We met comedian Paul Chowdhry, fresh off his nationwide PC’s World tour, to talk about the realities of life on the road as a stand-up and how he keeps fit with little time to spare. The Stand Up For The Week host gave us some handy tips on keeping happy in the face of adversity – because if anyone knows the struggle is real, it’s a comic who's endured “death” on stage.
“I still get people telling me I’m rubbish! You have to keep on getting out there,” he tells Coach’s Sam Razvi. “Even the Beatles and the Rolling Stones had people who didn’t like them. But if you don’t believe in yourself, who will?”
Paul also makes an effort to keep fit, even while on the road. He's particularly proud of his eight-pack (which we unfortunately didn’t see) and attributes his abs to cutting out carbs – “I don't eat chapattis, even though I’m Indian” – and replacing them with higher-protein subsitutes like bulgar wheat and quinoa. “If I only had ten minutes to work out, I’d do high-intensity abs training,” he says, adding that his usual gym routine is to work on a different body part every day.
Most of us won’t find ourselves on a stage in front of hundreds of people expecting us to make them laugh, but we’ve all had a nerve-wracking moment, whether it’s a job interview or meeting the parents for the first time. Paul’s advice for these times? “Treat yourself like Bruce Lee before a big fight. Breathe in through the nose, out through the mouth, and calm yourself down. Be comfortable with yourself and who you are.”
Watch the full interview above. PC’s World is out now on DVD and digital download. Order your copy here.
