She’s a sensual yogini, he’s a focused gym buff. There could be no better ambassadors of health and fitness than Lisa Haydon and Hrithik Roshan
DNA (December 27, 2016)

Lisa Haydon and Hrithik Roshan feature in Vogue India’s January 2017 issue. This is an excerpt from the cover story of the issue.

BEAUTY ON THE GO: Lisa

Lisa discovered the joys of working out rather early in life. Looking good as a result of her healthy lifestyle is just a perk.

She started exercising when she was 11
“All credit to my mother who, despite having to look after eight children, always made time for exercise. She’d work out to Jane Fonda and later Kathy Smith and Cindy Crawford in between managing us. I soon joined her, as I loved aerobics and its accompanying music and the gorgeous swimsuits these women wore, showing off their super-fit legs that I desperately wanted. Then at 17, when I hit adolescence, I took to running for both the adrenaline rush and to blow off steam. I started with 10 rounds, then 20, and before I knew it I was running in professional marathons.

She wakes up at 6 am to exercise
“This is the only way I can be consistent, by 9 am I’m ready to go about my day as needed. So, I do Pilates thrice a week, run at the race course the other two days, do yoga at home once a week and give myself a break one day. I don’t work out for a shoot or a movie. For me, it’s a lifestyle. That one hour a day really pumps me up. I exercise because it makes me feel good… looking good as a result is an added bonus.”

GREEK GOD WITH A MISSION: Hrithik

Hrithik wants to get stronger than he’s ever been. He shares his strategy to stay fit and focused.

He bought a bullworker at age 11
“The first fitness equipment I owned was a bullworker I got through mail order when I was 11. I was obsessed with it. Of course, my dad (filmmaker Rakesh Roshan) was happy I was using it, for other reasons… he was concerned I’d stay stunted and every few days he’d ask what my height was. But the bullworker doesn’t help you grow tall — that’s largely genetics!”

Running gives him a high
“I love the feeling of running on the beach. Currently, I am also obsessed with calisthenics — it not only pushes you to challenge yourself, it also teaches you patience, because to achieve those big, crazy moves you have to start slowly. When at the gym, I intersperse weight training with functional moves.”

Old Hindi classics are his workout music
“It’s quite funny actually. I am a huge fan of techno, trance and electronica otherwise, but at the gym I like listening to soothing tracks. The fierce expression on my face while weight training is in complete contrast to the music playing.”