Avika Gor: Everybody should understand how important mental and emotional health are

Actress Avika Gor, is a firm believer in emotional and physical health going hand in hand. This World Health Day, the actress says that mental well being is very important and should be taken seriously.

“I believe that health is not only about physical well-being but mental and emotional too. I remember people asking me about my weight loss and transformation and I always kept telling them that it's not just about the physical transformation, it's also about mental and emotional. You need to become stronger, more aware of yourself and your body and that's how you become healthy. I completely believe in this and I think that I was lucky enough to understand these little things at this age. I have a lot of people around me who are already in their 30s and 40s and they are struggling with their health. Everybody should understand how important mental and emotional health are,” she says.

She adds that it gets tough to take care of your health with a hectic schedule. “We definitely as actors have the most messed up schedule and routines because sometimes we have a night shoot so we have to stay up all night. With that kind of schedule, I maintain a rule that I get to sleep for at least 8 hrs a day. I also eat healthy. I try drinking a lot of water, do my exercise for at least 40min a day, and I walk a lot. These things keep me active and emotionally, I try to stay happy and let go of the stress because at the end of the day, I love my work and that keeps me happy. I enjoy the whole process of being at work and having these crazy schedules because I like it. I keep a positive perspective and that helps me enjoy the whole process,” she says.

Health always takes precedence for her, she says, “Health is wealth is something in which I also believe. My parents always made sure that I don't get carried away with the work that I do extra hours and mess up my health. I am glad that we have been taking it seriously because it is important. We realized it and I am happy that we realised it before it got too late,” she adds.

While some people might feel that it’s expensive to be healthy due to the organic food and fancy gym memberships, she doesn’t agree.  “I have made so many life changes myself and it's very clear as there is not too much of a difference. I don't think you need to join a gym, you can workout at home, you can go for runs. These are the extra gimmicks that people usually like doing. I know so many people who can't afford this but are still fit. I don't agree with this though. Talking about myself, there are days when I go to the gym and there are days when I just go for a run. If people want to become healthy then these things cannot stop them,” she says.

 Avika focuses on becoming healthy gradually and is not a big fan of fancy diets. “I have definitely tried a lot of different types of diet and been very unsatisfied because these extreme diets have never helped me. Yes, I did lose weight in the beginning but when I started eating normal home food, I used to put on weight. So strict diets never helped me. Over time, I realised that eating healthy greens and fibre is making me feel good about myself. The whole process of being fit was slow but I liked the idea of not putting myself under stress by going on a strict diet. You don't need those extreme steps to take care of your body, it's just the basics that we need to follow,” she says.

Talking about what she does to stay fit, the actress says, “One is exercising daily and I make sure that I don't give too much time to stressing about things. I dedicate 10 min to worry in a day. And I make sure to keep myself busy the rest of the day so that I don’t worry. These are the two things I follow. The biggest thing I avoid is sugar. It has helped me a lot. The second is getting enough sleep and taking care of my skin. I avoid going out late night and messing up my routine.”