We spoke to ten men between the ages
of 55 and 70, who were healthy, fit and had more energy than all of us
put together, and asked them the secret of their health. Here's what they
had to say.
"I take an early morning walkevery single day of my life. I wake up at 5, and am at the park by 5:15. I started
this when I was 40, and my routine hasn't changed since."
Lakhulal Chaurasia,
69
"I was in my 30s when a very close
friend of mine had a minor heart attack. He survived, but my wife and I
sat down and decided to make some changes in the way we live our life.
I used to eat meat almost every day. That had to stop. I reduced my meat
eating and switched to vegetables, and around 5 years ago I became completely
vegetarian."
Himmat Singh, 64
"I used to play squash when I was
young, but quit when I started developing pain in my knees. I switched
to golf. It's an excellent sport, relaxing, good exercise, and it is a
sport I can stick with till the end of my days."
Prakash Singhania,
61
"I drink a glass of wine three times
a week, and walk every day for one hour. I try to walk in the mornings,
but if I can't make it, I go for a walk in the evenings. I make it a point
to never miss my morning walk."
Shashikant Puri, 58
"Pollution causes ageing faster than
anything else. For the past 10 years I have been spending three months
of a year in the hills, and it has done wonders for me. I go for walks
in the morning, tend to my garden, read good books, watch television, and
socialise with the locals. The air is fresh - so much healthier."
Krishnakanth Patwardhan,
63
"Every day, after I step out from
the bath, I tell myself loudly and forcefully that I am feeling fine, and
am getting better and better everyday. I learnt this in a class that I
had done. Try it, it works! Of course, this has to be combined with a healthy
lifestyle - no smoking, vegetarian food, no excessive alcohol, and exercise."
Ajit Mohan, 64
"I bathe with room temperature water,
no matter what the season. I never switch on the geyser, even in the heights
of winter. I have excellent immunity, and rarely catch a cold or fall sick.
I don't know if it's because of this, but ever since I started this practice
- when I was in my 20s - I noticed a change in my health for the better."
Rajan Saxena, 56
"I didn't exercise at all until I
suffered from my first heart attack at the age of 45. I have been very
particular since. I didn't know how to swim, so I enrolled in swimming
classes and learnt swimming. I now swim everyday for an hour. I think it's
the best form of exercise as it tones up every part of my body. I am now
62, and feel better than I did at 45! Playing a sport is the best form
of exercise."
Govardhan Lalwani,
62
"I do a form of yoga called Kunjal
Neti every morning. I drink around 4 glasses of lukewarm water with a little
salt, and then stick my fingers down my throat and vomit it out. This is
a cleansing form of yoga and it cleans your entire system. It's best if
you first do this under the guidance of a yoga master. I follow this up
with Jal Neti and Sutra Neti. Yoga is the best form of exercise."
Bimol Sen Gupta,
57
"I do yoga for an hour every day,
drink around 10 glasses of water, and play golf. I lead an ideal retired
life, and, by the grace of god, am fit - for life!"