Build your strength from within and outside – Here’s How

People often ask me about what it is like looking after patients while working inside the most critical ICUs and tending to the worst afflicted, especially over the last year. I reply that it is a truly humbling experience that makes even the most seasoned of doctors introspect not just on their treatment protocols but also about their own lives.

 

Tending to men and women of all ages over time, it becomes increasingly clear that simply being young and free from comorbidities today is not enough anymore to prevent you from acquiring diseases tomorrow. There are often animated debates in the doctors' lounge on whether it is more important to be physically strong or have a good immunity to stay healthy and disease free in these times. And as it often tends to be, both are right - you need to build your strength from both within and outside.

 

How do you do that? Here are my easy tips for how to build your strength from within in India.

 

• 1.     The first point should seem simple enough but tends to be the most neglected. Keep active throughout the day and make time for proper exercise, even if it is just 15 - 20 minutes every day. The endorphins that you release while exercising reduce the hormones causing your mental stress. So you are literally strengthening both your muscles and mind simultaneously.

 

• 2.     That does not mean you do not take time out for your mind too. I know the year has been tough but your well-being matters too. And that means ensuring you wind down properly at the end of the day, detaching from work and making time for seven to eight hours of peaceful sleep every night.

 

• 3.     Of course, what discussion on health is ever free from a peek into your plate, right? Chart your meal plans down at the start of the week itself and stick to it, providing yourself the right proportions of proteins, carbohydrates and fats.

 

• 4.     One thing which I find the need to emphasize more on this time around is the need to add food that are rich in anti-inflammatory compounds in your diet. These include but are not limited to food items as diverse as dark chocolate, tuna, green vegetables, bell peppers and even wine. Now words like anti-oxidants and omega-3 may be familiar to you but never underestimate the effect these invisible gems within green leafy vegetables and fish can have in reducing the side effects caused by your stress levels.

 

• 5.     And yes, it is time to cut down on some of those favourite cravings too. This includes those tempting vadas, bajjis and caffeine rich drinks too, I am afraid. Instead, reach out for that bottle of water more often. If you feel the need to indulge, choose drinks like Ensure that - unlike coffee - have not just high protein and vitamin D that actually benefit your body physically but also vitamins A, C, E, folic acid, zinc and selenium that work together to boost the activities of your immune cells. Start getting a more accurate idea of the health benefits of every item on your plate and in your glass.

 

Take it from someone working inside an ICU for a while now - a visit to the gym alone is not enough anymore. While building those muscles, build up that immunity simultaneously.