You have no excuse not to be fit if you’re in Hyderabad: Prince

Ever since he’s transformed from the cute-boy-next door to the lean, mean hottie he is of late, actor Prince has been obsessed with fitness. From running to

gymming

to

rock climbing

, the Bus Stop star stops short of nothing when it comes to staying fit. When we asked him to share with us some of his fitness secrets, Prince actually took us along on what he calls his ‘fitness trail’ and gave us a low down on all the
awesome ways in which Hyderabad can stay fit. Read on...

With so many parks and tracks, this is a city made for runners
“Bored of the gym? hit one of the many jogging tracks in town. tired of running? Go scramble up a rock! Like it better indoors? Do some pilates or yoga at one of the swish fitness centres and wind down with a superfood smoothie at a clean eating joint! Hyderabad is a mecca for fitness buffs —you have no excuse not to be fit when you’re in this city,” says Prince, as he ties up his laces and gets set for his run at

KBR Park

at 6 am on a cloudy morning. There’s a cool breeze, garden scents of flowers and wet earth, and the call of peacocks from inside the park.
“There’s no place like KBR honestly, we are so lucky! I make it a point to run here at least once a week, usually in the evening hours, around 6 pm. So, I have an early lunch, give it a three-four hour break and then come here for a run. One round of KBR is 7 kms; I usually run at a slow pace, which is part of my Low Intensity Steady State (LISS) cardio training. I do it for 30 minutes,” says Prince, as he starts his jog. We run along, hoping we can keep up for that long. “The best part about morning runs here is that the whole periphery of the park is completely open for fitness buffs. It has a well laid out track and it’s a pleasure to run here,” he reveals.
When he makes a pitstop and takes a small break, presumably for our benefit, we’re glad to catch our breath. “When I have a body shot scheduled in any of my films and I need to do more cardio, I do around six-seven rounds of the park at a fast pace. Sometimes, I even do a 20 km run.”
During the course of the slow-paced run, we learn about many other jogger’s tracks in the city. For instance, the nearby Jalagam Vengal Rao Park in

Banjara Hills

. “That’s where I used to go for a run when I was prepping for my first film, Neeku Naaku Dash Dash. I also used to frequent Secunderabad as one of my friends lived there. That’s how I discovered Indira Park. So, whenever I stay back at his place, my morning starts with a run at the park. We also play cricket there some times,” says Prince.

Golconda Fort is a very good fitness terrain. try working out there!
After a round along the periphery of KBR, our lungs feel like they’re about to explode. But Prince still has some gas left apparently. He scrambles up one of the many rocks in the park and does some stretches and push-ups. “Rocks are so cool if you want to shake things up a bit,” he informs us, as if egging us to join in. After a few sets, it’s time for a break. But the banter continues. “Talking of rocks and hikes, have you ever given Golconda Fort a try?” he asks. Er, as a tourist, yes! Well, for Prince it’s a “very cool option for fitness buffs too”.
“It’s true. Everyone visits Golconda for sightseeing and for its architectural splendour, but not many realise that the place can be experimented for fitness as well. When I came to Golconda for the first time for a shooting sequence for one of my films, I was blown away by the steep inclines, endless climbs et al. Once you see it from a fitness point of view, you can’t unsee it. You can go sprinting, walking on stairs, climbing — all this in a 900-odd year heritage site. Now, how many cities can boast of that luxury,” he quips, adding, “I do that at least once in a month when I am bored of doing cardio at gyms. All you have to do is buy a ticket and walk in — there’s so much to explore at Golconda.”

Cycling around Hussain Sagar Lake and on the Gachibowli stretch is totally rad!
Hyderabad’s famed Hussain Sagar may be our good old lover’s spot, but for Prince it was a destination associated with sports and fitness always. “That’s ’cos I first went to Tank bund as a young boy when I visited Hyderabad from Vizag for National Skating competitions. During those days, one stretch of the lakeside would be cordoned off for the competition,” he says, adding, “But today, we have so much more to do around the lake. There’s sailing and kayaking on the lake itself — both super cool activities to stay fit. But that apart, there’s a good circuit around the lake. you can go walking, running and most of all, cycling. I think cycling is such an underrated fitness activity in our city. The Hyderabad Bicycling Club has bike stations both at Necklace Road and Gachibowli, and both areas are fabulous for cycling. I actually know a group of cyclists who start cycling from KBR and go towards Manikonda, then Gachibowli and from there go to Hitec City and then head back to KBR again.”

Fit meal cult makes clean eating easy
When in Hyderabad, no trail can end without some good food. In this case, some lean, clean health food. “This whole fit meal culture has caught up bigtime in the city. I’m so glad that healthy, organic, ‘fitmeals’ are available in so many places here. Even in KBR during early mornings, you’ll find these small stalls popping up selling everything from mixed sprouts to juices. I’ve even noticed that the coconut vendors are selling coconut water in bottles these days. I buy some often and keep sipping on it throughout the day. It helps stay hydrated. And lastly, many places in the city make grilled stuff for people who need lean protein,” he says, sipping on his detox drink.