High Five with Jerry Pinto: Balancing diet, exercise and passion

with Jerry Pinto, author and poet

1. What do you eat in a day?

I try to be as sensible as possible, so a lot of fruit and vegetables, but a lot of meat and fish as well. I try to keep my carbohydrate intake low, but I love rice and wheat, too, and in the worst possible forms, like white polished rice and maida. So I eat a lot of them, but I try to be as sensible as possible.

2. How do you stay fit?

I have a yoga routine. I do the Tibetan rites. I do some walking and I go to the gym and maybe four times a week I do some light weight training to keep my bone density up.

3. What do you do in your me-time?

My me-time is my work time. I discovered that I love writing. I love translating. I love poetry. I love all the things that I do. So, if I have free time, I do my work.

Other than that, there is a wonderful channel called Mubi. And I watch strange films from all across the world… that would never get commercial release. It is like having a film festival at your fingertips.

4. One unhealthy thing that you will never be caught doing?

I would never be caught doing drugs because I like being in control of my mind. I have no judgement against people who smoke weed or anything like that. But I don't like being out of control. I like what my mind is like right now. So, I am happy.

5. One mantra you swear by?

Lots of sleep. Lots of fruit. Lots of work that you love. Lots of love. If you have all four of those, you are fine.