JOIN USPedalling away to fitness
I look forward to weekends because I get to spend quality time with my family and friends which I can’t afford to do on weekdays. However, there are a couple of weekdays when I get an off and in case that happens to be on a Friday, then I get an extended weekend.
My job demands that I stay fit and look good all the time. Weekends are also a time when I get to adhere to my diet. I stick to a strict diet and rarely give in to any cravings. There are two things that I can never get enough of — salad and peanut butter. So the first thing that I do on a Saturday or a Sunday morning is to go grocery shopping on my bicycle. I prefer picking the ingredients personally for the salad and peanut butter.
I am a disciplined eater and have five or six small meals a day. I am particular about what goes into the salad because that is a meal by itself and I don’t combine it with anything else. My ideal salad would have bell pepper, broccoli, baby corn, cherry tomatoes, sunflower seeds, a few nuts and olive oil. I don’t have a dietician or a trainer. I’ve chalked out my own diet plan and gym routine after a lot of research and reading.
I have always been into fitness and played some kind of sport right from school. I was part of the basketball club in Christ College and continue to play sports even to this day. I don’t trade my gym routine for anything and I have to hit the gym at least five days a week. I slow down a little over the weekend but I don’t skip it.
I also reserve my weekends to go mountain biking to places in and around Bengaluru like the hilly terrains near Kanakapura and Nandi Hills. If my friends are busy, then I go alone on my bike or bicycle. I also carry my camera to document my travel experiences and upload them on my Facebook page and Instagram. I pen down some of my thoughts over a weekend and this helps me unwind.
Some of my weekends are also spent planning my career. I never set out to become a model. I completed a degree in business management and worked with a software company for three years before I realised that my interest lay in the arts. And after I got a go-ahead from my parents, I decided to plunge into modelling full time. That decision changed the course of my life. Winning the ‘Mr India 2015’ first runner-up title made me understand that modelling was my true calling. I have also been getting a few offers to act in Kannada, Tamil and Malayalam films but I haven’t signed anything yet because I am waiting for the right script. I am in no hurry and prefer to take one step at a time.
Weekends are also a time when I catch up on reading. I don’t read too many books but enjoy reading news related stuff and current affairs. I also don’t watch television because I get all the updates I need on my phone. I occasionally sit in front of the television with my parents. I am grateful for each day, regardless of whether it is a weekend or a weekday.
I believe that it is my dedication, discipline and a bit of luck that has brought me so far. I always work towards staying focussed, being happy and doing things that make those around me happy as well.
Bengaluru-based supermodel Rahul Rajasekharan Nair was the first runner-up at ‘Mr India 2015’. He also bagged the ‘Mr Personality’ title in the same contest. He has walked the ramp for popular fashion weeks such as ‘Kingfisher Style Week’, ‘International Leather Show’ and ‘Madras Couture Fashion Week’. He has done television and print ads for big brands. Rahul is now set to enter the film industry. Apart from modelling, his interests include cycling, mountain biking and photography.
A few of my favourite things
Dark chocolate
Coffee
Cycle
Camera
My bag
(As told to Nina C George)