P.V. Sindhu is on the badminton court – in her workout gear. In a new social media post the racquet star shows off her fit figure in an exercise set while playing with an official. “What a great experience playing a friendly few points with the honorable sports minister Shri Mansukh Mandaviya ji! Your energy and enthusiasm for badminton is truly inspiring! Looking forward to more games and promoting sports across the nation together!” she captioned the Instagram post. How does she approach diet, fitness, and self-care?
“My day starts out with a hearty protein-rich breakfast of eggs and milk. Lunch is usually green leafy vegetables and chicken that helps pack in the carbs. I keep my energy up between sessions with Gatorade that helps build endurance,” she told Elle about her diet. Things she stays away from? “Ice cream and chocolates are kryptonite for an athlete. Ditto for anything with too much oil in it. Swearing off junk food altogether is scary though; indulge yourself once in a while to avoid an ungodly binge later.”
Sindhu understands the importance of rest. “Stress. It is easy to carry the performance pressure around with you as a burden. Cut yourself some slack and take it easy,” she says. “Practice really doesn’t seem like a burden when you love every minute of it. I just give my body one day to detox after returning from a tournament, and then take to the court again the very next day.”
She also understands the benefits of drinking lots of water. “In between practice sessions, I keep myself well hydrated since athletic performance is greatly improved when one is properly hydrated.”
“Nutrition for me is about balancing the carbs and proteins. My day usually starts with milk, eggs and fruits for breakfast. I then head to the courts and keep myself hydrated in between sessions with plenty of liquids,” she says. “For lunch and dinner, I eat meat with vegetables and rice. Also, I never leave for my workout without a snack in my kitbag—this is usually a small bowl of fruits, a few dried nuts and a bottle of Gatorade. All of them help me keep up my energy and provide me with endurance.”Her match-day prep “Match day typically involves exercises that help me warm up and nothing too tiring. My diet for match day is calculated basis the match timing.”
Sindhu trains hard. “I start my morning session at 7am, which goes on till about 12pm. This is when I focus on my game on court, post which I head home for lunch at 1pm and rest until 3pm. I am back at the academy by 4pm for endurance training and wrap up my day by 7pm,” she told Vogue. “My pre-workout routine starts with stretching exercises and finishes with a run. My workout session varies every day, and is planned on a monthly basis, focusing on my back, abdomen, knees and shoulders.”