After reading a recent interview from a rising Bollywood star, here’s to hoping our Western culture can start teaching our daughters to embrace the Indian culture of actress Bhavna Pani. 
The Times of India headlined with Pani’s own words, “I never go on a diet.” The beautiful dancer and actress told the news source that she exercises faithfully, but she never diets, and stated that “shortcuts always prove to be disastrous.” These sage words are coming from a 22-year-old who has to be on screen in front of millions. It was really refreshing to hear that she’s embraced healthy living as a lifestyle and scoffed away quick, hard hitting diets that won’t last.
Pani said in her interview that all her exercise comes from dance and body weight training. She mentioned that she dances about 1-2 hours a day while adding in a toning activity like Pilates or yoga on alternating days. She says her routine is effective and does not demand too much time.
Pani is a vegetarian and says she stays satisfied with small meatless meals every few hours. She also tries to eat a homemade dinner as much as possible, even with her crazy schedule. Pani has really achieved a sense of balance that so many of us struggle to find.
One of her final statements really stood out. It seems in our culture, we want to be thin. If thin and healthy could go hand and hand, we’d be happy little larks. You often hear women in our country afraid to use weights because they are afraid of bulking up, despite evidence that it’s actually good for them. Pani made a different statement in her interview. She stated how she prefers the athletic build over being skinny. She also feared her vegetarian diet and lower protein intake was the cause of her skinny arms; she said she doesn’t want skinny arms, she wants a more muscular look.
Her interview was inspiring. We could really use a young influence like her in our culture. Until she crosses over from Bollywood to Hollywood, perhaps we could start embracing her philosophies and teaching them to our girls along the way.
Also Read:
5 Easy Homemade Dinners Even Katie Holmes Can Cook