WHILE YOU, PROBABLY, were still snuggled in your bed yesterday morning, we drove all the way towards the end of the Palm Jumeirah at El Chiringuito, Rixos hotel, to do yoga with the lovely Jacqueline Fernandez. She more or less came on time (A Bollywood celebrity coming ON TIME? That's a surprise!) and did the entire yoga session of over one hour with a select few Dubai media. She was in the UAE to launch her juice brand Raw Pressery. Technically, we were doing yoga with the Bollywood beauty but she was better than all of us combined who were doing yoga with her. She did all the complicated yoga twists, turns, bending with ease, as if she is an eternal yogi, while we were struggling to even bend properly. When we met her, she was curious to know how we found the class and her yoga moves. "It is so important to wake up in the morning and give yourself that kind of time. It is mentally and physically very strengthening. Yoga is important and a good part of the lifestyle to have in your everyday life," said Jacqueline while talking to City Times.
And was she comfortable doing yoga in the Dubai heat, since we were practicing the ancient Indian discipline and healing in the open area of the restaurant. "The sweat really helps your skin. I am not complaining about the Dubai heat because once you take a cool shower, your day starts so fresh. It is a great way to wake up your body."
Jacqueline - the businesswoman
As always, we love to see women taking charge of their lives, or entering the area which is primarily male-dominated. Jacqueline who is a Bollywood star has become an entrepreneur as well with this health venture. "I don't know if I would call this a business because this is a passion project. I want to spread awareness on lifestyle, health, and fitness. I want people to know that they need to get the right stuff in their body as it's really important. We try to deliver what is the best. We are honest about it."
So what inspired her to invest in the juice business? "Raw Pressery is my passion project. I am in such a busy kind of a lifestyle and career that it gets really difficult for me to make my own juices. There are so many packaged juices out there that claim to be healthy but they are packed with sugar, preservatives and artificial flavouring and it is really wrong because that stuff is really unhealthy for you. Anuj, the owner of Raw, started this company three years back. I was a loyal customer from that time because, pretty much, every ingredient that you see - if a bottle says orange, carrot, and ginger, then there is nothing else, no added water or sugar or anything else. It is 100% real ingredients. I use this to start my day, during shoots, to get energy or just stay hydrated. Anuj and I decided to start something this year. I wanted to introduce my favorite flavours but he asked me to get on board. I invested in the company and it's doing so well that we have decided to expand out of India. Hence, we are launching in Dubai."
'Fitness is a mental game'
Horse riding, pole dancing, yoga, gymming, planking, stretching or dancing, Jacqueline can truly do it all with ease. How does she bring her A-game into her fitness activities? "Fitness is part of my work as well but it goes beyond that. I think even if I wasn't an actress, I would probably make fitness a huge part of my life. I don't see it as something to stay slim or keep the weight off. I see it as a mental game and I think the more you challenge your mind, it keeps you going. That's how you can overcome obstacles in life. I feel that if you have discipline in fitness then there is nothing that you cannot conquer. That's very important for me. My every day is about, 'what can I do to challenge my body today?'. But at the same time, I know what I am actually doing is challenging my mind."
Doing exercise alone can be boring hence the Kick actress suggests that one should go for group exercise and also, one should shock their body by doing different activities. "There are so many options in exercise and so many options to keep it fun. There are so many group classes to do and experience. For me, every day, my workout is never the same. Someday I just run on a treadmill, some days I do yoga, sometimes just stretching, so it's never the same thing and that's what keeps me going."
On Judwaa 2's success
2017 is being considered as one of the worst years of the Hindi film industry. Audiences flatly refused most of the movies that released this year at the box office. David Dhawan's directorial Judwaa 2 starring Varun Dhawan, Jacqueline, and Taapsee Pannu is one of the biggest hits of this year. Jacqueline was over the moon while talking about the success of her comedy film. "It feels amazing. The industry was really wanting a hit. I was so glad because when one film is a hit then the entire industry benefits. All of us are really happy. We worked hard. There was a lot of pressure being in a film like Judwaa 2 but we are good now." She also told us that currently, she is wrapping up Drive with Sushant Singh Rajput then she will move on to the third installment of the Race series, Race 3 with Salman Khan.
Say no to that extra slice of pizza
Fitness is not just about exercising. It is mostly about eating right. They say that abs are not made in the gym but in the kitchen. So how does Jacqueline, who constantly travels across the world, say no to that extra slice of pizza or a second round of cupcake? "I think that's what it is about. You need to be able to speak to yourself. There is a voice inside you that talks to you all the time. When you do stuff like fasting, yoga or meditation - that voice becomes stronger and you start listening to it more. I think that's what it is all about. You need to have balance in your life. There are so many times that your body is telling you that you do not need that extra piece of pizza or second round of cupcake. You got to pay attention and it is a discipline that we are born with, which truly helps us," said Jacqueline who ordered a platter of fruits for breakfast while she was sitting with us.
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