Professor (Dr.) M.M. Goel*
(Asian independent) To make life worth living during the covid pandemic and thereafter, we need to refine the lifestyle with new challenges in adventures, uncertainties and emerging opportunities in various dimensions of sustainable human development. To do the work beautifully for the sake of work as worship, we need time management with early to bed and early to rise which makes us healthy, wealthy and wise.
To my mind, a healthy lifestyle is a way of living that lowers the risk of being seriously ill or dying early. Not all diseases are preventable, but a large proportion of deaths, particularly those from coronary heart disease and lung cancer, can be avoided. The steps that help to have the longest, healthiest life possible includes no smoking, be physically active every day, eat a healthy diet rich in whole grains, lean protein, vegetables, and fruits, be sure to get enough vitamin D and calcium, maintain a healthy weight and body shape and above all challenge the mind to think and act.
A healthy lifestyle is not achieved overnight, but we have to be consistent. We have to follow a good plan based on healthy habits. By doing this, our bodies and minds will get in to a rhythm that will eventually become second nature. It is common-sense approach for the people to have routines that are healthy.
I believe health as spiritual wealth of an individual is an indicator of performance for sustainable development ensuring inter-generation equity of the global society including India. Holistic development of a human being in all aspects including, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health have to be understood as real wealth. It is believed from generations that health is wealth as a sound mind lives in a sound body required for spiritual awakening, awareness and alertness.
To be healthy is not a condition but is a process of living life. To enjoy life in its real terminology, it is important to be healthy, wealthy and wise. One needs to be alert with rationality (vivek) for remaining healthy during covid crisis which will certainly go in the memory lanes as history for all times to come. A person who is physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually healthy is the happiest one.
To enhance the pleasure potency in life, we have to be pure in devotional service of the true self as soul which is part and parcel of the super soul as God.
To maintain a healthy lifestyle, we need to eat healthy food which to my mind is cheap and cost effective. Add more fruits and vegetables in our diet and eat less carbohydrates, high sodium and unhealthy fat. Avoid eating junk food and sweets. Avoid skipping a meal—this will only make our body crave more food the moment you resume eating.
For healthy life style, healthy food with healthy cooking is necessary but not sufficient. To make it sufficient, we need to treat physical body as temple which needs proper cleaning and exercising, plenty of rest and sound sleep with daily routine.
The healthy eating habits include eating breakfast on time which is the hope for the day. According to Francis Bacon “Hope is a good breakfast, but it is a bad supper”. This justifies healthy breakfast as a king and dinner like a pauper and no supper.
We need to understand, analyze and interpret healthy food and nutritional security as prerequisite for health component of human development and adopt eclectic approach for consumption of food with feasting and fasting. Avoid living for eating (Americans) and eating merely for living (Indians) approach.
There is a strong case for needonomics (economics of needs) with NAW (Need, Affordability and Worth) approach for food in-terms of quality, quantity and nutrition.
One should certainly follow a time table as an important factor for healthy eating or healthy lifestyle as the need of the day as the death rate due to starvation is less than the death rate due to over eating in India and calls for attention on the problem of obesity.
To my mind, healthy habits to be followed in day to day life including getting up early, physical exercises and healthy food with time management ( Breakfast at 8-9 AM, Lunch 12-1.PM , and dinner 6-7 PM)
To be honest, the pollution (air and water) and adulterated and contaminated food have boosted our immune system against covid and need to become fearless with awakening, alertness and awareness of health protocol of World Health Organisation (WHO) in terms of wearing mask, physical distancing and repeatedly washing hands. The green vegetables and fresh seasonal fruits certainly contribute in building immunity.
As recommended by some nutritionist, we have to avoid excessive use of sugar and can be replaced by jaggery ( gur) which is an excellent appetiser and dessert requiring international marketing. To my mind, over eating of everything including salt should be avoided.
To maintain healthy life style, we certainly need balancing diet with physical exercises to digest not only the food eaten but learn to stomach all the problems in life including stress and tensions. We have to be street smart consumers for excelling in all walks of life. We have to learn the lessons of life from the physical body itself which has nine doors and still maintain 71 percent water inside as the miracle of god. To maintain it, is our duty with healthy food and life style.
* Former Vice Chancellor and Needonomist Professor retired from Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra. Enjoy surfing the website www.needonomics.com
