LAHORE: It is common knowledge how pertinent it is to look and feel great, especially if you’re a public figure. Renowned TV and film actress Mehreen Raheal feels exactly the same. The gym where she works out is called Structure, which has four branches; three in Lahore and one in Karachi. I went over to the one in Gulberg, Lahore where I got a chance to speak with the experts and the trainers of Structure. I was informed of the meticulous and in-depth workings of this gym and how special attention is paid to each and every client. I personally liked Structure because of its spick and span premises, dominant privacy and mind your own business appeal. When I caught up with the actress, even she couldn’t stop raving about the place. “I have been with Structure, since forever. It’s a family gym for me. I can’t even recall when I started working out at Structure. It’s the best gym. Everybody there is trained to make you exercise and help you work out in a correct manner. I feel the hygiene in the gym and the over all experience at Structure is amazing. It’s something that is being looked into personally. It’s not an awami place where everyone turns up. You can show up in your workout gear and people will not be ogling at you. There’s a respect there for a lady who is working out and there’s discipline, which is the core of a fitness regime. If there’s no discipline and no privacy, I don’t think that one would want to be in the gym working out completely stress free,” Mehreen Raheal shared. “Mehreen had piled on a lot of weight post her pregnancy. However, when she began hitting the gym here at Structure and added disciple in her routine, she began losing weight and feels and looks better than ever now,” the trainer at Structure told me. Raheal shard her routine with me proudly. “Usually, I wake up at about 5:30 in the morning and have breakfast as soon as I get out of bed. I usually have a glass of hot water with lemon and then a cup of tea with two egg whites and a toast. Then after about two hours, I have some fruit and then after an hour and a half, I hit the gym.” Sharing details about her workout regime, Raheal said, “I divide my workout. Usually, I do a lot of cardio. Then there is legs and core everyday. Arms, back and lower body are thrice a week. High intensity circuit training I do for an hour and 20 minutes.” Talking more about her food intake, Raheal said, “I’m a very picky eater. I usually tend to keep the carbohydrates intake during the first half of the day. I drink lots of water and stay away from aerated water and sugary drinks. If I do want aerated water, I have diet soda but not too many of it. My sodium intake is extremely low. If I want a biscuit or a brownie, it’s usually in the first half of the day. My protein and fibre intake is high. At the same time, my fruit intake is limited as too many fruits can also build up sugar inside your system. I eat lots of fresh foods and vegetables. I don’t eat deep fried stuff, neither do I eat junk food. I usually have home cooked meals like cooked vegetables with roti. I keep check on my calorie intake but I tend to eat healthy. I have my dinner at 6:30pm and if after that I’m hungry, I have a pomegranate or a protein shake. This is my routine and if I’m on the go, I wake up and do 15 minutes of intense three circuits of high intensity workouts in the room, which would be pushups, situps and burpees, etc.” Raheal says fitness is not something, which is portrayed by skinny people. Describing fitness for me, she adds, “A physically fit person is somebody who is able and strong. Muscle strength is something that is important for me. The sleek look of being skinny having no energy is not fitness. Fitness is when you are able to do things and counter tasks without any issues. If you eat well and are active in the gym or active otherwise. If you sleep on time and drink a lot of water and have a regimented lifestyle, I would say you are fit then. It’s very difficult to have a regimented lifestyle but that’s what works. You have to have a routine in life. If you don’t have a routine in life, you are not able to divide your time and your energy to do justice to whatever you do.” I ask Raheal who according to her is the fittest woman who she greatly admires. “There are a lot of women who are physically fit but I feel Meesha Shafi is one of the icons that I completely look up to. She’s come a long way and she’s always held her own. I really admire her for that.” Raheal reveals that she is currently undergoing professional training as chef. This proves her love for food. But is she actually a foodie? “There’s no word as ‘foodie’ in my vocabulary. I can’t stand that word. Yes, I love food. I’m training to be a professional chef right now as we speak. The food quantity is not something that I’m really into. The quality of the food is something that really matters. Food is a very intense subject.” Raheal also makes a case for all the ladies who starve themselves in order to lose weight and on the way, become sick and weak. “Running away from food or starving yourself is not the idea of being physically fit. Your skin, your hair, your nails – everything responds to good food. It’s fuel for your body. If you’re not fuelling your body, how is it going to perform? If you don’t put petrol in the car, you can’t expect the car to be running. So you need to feed your body well.” Other than being a fitness enthusiast and undergoing training to become a chef, Raheal is working on a TVC currently in Karachi. She has also completed a project for Urdu 1. “You will be seeing a lot of my food work on Instagram. I’m there for my fans for any thing. I can answer their questions about health and fitness, about my journey, about telling them how important it is to have a routine, to be healthy and how being a healthy and active person affects your mood, your attitude and the people around you,” Raheal says. Published in Daily Times, January 22nd 2018.