MP Supriya Sule follows fitness-on-the-go mantra in 50s: Diet Coke, ‘cycling in saree', carrying sneakers everywhere

Inside NCP leader Supriya Sule's unconventional fitness playbook — cycling in a saree, her weakness for Diet Coke, and why she never carries food from home.

For elected leaders, fitness is not a lifestyle choice. Erratic schedules, constant travel and relentless scrutiny demand endurance, clarity and resilience. If you have ever wondered how Supriya Sule manages that balance, here is how she does it.

Supriya Sule's fitness philosophy

The NCP leader's approach is pragmatic, not programmatic. She 'seriously never feels worn out' as her 'body plays along quite well', she told The Week in 2019. Her rule: "I compulsorily carry my sneakers and Crocs at all times, and depending on when I get the time, I work out."

The pattern, when possible, is cycling, yoga and brisk walking on alternate days — often at odd hours. In Pune or Baramati, she cycles in a saree. In Mumbai, she walks from Marine Drive to her home after work. A self-described 'hardcore gym person' five years ago, she now ‘prefers the outdoors’.

Stress eating and Diet Coke

However, campaign life disrupts even the best intentions. She said, noting her goal at the time was to lose six kilos: “Right now, it is all a mess. There is no discipline, as there is no regular set pattern for my days... unlike many others who lose weight in the heat and dust of elections, I gain by the kilos because I am a stress eater... I also have a weakness for Diet Coke. It is my energiser, and I must have one can a day without fail.”

What Supriya Sule actually eats

Supriya Sule shared that she does not carry food from home. She eats at karyakartas' (party workers') homes or local dhabas — typically ‘veggies, mutton or chicken with rice or jowar bhakris’. Roadside hygiene doesn't deter her; she carries two flasks of boiled water as her 'only precaution'. Breakfast is 'a fruit and six almonds', and evening snacks consist of 'any two varieties of biscuits'.

She added that she has 'outgrown the taste of fried food', and was 'not addicted to tea or coffee'. But as a self-described foodie, food was always on her mind: “I know the most amazing places to eat, district-wise, in Maharashtra, and I plan accordingly and inform them beforehand to keep some food for me.”

The missing piece: sleep

However, her schedule leaves a glaring deficit: sleep. She shared, “It actually feels like it has been ages since I enjoyed a good, long sleep,” the mother of two admitted. “I need to work on that.”

It is a critical gap. Her routine of walking, cycling and yoga comfortably meets the WHO recommendation of 150-300 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week for adults 18-64. But WHO and global consensus also recommend 7-9 hours of sleep for cognitive and cardiovascular recovery — a threshold that routine four-hour nights do not meet.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.