Water gyms and Bollywood plunges

Parineeti Chopra surprised us recently, with news that she’s India’s Speedo Fitness Ambassador

Following in the footsteps of Speedo athletes worldwide, Parineeti Chopra is now Speedo’s Fitness Ambassador, and while ‘fitness ambassador’ is different from ‘athlete’, we’ll still salute her for showing off curvy that’s also strong and powerful.

The aim of the brand itself is to popularise pool workouts, and encourage people to look at the water as the new gym. With India’s poor pool infra, we’re not sure how that’ll happen, but we’re all for a workout that keeps the heat and the pain away. Just make sure to hydrate in the same way you do when you’re out for a walk. A quick chat with Chopra revealed she’s quite the water baby.

Do you have a pool story?

I must have learnt when I was 6 or 7. My mom is a National-level rescue swimmer in Nairobi, and she had to have her daughter swim, so I remember she just chucked me in the pool one day, and said you have to learn. She put me into classes one summer when we were in Kenya and I just learnt. My mom’s as elegant as a fish in the water, but I’ll never match up to her.

What’s your favourite style?

Breast stroke. I find it the most elegant.

How often do you swim?

In Bombay, I don’t get to do it so much. Though I do have a lovely pool in my building, I don’t really have the time to do that, but my holidays are always on islands or in cities that have pools in the hotel. Then it’s every day. I love to swim in the ocean. I’m a certified scuba diver, and I’ve been diving for five years. I travel all over the world to experience the world’s oceans.

What’s the best diving experience you’ve had?

I’ve been to Palau, Sipadan, the Maldives, Thailand, the Great Barrier Reef. I tend to choose the marine life I want to see and then chase that. Most recently, I wanted to see a whale shark, and I was waiting for the season. Whale sharks were in the Maldives on the dates I was free on, so I went there and was diving there for six days. It was one of the best experiences of my life.

Is it an ‘alone’ experience?

Sometimes it’s just me and a friend who’ll go, but I’ve also done live-aboard trips where there’s eight of us, where from the airport we step onto the boat and we live on the boat for seven days. We’re diving all day.

Do you think water workouts are gaining in popularity?

I think aqua workouts always existed, but people saw aerobics and swimming as options. But now there are so many alternative workouts. There are devices in the water — paddleboards, dumbbells, things to do different fun workouts with.