Most actors speak about fitness in familiar terms: six-pack abs, punishing gym sessions and meticulously counted calories. Anant Joshi’s wellness journey takes a different route. The 12th Fail, Gullak, Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein and Virgin Bhasskar actor has discovered that the best exercise routine is often the one you genuinely look forward to repeating. For him, that happened the first time he watched flamenco dancers perform while assisting a Spanish director in Delhi more than a decade ago. Curiosity soon shaped his commitment. Joshi travelled to Seville to learn under flamenco maestros Bettina Castaño, David Pérez, Angelita Gómez and El Rubio, returning year after year to refine his craft. What began as an artistic pursuit slowly transformed his relationship with health.

Today, he says fitness, to him, is about having a body capable of climbing mountains, dancing for hours, surviving gruelling shoots and enjoying everyday life without feeling exhausted. “I don’t train for aesthetics. I train for functionality. I want to stay agile, move well and feel strong enough to live fully,” Joshi says.

Joshi’s weekly routine combines yoga, strength training, body-weight exercises, calisthenics, long walks and three sessions with his trainer. Yet he believes flamenco ties everything together because it demands complete involvement.

Unlike repetitive gym exercises, dance constantly challenges the brain, he explains. Every sequence requires balance, coordination, rhythm, memory and emotional expression, while the body responds with strength, stamina and precision. You are thinking and moving at the same time.

“Flamenco is percussion, storytelling, music and movement all at once. You’re completely present. There isn’t space in your head for anything except the next beat.”

That complete absorption is something psychologists describe as a “flow state”, where concentration becomes so intense that everyday worries temporarily disappear.

Joshi’s approach to nutrition follows the same balanced philosophy. He is predominantly vegetarian, although he occasionally eats meat while travelling if vegetarian options are limited. His staple meal remains a simple Indian thali, and he has consciously increased his protein intake through eggs, paneer, tofu and legumes after recognising that recovery matters as much as exercise.

“I listen to my body more than diet trends. Cooking is another way of caring for myself. It connects directly to both physical and mental health,” he says.

His mornings begin with two glasses of water, followed by black coffee, a single date and a spoonful of peanut butter. Dinner varies depending on his work schedule, but he avoids eating very late. More importantly, he refuses to obsess over every meal. Comfort food has its place, too. During the monsoon he happily reaches for pakoras or samosas, while a good Margherita pizza remains one of his favourite indulgences.

Ask Joshi what matters most in his wellness routine and he answers without hesitation. “Sleep”. He believes recovery determines everything else, from mood to metabolism.

Music also forms part of his recovery routine. It is almost always playing at home, while painting offers another outlet whenever he needs to slow down after work. Recent research from University College London suggests that regular participation in creative activities, including painting, music and cultural pursuits, is associated with slower biological ageing and lower stress levels, reinforcing the value of creative hobbies beyond simple relaxation.

Equally important are friendships. “If something is bothering me, I ask myself whether it’s really worth worrying about. Talking to friends helps because stress grows when you keep it bottled up.” His instinct would be supported by mental health professionals, no doubt. After all, studies have repeatedly shown that strong social relationships protect emotional well-being.

Travel is another essential part of Joshi’s well-being. Walkable cities fascinate him because they encourage curiosity instead of haste. One of his proudest adventures remains cycling from Delhi to Pokhara in Nepal, a journey that tested both physical endurance and mental determination.

His annual trips to Spain have become something deeper than holidays, too. They are periods of immersion that reconnect him with flamenco and, by extension, with himself. He has also found surprising common ground between flamenco and Kathak, collaborating with Kathak exponent Aditi Bhagwat in annual flamenco-Kathak performances for the Embassy of Spain. The dialogue between two traditions reminds him that fitness, creativity and culture need not exist in separate worlds.

Perhaps the healthiest habit of all is choosing movement that brings joy rather than obligation. For Joshi, that rhythm happens to echo from the streets of Seville, but the lesson can begin anywhere.