This is what you get after 450 crunches a day

The television star opens up to Rajul Hegde about eating right and staying fit.

Gautam Rode is one of the hottest men on the small screen today and is probably the reason why you watch Saraswatichandra.

Rode tells Rajul Hegde that it is indeed possible to get a physique like his with a vegetarian diet.

Read on to know more:

At what age did you start working out?

I started working out at the age of 16.

My cousin Farhad who is four years older to me, inspired me to hit the gym.

Could you tell us a little about your fitness routine?

Eating healthy and working out always goes a long way in keeping you fit.

I do 450 crunches for the lower abs, upper abs and sides without fail

I also keep an hour aside to go to the gym.

I've enrolled in a gym that has long hours so even if I am done with work late, I hit the gym without fail.

Since I have a very high rate of metabolism, I tend to lose muscle mass if I am not working out.

I normally concentrate on my favourite areas like shoulder, chest, biceps, and back.

I am not much of a cardio person but every once in a while I run for about 45 minutes at a stretch.

How do you convert your free time into fun-time?

Working out is fun time so whenever I get any free time I just go to the gym and workout.

The fact is I simply enjoy exercising!

Working out is my hobby.

More stories from our Health and Fitness section here!

What is your diet like?

I have never been a foodie; as long as something is healthy, it works for me.

Things like chocolates, pastries (and any other high-calorie food) don't tempt me.

I eat every two hours and my diet includes brown rice poha, oats, muesli and low-sugar fruits like apples, pears, oranges and strawberries.

For protein, I have a good amount of dal, channa, tofu and soya milk.

I also make sure to have lots of green vegetables and drink at least six cups of green tea every day.

This is what my daily eating pattern is like:

• I wake up at 7 am and start my day with a cup of green tea.
• After 30 minutes, for breakfast I have skimmed milk, 6 almonds, sunflower and flax seeds, oats/muesli mixture of everything in a bowl and a protein shake.
• Seeds are terrific at maintaining cholesterol levels and keeping the blood pressure in check.
• After two hours, I have a fruit and a green tea
• Lunch is at 1pm and it usually consists of brown rice, dal or chole, sabzi and salads.
• My evening snack mainly consists of brown rice poha made in olive oil tossed with veggies like broccoli, baby corn, cabbage and capsicum with a cup of green tea.
• Before sunset, I have an apple along with another cup of green tea again
• Dinner is usually light and includes boiled sprouts with lemon juice, onions and tomatoes, or tossed vegetables and tofu and sometime includes a soup.

More stories from our Health and Fitness section here!