khichdi up to five times a week. Dinners are typically light and consumed by 6:30 pm.
- Before Bed: A cup of haldi (turmeric) milk with nutmeg.
Kareena revealed that she has dinner by 6 pm and is in bed by 9:30 pm, a routine she describes as “almost monastic”. This early dinner and bedtime promote better digestion and sleep quality, contributing to her overall well-being.
The Philosophy: Consistency, Well-being, and Avoiding Quick Fixes
Kareena Kapoor’s approach underscores the importance of consistency and viewing fitness as a non-negotiable part of daily life. She focuses on building strength, improving her mood through movement, and prioritizing overall well-being over vanity. Her trainer Mahesh Ghanekar notes that weight training has helped her shed weight and reduce inches, and she can feel her strength growing.
Ultimately, Kareena Kapoor Khan’s balanced fitness routine, combining a varied exercise regimen with a traditional, mindful diet, serves as a powerful inspiration. It demonstrates that sustained health and a vibrant physique are achievable through discipline, dedication, and a holistic approach to life.
