Lauding dna’s ICan Women’s Marathon, Jacqueline Fernandez holds forth on the importance of keeping fit
As told to Sneha Mahadevan (DNA; March 7, 2015)

Fitness for me is not just about the way your body looks. Its about how you feel from within. I pay a lot of importance to health and eating right. At the end of the day, you need to feel good, happy and positive. And for that, it’s important that we pay attention to our mental state. We, as women, owe it to ourselves. It’s about respecting your body and being disciplined. The kind of discipline that comes with fitness and healthy living is what builds our character. Your number one priority should be your health and by that I mean your mental, physical and emotional health.

I am not really a runner because my knees aren’t very strong, but on days when I can’t do any other form of cardio like pilates or yoga, I do get on the treadmill and jog for about an hour. This initiative by dna is great because I think that anything that motivates people to get out there and take the first step is great. I feel really bad when I am in a group and I am talking about fitness and eating healthy and people think that I am suffering. Working out and being fit is not a punishment, it’s a form of discipline and if this marathon can get people to enjoy running and be fit at the same time, it’s a great start.

When I talk about the spirit of the marathon, the only thing I can talk about is that when I joined the industry, I was written off as someone who had two left feet. Choreographers would scream at me and I had no idea how to dance. Over time, I took classes and now I can proudly say that dance is a part of my fitness regime. A little bit of perseverance is all that it takes to get what you want. So if I can, you can too!