How Saiyami Stays Fit and Fabulous

Curly hair. Hazel green eyes.

A chocolate addict. A fitness freak. And a lover of sports too.

A rare combination, eh?

That's Saiyami Kher for you!

She played cricket in school and was selected to represent Maharashtra.

She's also played badminton opposite Saina Nehwal at a junior national-level tournament; in an interview with the Hindustan Times, she said the latter 'smashed the living daylights' out of her.

The granddaughter of Marathi actor Usha Kiran is fiercely competitive and doesn't like giving excuses -- be it on the sets or off it.

It would be fair to say that Saiyami knows how to strike the right balance between being strong and being beautiful in real life.

The talented actor, who recently turned showstopper for designer Samant Chauhan at the FDCI x Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai spoke to Rediff.com's Mayur Sanap about her Diwali plans, love for chocolate and her smart fitness funda to dodge Mumbai's crazy traffic.

What's your success mantra?

My motto is to never give up. I do what I really like to do and keep going at it.

How do you stay so fit?

I go to shoots on a cycle; it saves so much time!

We're working 12 hours a day. It's faster to reach your location (on a bicycle).

It's also convenient because the traffic in Mumbai is crazy and reaching Film City (in Goregaon, northwest Mumbai) can take forever. I also get done with my workout for the day. So it's a combination of both.

On the days you don't feel like getting out of bed, how do you motivate yourself to hit the gym?

I call a friend who is fit because it gives me this competitive feeling that 'you gotta do something.'

Do you have a favourite workout song?

Any song from Bhaag Milkha Bhaag...

How do you take care of your curls?

One needs to understand which products suit your hair.

A person with curly hair should try out different products.

I actually don't do much to my hair. I just use some leave-in cream. That's all.

What dating advice would you like to give young women?

Fall in love for the right reasons. Don't go after the man's wealth and money.

Enjoy being in love.

Keep doing new things together.

What are your plans for Diwali this year?

I love wearing lehengas and dressing up during Diwali so I guess you will see me in a lehenga!

Do you have a sweet tooth? What will you binge on?

I am a big chocolate fan. So I'm gonna have something chocolatey for Diwali.

Watch! Saiyami shares her secrets