Gurmeet Choudhary on his motivation to stay fit: When my daughters bring their boyfriends, they should feel intimidated

Actor Gurmeet Choudhary is a fitness icon who follows a healthy lifestyle and even flaunts his chiseled physique on social media, inspiring many out there. It's this dedication that he credits for keeping him not just physically but mentally fit. “I have never faced any mental health issue, anxiety or physical problem and a major reason behind that is that I have always paid a lot of attention to my fitness,” he says.

Choudhary insists that the aim is not to show off his physique, it's just a ‘bonus point’. “Staying fit is the only addiction that I have. I have never had a situation during a shoot where I had to back down from something due to physical reasons. I have often shot back-to-back action scenes for 24 hours, and all while standing, leaving people wondering how am I able to do it. It’s all because I have kept myself so fit that no matter how much problems come, mentally or physically, they don’t affect me.”

Some people believe that having a good physique is necessary to be an actor in today's time but the 40-year-old rejects the idea. “There are many actors and stars who don’t have a template physique, yet they are successful. Fitness is a different thing. Acting is like being in an army. None of us have any days off, be it Holi, Diwali or any other day. When there is a shoot, you have to be ready. And then, if you aren’t fit, how will you manage it? It doesn’t mean you have to have big biceps and six-pack abs, but you need to be fit. As for being an actor, you need acting skills first and foremost, having a good physique is just like a bonus point.”

The actor insists that his wife, actor Debina Bonnerjee keeps him motivated to follow his fitness regime, and he does the same for her too. “It's a give and take. Debina is also quite involved in her fitness journey and whenever I feel a lack of motivation, she pushes me and vice versa. When a couple is like that, it increases the love. Me and Debina have this common love for fitness and food and that we are inculcating in our daughters too,” he says, adding that they have ensured not to introduce their daughters to packaged and junk food yet. “My daughters eat home-cooked food with their own hands. We learnt that from our parents and we are passing the same to our kids.”

Speaking of his daughters Lianna and Divisha, Choudhary insists that their arrival has made him more dedicated to stay fit for them. He says, “Now that I have 2 daughters, I have to be even stronger. I think of the future and Debina even calls me out on it. But I am like when my daughters have their boyfriends, they should feel intimidated in front of me. They should have some fear. I don’t think I have ever worked out as much as I did in the last 2 years. Whenever I see the faces of my daughters, I get motivated.”