Alaya F has quite a strong relationship with fitness, and having done multiple rounds of 75 Hard fitness challenge, she has now taken it a notch higher by recently embarking on a 118 hard. “The last three times I did it, when I calculated the total, I realised it was 118 days shy of a year, so this time, I decided to go with that number,” she shares.
A 75 Hard is a 75-day mental toughness and discipline challenge where one must complete these five tasks every day for 75 days in a row, without missing a single task or day. The actor is now going to do it for 118 days. But why does she keep going back to it? “The first time I did it, it just fully changed my life. And after that, I’ve gotten addicted to it. I am just curious to know what more it can do to me, so I keep on doing more and more,” she says.
The 28-year-old shares that she receives messages from people who took up the challenge after being inspired by her, and it just motivates her to do more. However, the challenge falls during the upcoming season of festivities where one faces so much temptations. Does that make the challenge even harder? “The first time I did it, it fell over the New Year. The second time was during a neutral period and the third time, I did it during the Diwali and wedding season. This is the first time I’m doing it when it will fall over all of these seasons, including my birthday,” she says, adding, “It is very important to set these habits at a time where there is the most temptation, because those are the time periods where usually you go off routines. It’s much easier to be disciplined during neutral periods, and this way, it really builds a lot of mental fortitude.”
Sharing the changes the regime has brought in her, Alaya F says, “When I do this sort of programs, I get an immense amount of mental clarity. Your mind by default seems so good, and you are basically functioning at an optimal capacity and naturally, your intuition is stronger, your clarity is better. It helps me make better decisions, helps me trust my gut more, because I can hear my gut more clearly.”
This clarity has also helped her deal with the two-year absence she has had from the screens, with her last release being Srikanth (2024). “Even though right now, a lot of my work is building in silence and will come out soon. I’m really proud of the decisions that I have taken since 2024. And contrary to what may seem. I have been the busiest in my life in the last two years. It’s just there is no official announcement yet, no one knows about it.”
Mention Srikanth and a smile comes to Alaya’s face as the film recently won the National Film Award for Best Hindi film. Excited about the victory, Alaya says, “Srikanth was a very special experience. Every single person on that project, worked towards the best interest of the film and the story that we were trying to tell. I’m so glad that what everyone of us saw in the film, turned out to be true. It’s an honour of such a high level, and I’m grateful to have this on my filmography.”