Carol Singh
Those who know Carol love her for her impeccable sense of style. She's a clotheshorse who can carry the most au courant look with ease, as if she has been wearing the look for years. Of course, this has a lot to do with her banging body, which means she can carry the least forgiving looks with zero effort. As the co-founder of Antidote - the organic juice and almond milk company - she knows more than a thing or two about keeping fit. Read on as she shares her secrets:
How do you begin your day?
Some days I begin with a workout. Usually yoga - these days Pilates. Other days I usually wake up drink some water, then sit outside and soak in the sun and sounds. Dream a little. Think about what I have lined up in the day. I like to surf the internet for a few minutes just to get some inspiration for the day - I feel like it motivates me to do more with myself.
What do you eat for breakfast/lunch/dinner?
I begin my day with a green smoothie, which will include a source of fat, so either flax or chia seeds or avocado; some fruit and veggie juice, some greens and some nuts. I'm low on iron so I usually throw in some soaked figs, apricots or dates in too. If I have a workout that day then I also eat a bowl of oats and almond or regular milk sweetened with jaggery. Either that or eggs and baked veggies like sweet potato, turnip, beetroot or sautéed greens like spinach, kale, watercress - whatever's in season.
I usually eat an Indian vegetarian meal for lunch. Some sabzi, curd, potatoes (I love potatoes I eat them at least once a day!), daal, with ragi or bajra roti.
Dinner would usually be chicken or mutton curry in summer and fish in the winter, along with some vegetables, rice and salad.
I'm not big on snacking, as I usually eat three big meals in a day and that keeps me satiated. But I drink a lot of different liquids through the day - juices, herbal teas, mylk, lemonade, kombucha etc.
Do you have a special recipe to share?
There are so many recipes! But my go-to when I feel like I'm coming down with something usually includes pineapple, cinnamon, a dash of lemon and some greens - in the winter watercress and fennel in summer spinach or bathua. Depends. It sorts me out every single time.
What is your favourite kind of workout?
Muay Thai (kickboxing) all the way! I started doing it about ten years ago. Its the best rejuvenation I can give my body. But I like to mix it up with yoga and I’ve recently started doing Pilates and I'm really enjoying that too.
Are you an early to bed kind of person?
Nope. I am kind of nocturnal. Some of my best thoughts and ideas come to me after dark :). I'm not an early to bed early to rise person, but I am working towards it!
Do you eat supplements? If yes, which ones?
No I don't anymore. I used to consume a whole lot of them but I don't think they benefited me in any way. So now I try to get all the vitamins & minerals from the food and herbs I eat. However one supplement that I swear by and something that helped me out a lot was N. V. Perricone MD Nutriceuticals' L Glutamine powder. I would have it 30 minutes before meals and it helped heal my gut and improved my digestion miraculously. Having said that I was also consuming cabbage juice and a whole lot of other things in tandem - altogether the combination worked wonders.
What would be your advice to someone who wants to lose weight?
Don't starve yourself. I think most people start cutting down on calories thinking they will lose weight. But it's the absolute wrong approach because it messes up your metabolic rate. The main aim should be able to strengthen the digestive system and to be able to improve and speed up metabolism. You can do that through making the right food choices.
Drink a tsp of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water 20 minutes before a meal (best at lunch) once a day. Or chew on cinnamon after you eat anything sweet, as it helps to regulate insulin spikes.
Load up on a tablespoon of coconut oil, ghee, extra virgin olive oil, avocado because good fats are essential for weight loss. Ferment ginger, amla, lemon (put them in a jar of saline water) to eat little bits with every meal.
Anything else?
I sleep nine hours daily. A lot of times it means I start my day quite late because I don't go to bed very early. But I don't compromise on sleep. Your body's ability to heal is very much dependent on how you give it rest. So I think sleep is one of the most important things. A lot of hormonal issues stem from an erratic sleep cycle. I would however like to go to bed earlier and wake up earlier as I get older.