Nikkiey Chawla, India’s first transsexual model and actress, believes people these days are so busy loving others and materialistic things around them that they have forgotten to love themselves. Speaking on the occasion of World Health Day, which is observed on April 7, she said, “There are so many people who hire dieticians and trainers, they can help you follow a diet or workout, but if you are not happy and at peace from your mind, you won’t be healthy. You must love yourself. Today we are so busy loving the materialistic things around us that we have forgotten to love ourselves, but once you start doing that things will change for good, and you will be happy and healthy.”

Sharing her fitness regime, she said that she is not a gym addict and indulges in-home workouts quite often. She said, “I am not a person who will go to the gym regularly, so I try to climb up and down the stairs 3-4 times a day. I don’t use a lift at all. I go on walks, and on days when I am unable to, I dance at home. People should include mild exercises, dance, or even brisk walks, in their daily lifestyle, that will definitely make a change.” “A lot of people say that you shouldn’t be eating ghee, I feel that’s rubbish. You should have atleast one spoon of pure ghee every day. Another thing I suggest people is to have eight hours of sleep, and if you can’t do that then take a power nap in the afternoon. It will refresh and energise you,” she added. But what health advice do you give to others? “I feel a person’s body and their muscles act according to their age, so whenever I meet, say an autorickshaw wala or a vegetable vendor, I always tell them to give proper rest to their body,” she said.

“I have also seen models who are obsessed with dieting, but they forget that keeping yourself hungry harms your skin. They start getting dark circles, they lose the sheen of their skin, so I always advise them to include a fish oil capsule in their diet. Even if they are dieting, the fish oil capsule will keep their skin and joints healthy,” Nikkiey concluded.