Showing posts with label Alaya F fitness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alaya F fitness. Show all posts
Alaya F on 75 Hard Challenge: "I quit gluten, sugar, meat, fried foods, caffeine"
3:03 PM
At odds with individuals who struggle to meet the demands of a fitness plan, actor Alaya F discusses adding her own set of restrictions to the 75 Hard Challenge, based on Andy Frisella’s book of the same name
Sonia Lulla (MID-DAY; March 12, 2025)
Early on in this conversation, actor Alaya F makes it evident that when it comes to fitness, she isn’t relatable. While the concept of a fitness challenge is still alien to the common man, most folks adopting one would agree that adhering to every little detail of the plan is seemingly impossible. Alaya, however, makes a fitness challenge look meek.
“The 75 Hard challenge required one to adhere to certain practices for 75 days, without straying away from the requirements for even a single day. For all the days, non-stop, one needs to do two workouts a day, one indoor and another outdoor. One also needs to consume 3.5 litres of water, and adhere to a diet designed to meet the individual’s goals. Alcohol and cheat meals are prohibited, and it is compulsory to read at least 10 pages each day. In the event that a person reads nine pages only, or skips an outdoor workout because it may be raining, they must start the challenge all over again. I took this ‘75 Hard’ challenge and made it ‘75 Harder’. I added 10 minutes of meditation, and did three workouts on most days. I also ended up reading six books, which is far more than the stipulated 10 pages daily, and did 10 minutes of [writing] and Buddhist chanting. Furthermore, I quit gluten, sugar, meat, fried foods, and caffeine,” says Alaya, 27, whose social media page can serve as inspiration for any fitness enthusiast.
Interestingly, this isn’t Alaya’s first attempt at the challenge. Having first adopted it last year, she recalls quitting it on Day 33 after an unforeseen situation at work upset her.
“Because I am not one to quit a challenge, it stayed with me. For a long time, I kept thinking about it, and so, on December 17, 2024, in the midst of the year-end celebrations, I decided to take it up again. I wanted to end the year in the way [I had intended to] begin it, and hit reset on everything. After all, this is a bigger mental challenge than a physical one.”
Ever since she made her industry debut, Alaya has been known as much for her fitness shenanigans as she has for her films. Be it her ability to pull off head stands, or balance atop a gym ball with weights, her fitness acts have both raised eyebrows and inspired her followers. Why then would she need to adopt a challenge of this nature, we ask.
“While I wanted to tone my muscles, I essentially wanted to become disciplined again. I was on an 1800-calorie diet to keep up with my physical activity. My indoor workouts entailed pilates, callisthenics, or Ashtanga yoga, while my outdoor routines involved a fast-paced walk, swim, or a run. In my regular life, I am usually [disciplined] but may normally have a glass of wine when I go out. Here, there was no scope for adjustment. I had to schedule my life around this. For instance, since I’d do my outdoor exercises at night, I haven’t had a night out in 75 days. There are a lot of things that I will take forth from this experience. I learnt that while I thought I needed a certain amount of social interaction in the past, I am very comfortable in my company. Since you can’t rely on anyone in this challenge, you build a connection with yourself. I enjoyed that.”
My body feels clean, mind refreshed, says Alaya F on #75HardChallenge
8:48 AM
Navya Kharbanda (HINDUSTAN TIMES; January 29, 2024)
Alaya F recently encountered a challenging experience with a spider bite, yet her unwavering dedication to the demanding 75 Hard Challenge remains resolute. Crafted by supplement expert and author Andy Frisella, this 75-day challenge is described as a “transformative mental toughness programme”.
Reflecting on her intensive routine, the 26-year-old actor details, “In one day, I am landing up getting 7 hours of physical activity. My body is exhausted from all the workouts — 5 hours of song rehearsals and 2 hours of the 75 Hard Challenge. On top of that, there are all the other things one has to do, so my days are feeling extra full now, but it is very rewarding.”
She further shares, “It is a very intense but wonderful start to the year. I started on January 1. Maintaining the four-litre water intake can be a little tricky sometimes. I am also getting back to reading and managed to meditate in my challenge, so it’s great. I feel mentally refreshed, and my body feels clean because there are no cheat meals or alcohol.”
Providing guidance to those contemplating the challenge, she concludes, “As long as you have an overall healthy diet, it is sustainable. I am avoiding refined sugars and fried foods.”
The 75 Hard Challenge:
One needs to complete five crucial daily activities, including twice-daily workouts, strict adherence to a nutrition plan and the fortification of mental resilience — all without breaks, cheat days or substitutions. Failure to fulfil even one task results in the clock resetting, compelling individuals to restart the entire programme from day one.
BT Exclusive: Don’t underestimate your body, it’s capable of amazing things-Alaya F
8:10 AM
Prathamesh Bandekar (BOMBAY TIMES; March 20, 2023)
Alaya F is extremely passionate about fitness, and over the years, the Jawaani Jaaneman actress has turned to yoga to stay in shape. She credits yoga and meditation for her high energy and fitness levels. Alaya did an exclusive shoot with Bombay Times at Bandra Fort, where she gave us a glimpse of her yoga routine and spoke about her diet essentials and fitness mantra.
‘I WAS NOT AIMING TO FIND PEACE WHEN I STARTED DOING YOGA’
Talking about how yoga has helped her beyond physical fitness, the Freddy actress says, “Practising yoga has opened up my body. Now, if I don’t practise yoga for a while, my body starts feeling tight, and I don’t feel like myself. When I started doing yoga, I just wanted to get fit...I didn’t really have any other goals in mind. In fact, I told my yoga instructor that I’m not interested in finding mental peace, I just want to get ripped. But the beauty of yoga is that by default, you end up finding a sense of calm and peace.”
‘YOU CAN START DOING YOGA AT ANY STAGE’
Encouraging people to pursue yoga and believe in self-care, she says, “Don’t ever doubt your body! You can start doing yoga at any stage, and the essential practice of it remains the same. It’s never too early or too late to start. Don’t underestimate your body, as it’s capable of amazing things. You just need to believe in it and not be scared. For me, self-care goes beyond just fitness. Self-care involves your mental health and the way you talk to your own body and mind.”
‘DANCE IS ALSO A GREAT FORM OF WORKOUT’
Today, most actors practice various fitness forms, including dancing, and Alaya, too, has developed a liking for it. She shares, “For a long time, I was a bad dancer, so when I wanted to learn how to dance properly, I started doing it for seven hours a day. There was no other way for me to learn. It became a great form of workout for me, and it’s super fun!”
Disha Patani surely gives me fitness goals-Alaya F
8:06 AM
Alaya F shares her fitness secrets, her cheat meals, and the workouts she swears by
As told to Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 20, 2020)
My fitness mantra has been to do what is right for your body. There are days when I may have a certain workout planned but I may not feel like it, so I may do whatever I want to do that day. Some days I may not want to do a hardcore workout, for instance, but manage to burn the calories by dancing. So you need to listen to your body and your mind.
Eats and cheats
Whatever you eat you need to eat in the right quantity. I generally can’t skip my coffee and oatmeal every morning along with a seasonal fruit. It gives me a lot of energy to power through my workout. I am not a picky eater so I’ll eat anything that’s on my plate. But I am a big believer in eating whatever you want but in the right quantity. I never deprive myself of something I really want to have. It’s very important to have a cheat meal to ensure your body’s metabolism doesn’t die and I need to keep my body’s metabolism going at all times. It’s like a reward and especially important during the Coronavirus lockdown as it also helps with your mental health. For me, it’s sometimes just reaching for a jar of Nutella or homemade pastas and pizzas without any guilt.
I take my vitamins all the time and also a spoon of apple cider vinegar with water in the morning which ensures I get all the nutrients and fats that I need on a daily basis. If you’re completely avoiding fat or carbs means that you’re not following a balanced diet.
Considering the line of work that I am in, I have to consciously make sure that I look skinny. This is because actors tend to look bigger than they are on screen so I have to be thinner than I should be. But honestly, as long as I have my abs, I am assured, it’s like a sense of security and a mark of fitness. If I start losing my abs, I feel I need to start working out.
Fitness goals
Disha Patani surely gives me fitness goals. Also, everytime I look at Malaika Arora, I feel like ‘I want that body’. Disha apparently totally eats just about everything on her cheat days. They both seem very disciplined with their workouts and have such gorgeous luscious hair and flawless skin and that says a lot since it reflects how healthy they are.
Here are a few workouts Alaya F can’t do without
Handstands
I’m not a professional but I find the fun element in my workout and that really motivates me. Handstands are a pretty fun inversion to try, but they take practice. It’s best to start by learning how to do it with the support of a wall to eliminate the fear of falling.
Instructions: The first step is to start with your hands on the ground and walk your body up and down into the handstand position by moving your hands closer into the wall. And, see how high you can bring your feet up the wall. The next step is to face the wall and kick yourself into the handstand position. The key to this exercise is posture, and yet it takes sometimes practice of months to achieve the stance.
Planks
Planks are a great way to work your whole body, and is a very effective exercise to do as it is a full body workout.
Instructions: You can get into a plank position simply by planting your hand directly under your shoulder, almost in a push up position and grounding your toes to the floor and squeezing your glutes. You can neutralize your neck and head by looking directly at a spot, on the floor or in front. One thing to keep in mind about planks is to maintain the correct posture and not compromise on your breathing. You can start with 30 seconds of doing planks and increase duration as you get comfortable with it.
Splits
They are easy to do provided you do follow the steps properly. Another thing to understand is that your glutes and knees play an important role in properly executing a split.
Instructions: First, you have to do some basic exercises to warm up the legs and allow fluid movement. The next step is to put one leg forward and the other leg back and slowly start pushing the front leg forward and the back leg behind. Do this until you reach your maximum stretch and then hold it for 20 seconds to begin with. Then slowly start going further down until you touch the floor and then try to hold them for a longer time. Also, when you’re doing this, take care to not bend your knees and also don’t be in a hurry, concentrate on your breathing and focus on doing it correctly instead of doing it fast.
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