45-min workout supercharges me, says Doctor

Swati Sharma spoke with Dr K. Sudhir Reddy, Consultant Orthopedic, Joint Replacement & Arthroscopic Surgeon,
Landmark Hospitals.

The journey begins with a genuine understanding of the significance of health, both physically and mentally. Every person must realise the importance of health at an early age. While everybody realises this when they are in their 50s, those who realise it in their 30s are fortunate people.

Given my family’s early history of diabetes and heart disease, I made a conscious effort to improve my health. Realisation is easy, but implementation is not easy, especially when you have a busy life. However, setting priorities will make time for important things and there is nothing more important than physical and mental health. We also need to practise what we preach. As a doctor, if I am advising someone to follow a healthy lifestyle, I must first follow and exhibit it. There are two components involved in improving physical health and maintaining a healthy body weight.

Every day I allocate about 45 minutes for my health and exercise. Spending 45 minutes on exercise actually saves me about 90 minutes from the rest of my work, as it enhances my sharpness, energy, and efficiency. I have incorporated this 45-minute exercise into my daily routine, just as I would take a shower or eat breakfast. You have to develop that discipline. I do two types of activities as part of my exercise. On alternate days (3 days a week), I run/jog for 30 minutes (5 km). On the other three days, I engage in weight training and flexibility exercises. Every week, I take one day off to allow my body to recuperate.

The second component is our diet. Our diet should consist of healthy items, balanced food, and limited quantity. I am not very disciplined in this, but I do make efforts to become better. I usually eat a lot of vegetables and fruits. I rarely eat rice, and when I do, it's usually brown rice.

There are two other components to keeping yourself healthy and fit: Good sleep and mental peace. I usually sleep for 7 hours a day, going to bed before 10 pm. When it comes to stress, I never bring work home with me. Once I leave the hospital, I don't think about work or patients at all till I come back the next day.

“Everyone can develop their own fitness regimen to suit their personal circumstances. However, it's crucial to recognize the importance of realization, commitment, and discipline. And it is never too late to start. I have friends who started running at the age of 50 and are running marathons now.”