Hrithik Roshan, the epitome of a complete actor: gorgeous looks, proven acting skills, amazing dance moves and one of the best physiques in Bollywood, has worked hard to be in shape. His fitness trainer Kris Gehtin vouches that Hrithik is one of the most dedicated and hard working individuals when it comes to fitness. His diet consultant Marika Johansson too has the same opinion. During the filming of Krrish 3, Hrithik ate protein muffins that kept his sugar cravings at bay and also provided the necessary nutrition. Marika specially invented these healthy muffins for him which are now enjoyed by his entire family who she trains as well. Here’s the recipe of the muffins that Hrithik so loves.

Protein Muffins (Flavour: Chocolate-fig)

Ingredients:

Wet

3 egg whites

 Chutney/paste of 4 figs

Probiotic yogurt – 1 tbsp

Dry

Raw oats – 40g

Ground oats – 40g

Sugarfree/Stevia – 1 cup

Quinoa – 20g (or use soya or oats flour)

Chocolate flavoured protein powder – 5 scoops

Walnuts – 10

Ground almonds – 20g

Flaxseeds – 1 tsp

Cinnamon powder – 1tsp

Baking powder – 1tsp

Cooking spray

Cocoa powder (optional)

Method

Take a big bowl and mix all the dry ingredients together. Now take another bowl and mix all the wet ingredients and blend them well. If you are a vegetarian and do not eat eggs, you can add an extra spoon of probiotic yogurt instead of the eggs.

Now,add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients’ bowl. Mix them all together to make a smooth batter – not too dry, not too sticky and not too wet either. It should be evenly blended. If it is too dry, add one or two tablespoons of water to get the right consistency.

Now, take the muffin tray and grease it with the cooking spray. Pour the batter into the tray and spray some more on top to add more shine and moisture. Place the tray in the middle of the oven at 200-220^oC for 10 minutes. But make sure you check them after seven-eight minutes to see if they aren’t overbaked. Take them out, they are ready. You can store them for a few days in the fridge and eat one or two as a complete meal. It doesn’t get tastier and healthier than this!

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I am a 35-year-old male. My body figure is unusual – my height is 5 ft 8 in and weight is 63 kg. The main problem is my wrist size – it is just like a five-year-old child and my legs are also very thin. This shape exists since childhood. How can I improve my wrist size and expand my leg muscles? Please suggest a few useful exercises. 

Answered by our expert Kris Gethin.

If you are referring to the circumference of your wrist, there really isn’t anything you can do about it because this area is made up of mainly bone, skin and connective tissue. However, for your leg muscles, there are varying forms of exercises you can do to develop this area.

Begin by performing 3 sets of walking lunges to failure (failure meaning that you couldn’t perform another repetition even if you wanted to). Following this, do 3 sets of wide stance squats and then 3 sets of narrow stance squats. Once you begin reaching absolute failure over the 20 rep count, increase either the weight of the dumbbells you hold in your hands or the resistance on your barbell that you hold across your back.

The final movement recommended for the back of your legs are stiff-legged deadlifts. 4 sets of 12 reps will suffice. Rest for 60 seconds between sets to ensure you perform each set recovered with 100% strength to develop this area to the best of your ability.

You will be sore for a couple of days following these exercises which is completely normal and something you should thrive off in order to add muscle. You can repeat these exercises every five days. Be sure to eat adequate amounts of lean protein sources to feed your muscles for optimal recovery.

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I am suffering from

Let us first understand what SLE is…

Sometimes, our body’s immune system mistakenly starts attacking our healthy cells which can lead to chronic inflammation on the skin. This is systemic lupus erythematosus or SLE. It is an auto-immune disease whose underlying cause is not completely known and can occur at any age. The common symptoms include joint pain in knee, fingers, wrists, etc, hair loss, fatigue, fever without any reason and a butterfly rash on the cheeks which gets worse in sunlight. Though there isn’t cure for SLE, once diagnosed, doctors suggest methods to keep it in control. Your diet can also play a role in controlling it. Here’s what you should eat and avoid.

Answered by nutritionist Neha Chandna

You need to eat an anti-inflammatory diet that includes omega 3 from fish/ flaxseeds, red-orange and green coloured fruits and vegetables like tomato, apples, papaya, oranges, mango, carrots, beet, broccoli, spinach, etc, which contain lots of antioxidants, vitamin C (from citrus fruits), and help in iron absorption to prevent anaemia. Take vitamin D supplements to prevent bone loss due to lack of sun exposure. Avoid tea/ coffee as they interfere with iron absorption, and also all processed foods with preservatives – like preserved bread products, cereals and snacks, preserved meats, etc – as they can aggravate inflammation. Avoid gluten in any form like wheat, barley as it can aggravate lupus. Another important tip is to drink plenty of water.

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Earphones

Exercising or jogging alone can be boring and be one of the reasons to stop going to the gym or park. Music certainly helps to cut this boredom out. So this Father’s Day, buy him a good pair of headphones. Nowadays, you can find headphones which are especially designed for workouts so that the wire does not slip out of your ear while running. They also come with other cool features like armbands, integrated smart remotes, sweat resistance, etc. You even get waterproof earphones which can be worn while swimming. There are a number of brands to choose from like Sony, Bose, Sennheiser. 

Heart rate monitors and pedometers

Heart rate monitors also make for a good gift for your dad. They help one monitor their heart rate which can come in handy while working out. Even if he does not suffer from any heart condition, it is still advised to use it when exercising. One can strap it on like a wrist watch and monitor one’s heart rate from time to time. You can find many with advanced features like breathing rate, speed and distance, calories burnt, etc. Shop at Flipkart or Healthkart. 

Pedometers also come in handy when walking or jogging as it gives an accurate count of the number of steps you’ve walked. According to experts, 10,000 steps every day are enough to keep you fit. So get one for your dad this Father’s Day. 

Fitness wear and gears

Another good way to give your dad the push to start his fitness regimen is by gifting him fitness wear – T-shirts, track pants, sweatshirts, shorts, etc.

And if this doesn’t appeal to him, you can even get home fitness kits and gears like pull-up bars, dumbbells, stationary bicycle, etc. You can buy these from sports brands like Planet Sports or from online shopping sites like Flipkart. 

Jogging/running shoes

If you think these gift items are all too fancy for your dad, stick to the basics. Get him new jogging or running shoes. You will be surprised at the choices you have in the market so take out time for shopping or take your dad along with you and get him a pair of his choice. Some popular brands are Nike, Adidas, Puma and Reebok. 

Annual health check-ups

Staying fit by exercising and working out is good but an annual health check-up is also vital to find out about any hidden illnesses that a person may be suffering from. Make sure your father and your entire family gets one done. You can gift one to your father this year. There are many companies that have a pan India presence and offer good deals on full-body checkups. Here are a few to choose from – Metropolis, Thyrocare, Healthkart.

Yoga class/gym membership

Move away from traditional gifts and give your father a year-long membership to a gym or a yoga class. Since it is a gift, he will not be able to decline it and in the bargain, will get fitter. Finding something close to his workplace or residence is a good idea as he won’t miss any class then. Gym chains like Gold’s and Talwalkars offer gym as well as yoga classes. 

Gaming consoles

A slightly offbeat present for Father’s Day but gaming isn’t just for kids. You may have seen many celebrities like SRK or Saif talking about their love for games and how they even compete with their kids. This is a good gift as it will keep your father mentally agile. These days, gaming consoles like Xbox and Nintendo Wii have an entire fitness section and games like tennis, cricket, etc which allow you to move around instead of lying on the sofa. This will help one get fit in their living room whilst having fun. 

Board games

Exercising the mind is as important as is engaging in physical activity and if a gaming console isn’t in your budget or your dad isn’t too tech-savvy, stick to board games. You can get him chess or even monopoly that the entire family can play once in a while. Jigsaw puzzles are another great option.

Health books

Gaining knowledge about a subject is the first step to getting closer to your goal and books are an excellent source for this. If your dad is not a fitness enthusiast yet, get him started by gifting him health and fitness books so that he learns more about and gets inspired to get back in shape. 

Healthy gift hamper

Gift hampers are a nice way to show your dad your love. You could pack all his favourite goodies in it and present it to him but make sure you pick only healthy products. Balisur tea has various flavoured teas like vazar irish cream, mojito, etc and makes for a good gift. If he is fond of red wine, you could get him a bottle as it is good for health. Another good option is to gift him a spa massage. Richfeel has introduced sports therapies for men to relieve muscular stiffness, stress and relax the body.

We hope these healthy gift ideas will help you pick a good present for your dad for Father’s Day. Let him know how special he is to you by caring for his health.

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A – Our bodies need only a certain amount of calories in a day to function properly, this is known as BMR – Basic Metabolic Rate. Dieticians devise a diet chart for us based on this and nutrition factors and we can easily be in shape if we follow this and workout. Keeping a track of the number of calories we consume and burn during the day helps determine how much weight are we losing or gaining and how much we need to exercise and eat. This is why it is important. It also gives us a clearer idea of how much time we’ll need to lose or gain the weight we want to.

Basic concept

Weight loss or gain is all about consuming and burning calories. When you burn more calories than you consume in a period of time, you lose weight and when you consume more calories than you burn, you gain weight.

In order to keep track of the number of calories you are consuming, you need to know the number of calories in each food item you eat. While you may find many apps or online calorie counters, you may not find Indian food listings everywhere. You can try www.healthifyme.com for this purpose. If you want to calculate your BMR and set a goal for yourself, you can use this calculator. You can burn many calories by doing everyday activities like cooking, mopping, reading and even eating. Don’t forget to include these in your list of calories burnt every day. 

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‘You’ve got to eat protein first, then a little bit of carbs … you’ve gotta keep your hunger levels going,’ he told Total Film. ‘I’m training two and a half hours a day, pushing my body beyond its normal limits, putting on a lot of muscle mass and just making myself look like Superman.’  The hard part starts after that, what professional bodybuilders call sculpting. ‘The leaning down phase is the hardest because although you’re looking great, you’re always in a bad mood because you’re so hungry,’ Cavill told Glamour.

The actor reveals that after filming his Man of Steel shirtless scene he just let himself go by gorging on apple pie, a tub of ice cream and pizza! ‘The biggest treat was after a six-week phase when I was getting in shape for shirtless scenes,’ he told Shortlist. ‘After that, Zack Snyder bought me an amazing apple pie and a tub of ice cream. Then I ordered a pizza as well, and didn’t even go home — I just sat in a trailer afterwards and ate it. I passed into a food coma after that.’

It really is difficult to imagine the Man of Steel gorging on pizza and ice-cream but we guess he deserves it after the workout.

The Superman Workout

He spent 5 months training intensively with cardiovascular workouts, bodyweight training and mixed martial arts. For a while he was actually working out 7 hours a day. The weight training regime consisted of 2-3 hours of lifting which were constantly changed to target different body parts and make his muscles grow.

His weightlifting mainly consisted of powerlifting (more sets, less reps than normal workouts) which helps stimulate muscle growth and burn a lot of energy at the same time. These consisted of exercises like clean lifts, squats, deadlifts, presses and bench presses. The workout was very similar to the 300 workout with some extra mass building added to it. The method involves targeting three body parts per workout with eight exercises and training several sets per exercise for 8-12 reps.

Gradually, the workouts get more intensive (more weights, more reps) over a period of months so that your body sculpts and burns all the excess fat. To top it, this workout needs a lot of sustenance and Cavill was actually packing in 5000 calories a day! This is very necessary to ensure that the body gets enough fuel to sustain him through the gruelling exercise regime. The diet comprised a massive amount of protein from eggs, chicken, meat and pulses as well as healthy carbs like fruits and vegetables (Note: Most people think of bread or rice when they hear carbs but the fact is that both fruits and veggies are excellent sources). One thing’s for sure, the Superman Workout isn’t for everyone, but then the Man of Steel is the saviour of mankind, the most iconic superhero and a man playing him would have to look the part. 

Apart from weight loss, it is also a magic veggie – a storehouse of Vitamin C and phyto-chemicals which help prevent cancer and heart disease.

Remember not to overcook cabbage as it loses most of its nutrients. If you are using it in salad, do not prepare it too much in advance as this too robs it off its nutrients.

Some interesting and tasty ways to include cabbage in your diet:

• Cabbage poriyal – This quick south Indian dish is ready in a jiffy. Just don’t overcook the cabbage!
• Cabbage parantha – Much more nutrititous than an aloo parantha, it is great to satiate those hunger pangs when on a diet.
• Cabbage and paneer sandwich – A great way to start off your day, this healthy sandwich works well for your kids’ lunch box too!

Baked rasgullas

If this yummy, white delicacy is your weakness then here’s a healthy twist to it. Instead of eating them in the traditional way where they are soaked in sugar syrup, try making baked rasgullas for a change. They are low in calories than the normal ones and are also low in sugar content.

Bulgur wheat kheer

Kheer, a traditional Indian dessert made in most households with slight variations is a much-loved sweet. But it is not good for someone on a weight loss diet or for the calorie-conscious. Precisely for this purpose, here’s an alternative to this dish. Make bulgur wheat (dalia) kheer instead. This is high in fibre content and low in fats so you can enjoy this dessert without having to cheat on your diet plan.

Fruit sandesh

Sandesh, a traditional Bengali sweet treat and a favourite of many is high on calories. But by adding fruits to it and using low-fat ingredients, you can enjoy this dessert without feeling guilty. This easy-to-make fruit sandesh comes with an orange sauce and other fruits which provide good nutrients to one’s body.

Carrot halwa

This dessert uses carrot and beetroot which bring natural sweetness to the dish and thus reduce the addition of artificial sugar. By using other low-cal ingredients, you can eat a big helping of this dish and still be in shape. Carrots are a good source of essential vitamins and also have antioxidants which are good for our system. So try making this carrot halwa and enjoy a guilt-free dessert.

While these recipes are low in calories and fat, it is important to remember that if eaten in a large quantity, they can disrupt your diet plan so stick to a small serving and you will be on track.

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Preparation Time: 15 mins.
Cooking Time: 15 mins.
Serves 2. 

Ingredients

1/4 cup broken wheat (dalia)
1 1/2 cups low fat milk
1/2 tsp cardamom (elaichi) powder
2 tbsp sugar
a few saffron (kesar) strands

For the garnish
1 to 2 rose petals, shredded

Method

1. Wash and soak the bulgur wheat in ½ cup water for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Drain and discard the water and cook the soaked bulgur wheat with 1 cup water.
3. When the water evaporates, add the milk and sugar and allow the mixture to come to a boil. Remove and allow it to cool.
4. Dissolve saffron in 2 tablespoons milk and add the saffron and cardamom powder to the cooked mixture and mix well. Serve chilled garnished with the shredded rose petals.

Nutrient values per serving

Here is the original recipe source: Bulgur wheat kheer by Tarla Dalal

Preparation Time : 5 mins.
Cooking Time: 5 mins.
Serves 4. 

Ingredients

For the sandesh

1 recipe low fat paneer (cottage cheese)
4 tsp sugar
2 tsp skimmed milk powder
1 tbsp low fat milk

For the garnish
1/4 cup chopped mixed fruits

For the orange sauce
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 tsp cornflour
1 tsp sugar
2 to 3 drops lemon juice

Method

For the sandesh

1. Combine all the ingredients and blend to a smooth paste in a blender.
2. Spread the sandesh evenly in a 100 mm. (4″) diameter serving dish and chill for at least 30 minutes.

For the orange sauce

1. Combine all the ingredients in a pan and mix well.
2. Cook till the sugar has dissolved. Cool completely.

How to proceed

1. Garnish the sandesh with the chopped fruits.
2. Cut the sandesh into squares and serve with the orange sauce.

Nutrient values 

Here is the original recipe source: Fruit sandesh by Tarla Dalal