It’s time to change our lifestyle

The Covid-19 pandemic caused the entire world to pay a heavy price. Even after two years, this virus has not eradicated. Somewhere in the world, it is still raising its head with new variants and thus has become an ongoing challenge. Until we find a panacea for it, we have to protect ourselves with the available resources like vaccines, medications and immunity boosters. But the most important part is to change our sedentary lifestyle and become active and healthy. People in the age group of 40 to 50 years must take up this challenge immediately without losing precious time.

I have a reason to give a wake-up call to the forty-plus generation. It is the phase when most of us begin experiencing symptoms of future health challenges. It all starts from a sedentary lifestyle accompanied by lack of exercise and sound sleep, mental stress, eating oily, spicy junk food and bad habits like smoking and alcohol consumption. The result is obesity, hypertension, anxiety, diabetes, cardiac disease and untimely exit from this world. The recent pandemic has clearly shown that the people suffering from the above symptoms are more vulnerable. If we want to stop it all at first, we have the only option — a lifestyle change.

I have gone through all the above symptoms except diabetes and cardiac disease. But I took heed of the wake-up calls at the right time. For example, in my thirties, I had a habit of smoking. I acquired it to imitate the style of some movie actors. But when my doctor scolded me in sharp words and asked me to choose between style and death, I took the message and discarded smoking at once. Similarly, when I realised that bad food and bad eating habits were the roots of many critical illnesses, I discarded eating spicy, oily, oversweet and junk food and settled on home-cooked simple but nutritious meals.

One day a lady, my wife’s friend, accompanied our family for lunch. When she saw my simple meal including some green salad and some boiled vegetables, she jokingly asked me: “Jay, people call you a Masala King. But there is neither any Masala (spice) in your food nor do you eat like a king.” I also replied jokingly, “Madam, how can I forget the simple food which made me a Masala King? I eat it regularly to express my gratitude towards it.” Jokes apart, the change in food habits reduced my obesity, regular exercises kept me fit, meditation and music made my mind unstressed and calm, and travel and social work made me happy.

Friends, don’t make life complicated. Live an active, healthy, hygienic and joyful life. If you want to make a change, be it in habit or lifestyle, let me share a tip with you. Just follow the new timetable for 21 days and observe the miracle.

Dr Dhananjay (Jay) Datar is the chairman and managing director of Al Adil Trading.