How top doctors take care of their health

What do the top doctors of this country, who give healing touch to millions, themselves do to maintain their health and fitness level. Let us take a sneak peak.

DR ANOOP MISRA Prof. Anoop Misra, is the Director of Department of Diabetes & Metabolic Diseases, Fortis Hospitals, New Delhi. He has been a faculty at the Department of Endocrinology and Human Nutrition at the Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, USA, and former Professor of Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi and a member of World Health Organization. Wake up time: I am a morning person. I wake up at around 6-6.30am, even on Sundays. Exercise regimen: I do regular aerobic exercise for 35-40 minutes daily all seven days a week. I often jog interspersed by walking. I do resistance exercise (with small weights) 10 minutes daily. When traveling, I try to walk as much as I can on airports and on roads. I have jogged in almost all countries while on conferences or vacation; around Sydney Opera house, near Eiffel tower, hard roads of Manhattan, and on the bank of river Thames in London. Food: My breakfast is very simple. It is either porridge or half egg with one brown bread with coffee. Lunch consists of salad, fruits and two paneer wraps in roti. I take no evening snack, but just a cup of coffee. The dinner comprises two rotis, dal, green vegetable, and curd. Despite my busy schedule, I eat food at fixed times. Dinner is around nine, unless I am in a party. I am a vegetarian. I avoid most of junk foods, except occasionally. I never take any sweet dish except fruit cream or so. I think if I advise my patients not to take such foods, I should make an example of it myself. Now people, who know me, have stopped asking me during parties if I would like to have a fried food or an energy-dense sweet dish. Health Check: I get my blood tests done every six months, keeping in view that my father developed diabetes at an early age and died of a heart attack. In Leisure: I regularly read novels, a mixture of India-specific and international literature. Currently I am reading William Darlymple’s “Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India" and Tehmina Durrani’s “My Feudal Lord”. For this I squeeze 30 minutes time before going to sleep. Relaxation: I relax by exercising, and by watching a good English or Hindi movie with my wife and children. Official Routine: It is very hectic. Morning: 8.30 am to 2 pm, seeing patients, 3 pm to 5 pm, research and administrative work. 5.30 -8 pm seeing patients again and 8-8.30 pm: strategy session for future research and national and international collaborations. Sleeping Hours: 6 hours of sleep is usually enough for me. Culinary Indulgences: Popcorn (during movies), soups (everyday), Kashmiri vegetarian food (if cooked by my wife), and Chinese Cantonese noodles (only in selected restaurants)! Health tip to the readers: Discipline- the key to health and to anything that one wants to achieve in life. And Rule of six(ty) 1. Sixty minutes of total exercise daily (40 minutes - walk, 10 minutes - resistance with small weights, and 10 minutes - work related walk). This is the current recommendation for the Indian population.
2. Six foods to take: Green leafy vegetables, fruits, nuts, fish, low fat curds, and oats.
3. Sixty minutes of meditation (in any form, including religious) per week.
4. At least six hours of sleep daily.
5. Six-monthly health check up.
6. Six-monthly out-of-town holiday.
DR ASHOK SETH

Dr. Ashok Seth is the Chairman & Chief Cardiologist, Escorts Heart Institute & Research Centre, New Delhi. Dr. Seth, who has contributed significantly to the growth, development and training of Interventional Cardiology in Asia Pacific, has been awarded the prestigious national recognition, Padma Shri, for his invaluable contribution and achievements in the field of medicine.

After working for 10 years in the U.K., he left his position as a Cardiologist at the Birmingham University, Queen Elizabeth Hospital and returned to India and pioneered numerous new techniques of Angioplasty in Asia-Pacific. He has performed more than 40,000 Angiograms and 15,000 Angioplasties in his career, for which he has received recognition in the ‘Limca Book of Records’. Wake up time: I normally get up at around 6:30 in the morning. Exercise Regimen: Yes, I do follow an exercise regimen. I exercise at least 5 times a week for approx 40 minutes. Most of this is cardiovascular fitness on elliptical exerciser while for two days a week I do light weight training. Food: I normally have wheat germ toast with eggs for breakfast. As far as lunch is concerned, I take a very light lunch like a fruit or salad. I do not stop for lunch and continue to work through the lunch and would normally multitask while eating which may be making a phone call or doing a discussion or even seeing a patient in OPD. My dinner is usually late and is home cooked and vegetarian food as we do not cook any non-vegetarian food at home. The only difference is that it is late because of my working schedule. Ideally one should have an early dinner. I do not avoid any food. I tend to believe that moderation is the best form of precaution. Health check: I keep myself fit and I do go for regular health check ups. I get my blood tested twice a year for all the general blood tests and cholesterols and I have had the exercise test done every two years. In Leisure: Yes, I do have a hobby. I tend to enjoy singing and have been taking regular singing lessons from the past four years at least twice a week. I do ‘riyaz’ on Thursday mornings and on Sundays and have been taking formal training at the ‘Bhatkhande Sangeet Vidyalay’. I sing Ghazals and have also held a concert performance for my close colleagues and friends. Relaxation: I tend to relax by listening to music, exercising and going on short family holidays. I think that’s the best way to relax. Official Routine: I start at 9:30 in the morning and could finish at anything between 10:30 to 2:30 at night. It involves a lot of clinical work, procedures, angioplasties, seeing patients, doing ward rounds and also taking time for administrative and academic activities. Sleeping Hours: I normally take 5-6 hours of sleep. Culinary Indulgences: I primarily enjoy India Cuisine especially north east frontier or Lucknawi, though I also enjoy oriental food like Chinese and Thai. Health Tip for Readers: My health tip to the readers is that the health of your heart lies in your feet and not in your hands. 45 minutes of exercise 5 times a week can decrease your chances of having a heart attack by at least 25%. Exercise results in lowering of blood pressure, control of cholesterol, decrease in weight and therefore getting rid of obesity, improvement in diabetics, better fitness, feeling positive and ensuring heart health. DR SUNITA GUPTA Dr Sunita Gupta, has been in specialty practice of Obstetrics and Gynecology in South Delhi for the past 20 years. She has completed her MBBS & MD from AIIMS and is presently a consultant at Fortis Hospital and Modi Hospital. She has been an active participant in many Obstetrics and Gynecology workshops, held both in India and internationally, including a specialized training in operative & diagnostic Laparoscopy and Hysteroscopy at the University of Kiel, Germany. Wake up time: At around 6:30 – 7:00 am. Exercise Regimen: Yes I do. I go for a walk in the park 3 to 4 times a week. Food: Breakfast- I prefer to have a heavy breakfast since it’s the most important meal of the day. It generally consists of a whole wheat bread sandwich, cornflakes with milk and some fruit. Lunch- I generally have a bowl of lentils, vegetables and rice/ roti with some curd. Dinner- I avoid heavy dinners and am in favor of eating just vegetables with no rice/ roti. I like to eat early by 8pm, but generally because of work I end up eating at 9- 9:30pm. I avoid eating fried stuff and sweets. Health Check: Yes, regular health check ups are a must. I go for yearly pap-smear, U/S and regular blood tests. I’ve also gotten my HPV testing once. In Leisure: I used to read a lot, but nowadays I don’t get much time. I love to read during my free time. I also like to go out for long walks and watch a bit of television. Official Routine: I take morning and evening OPDs, along with that there are emergencies that have to be looked after. The hospital rounds are a must. Apart from this there are various conferences and CMEs that keep me busy. Sleeping Hours: Around 6 to 7 hours. Culinary Indulgences: I do have a bit of a sweet tooth so I indulge it sometimes. Apart from that I am fond of continental and Italian food. Health Tip for Readers: Take your health seriously. Avoid unhealthy food, take healthy & a nutritious diet and get a good night’s rest. Go for regular health check ups and screening. Its not just physical fitness it’s a matter of over all well being.