Acknowledged as two of the biggest foodies on Indian television, Rocky Singh and Mayur Sharma of Highway On My Plate fame will now appear in a show called Get Fit with Rocky and Mayur. This is, of course, a huge turnaround in their TV careers that has been almost entirely built on eating large portions of food in every corner of the country.
The concept of their new show is, however, premised on the growing health awareness. What constitutes a healthy lifestyle is not just giving up food, but eating good food and incorporating exercise into daily routine. Speaking about this massive challenge, Mayur said, “live long and prosper!” And Rocky added, “We wanted to eat more and eat for a longer time in our lives.” The only way to do that is to try to get fit.
Eat healthy is the new buzzword. With lifestyle epidemics like diabetes assailing our mostly “unfit” population, now most cookery shows on TV deal with food and recipes that are wholesome and nutritious instead of the ones that are destructive to the body in the long run. What is also coming about is a greater awareness about the substitutes that are available for us in terms of food options.
Rocky tells us that “there is a substitute for everything. Instead of ice-cream, eat frozen yoghurt which has only half the calories and is equally delicious; go for wholewheat instead of white bread. Instead of deep-fried aloo parathas, opt for the ones cooked in an air-fryer. The best part is that you don’t have to limit yourself to just the foods that you eat, there is a whole world of food out there waiting to be tried by you.”
However, the problems start once you get down to working on your health. The problems can be many in different individuals. For Rocky, the problem was the first six-seven days when they had to switch from eating like maniacs to eating normal-sized meals, which were also nutritious. Things got better after about 15 days when they could see the positive effects and he could walk around comfortably. Being a trekking enthusiast, Mayur did not face problems with exercise. Rather, giving up his after-dinner dessert was his biggest challenge. He says, “The ice-cream in the fridge used to call out to me. I just told myself that my name is not Mayur, I am Steel-Will.”
Once you get going on the path to fitness, it is important to set personal goals. Rocky’s goal is to lose at least 15 kg, maybe even around 23. But he has only been able to reach halfway. Now, his real challenge is to continue his get fit programme. He says, “I have reached a weight-loss plateau. I lost the first 5-10 kg very rapidly but now I am unable to lose any. But I know I am not going to not eat.”
Mayur is more confident than Rocky about reaching his target and seems closer to his goal. He has already lost 10 kg but his real aim is to achieve a healthier lifestyle. Hopefully, the foodies who idolise the duo will continue to do so even in their quest for fitness.