Bipasha Basu on sugar addiction, osteoarthritis and exes: Her secrets revealed

In a candid chat with us, she talks about getting up to exercise at 4 am, being a sugar addict, battling osteoarthritis and the time when she was proposed by almost every guy she knew.

Bipasha Basu won the Godrej Cinthol Supermodel contest in 1996, and went on to pursue a career in modeling. She then forayed into Bollywood with Ajnabee in 2001. For the movie she received the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.

In 2005 everyone had told Bipasha that she needs to get her knees operated- that she won’t be able to dance, won’t be able to do action sequences and even be able to stand for a long time.(Bipasha Basu Instagram/Rocky Star)

The dusky beauty is also known for being a game changer as far as fitness is concerned, and in 2010 released her first fitness DVD called Love Yourself.

In September 2011 she released her own fitness DVD called Break Free, followed up by her first workout video- Love Yourself. In January 2014 she launched the third in her series of fitness DVDs called Unleash. Bipasha married her Alone (2015) co-star Karan Singh Grover in April 30, 2016.

In a candid chat with us, she talks about her exercise regime that start at 4am, being a sugar addict, battling osteoarthritis and the time when she was proposed by almost every guy she knew.

Do you have a set sleeping and waking up time?

Pretty much yes. When I am not working, I wake up at 8 am and get into bed again by 1pm and try to sleep by 12.30 am max. But when I’m working, I sometimes wake up at 4 am and train before I get to work at 7am.

What’s your diet like?

I’m actually a very big foodie. But at the same time I believe in moderation and try to eat as many home-cooked meals as possible. I really like to eat out a lot but thankfully I have a partner who only likes eating at home. His good habits do rub off on me a bit. I try to limit eating sweets to only when I’m going out or meeting family, but it’s a constant battle.

My home food is basically oats, eggs, juice (breakfast). For lunch its chicken, dal and sabji. And for dinner its dal and sabji again.

What’s your workout schedule like?

I try to take out at least 2 hours every day- but I do believe in a good warm up and cool down. It’s not just the routine that you need to follow. I believe the joints need to be warmed up in order to prevent injuries because I am the sort of person who works out 7 days a week. I need to treat my joints well because I have osteoarthritis for the last 15 years. I need to be extra careful. I don’t rush into my workouts. For at least 2 years I’ve been hitting the gym at 4 am in the morning, because I have to be in Andheri by 7am for work.

How did you develop osteoarthritis at such a young age?

Lack of knowledge of the body, making up excuses like I don’t need this or exercising is so boring- I was that person. So when you do something, like if you start dancing suddenly, or you just start running with the wrong shoes you can hurt yourself. You need to learn about all these things and know yourself. You can’t just do something which another person is doing since everyone is different.

In 2005 everyone had told me that I need to get my knees operated- that I can’t dance, won’t be able to do action sequences and even be able to stand for a long time. The pain is still there, in fact I ice my knees everyday and if my knees don’t pain I feel I am not alive. I do extreme weight training for my legs to offload the stress on my knees. I don’t know why people say they want to live till only 60 or 70, I want to live till 100 and even beyond, and I want to be able. That is why I invest in my health. I want to have a good old age.

Do you smoke or drink?

No. I never got into any vices apart from the fact that I have a sugar addiction. Sugar, if you read the studies, is an extremely addictive substance. So I have that vice, which is very extreme.

I detest smoking. In fact I keep sending literature to people on why they should stop smoking. Alcohol on the other hand is like a celebration drink for me-- champagne or maybe just grape juice on someone’s birthday.

Heard of Tinder? What do you think of it?

Whatever I’ve heard about it has been from my sisters who’ve tried it, but it really hasn’t done much for them. I feel that love has the right time and if you’re supposed to meet someone you will and if you’re not it’s ok, life is not too bad being alone also.

But then everyone says that you should get married in time otherwise you’ll die alone and then you need to have kids also.

I think people should wake up to the fact that you die alone. So this package deal of happiness that you’re trying to buy is quite sad, you need to be happy within first, and then only can you be happy with another person.

As far as my views on marriage go, I was pretty much ok not marrying, but I met someone who wanted to get married and we were completely in sync; had spent a lot of time together- so it just happened. We didn’t plan it or anything.

Bipasha and her husband Karan Singh Grover. (Bipasha Basu Instagram)

In India all our relatives say that the older we marry, the pool of people we will have to choose from shall keep getting smaller. Your comments?

There is some kind of truth to it. The older you get the more rigid you become with the way you are. So when you have to share your room with someone, like I married late, you think, “Umm. Is this really necessary?”

You really don’t want to change yourself. Luckily I didn’t want to change anything in him and neither did he want to change anything in me. But everyone is not so lucky. Many of my single friends find it very tough to connect, in the true sense, with another individual.

Why don’t you connect me with some of your single friends?

(Laughing, she says) Yes please I’m always looking for them!

Bipasha, we shall soon find out whether that happens! Anyways, moving on, what was your idea of a date when you were dating?

I’m pretty old school, and for the longest time I was dating only one person. It sounded like it was never ending. I haven’t had too many boyfriends, when I was single, it seemed like I was 16 again, because every single boy who was my friend or even who wasn’t asked me out. And I was actually scared and shy.

But my friends were very protective of me; they rejected all the boys saying some were too short, too tall, bad teeth. They were really mean, but I avoided the whole dating game that time thanks to them.

What are your views regarding being friends with an ex?

See if your ex is an as***** it’s not possible. But if your ex is a good human being and things didn’t gel well between you then of course it’s possible, but it depends.

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