Love of sports has always been a strong suit for her, as evidenced by her role as a cricket player in her most recent movie, Ghoomer, starring Abhishek Bachchan. Actress Saiyami Kher prepares to compete in the upcoming international sports event—the Ironman 70.3 race—in Berlin. As the only Bollywood actress to do so, she speaks about her passion for sports, her fitness regime, and the inspiration behind it.
In 2020, Saiyami made a try at the exhausting Ironman triathlon, which consists of running, swimming, and cycling. However, COVID struck just as she was preparing, leading to the cancellation of the race. She had planned to repeat it in New Zealand last year, but an accident occurred. She’ll be making her third attempt in Germany in September. “I really want to do the Ironman that I’ve been training for, but it takes a lot of dedication and time. I've been putting off this goal for quite some time.
Adventure has been a part of her life since she was a child. Saiyami has learned how to swim in lakes, climb mountains, and trek through the Himalayas. “I have learned how to surf, and I think adventure is something that just keeps me alive,” says the actress.
She’s being trained under the first and only Indian triathlete, Kaustubh Radkar, who has completed the Ironman Triathlon 35 times. The actress claims that preparing for Iron Man is one of the hardest difficulties she has ever faced. “Preparing for Iron Man is one of the biggest challenges I’ve taken on. It has always been on my bucket list, and I decided to finally take the plunge.”
Fitness regime
I follow a very rigorous training plan, as I am just 15 weeks away from my race day. So I train for an average of 2 hours a day. In a week, I have 4 bike sessions, 3 run sessions, 3 swim sessions, and 2 strength training sessions.
Diet
I prefer eating home-cooked food. For normal dal, sabzi, and roti, I make sure I add enough protein. So, chicken, fish, and eggs. I have been off sugar for a year. So I will start eating sugar on June 29. But I make sure I hydrate well. Because that’s very important.
Inspiration behind Ironman
I have always been into sports. I have run two full marathons and 20 odd half marathons, so this was my next goal. For me, endurance sports make me mentally fit, so it’s my way to clear my mind.
