Health is wealth – literally!

This woman has never been ill and does not suffer from stress at the workplace. Her secret: good health bolstered by exercise.

Sunetra Mishra* (46) is that rare human being who has never fallen ill in the last 20 years. “All I get is a cold and an occasional fever. But nothing more serious than that has ever happened,” she grins. The Mumbai-based advertising professional has a high pressure job and sometimes, she stays over at the office to complete projects with her team. “My entire team is younger than me. But they are constantly dealing with stress, ill health, even cholesterol issues. It surprises me that they do not take better care of themselves.”

Sunetra’s secret

Sunetra comes from a family of athletes. Her father, Vasant* and older brother Mahesh* (50) were both professional athletes in her home town in Bihar. “I have grown up in an environment where daily exercise was a norm. My father was very strict with us. Whatever the season, we would wake up at 4 am every day to run and do weight training exercises till 7 am. After that, we would have a heavy breakfast and head to school. We were never allowed to eat even a samosa outside the house. Everything we ate was cooked at home,” she remembers.

When she moved to Mumbai in the early 2000s, she brought her strict upbringing and passion for exercise with her. “I was surprised to see how many people ate all their meals at restaurants,” she says. “Most people did not even go for a daily walk, forget going to the gym. No wonder there were so many ill people in the city,” she says.

Even today, despite erratic working hours and intense deadlines, Sunetra eats only home cooked food and wakes up at 4 am. “Even if I have slept at 2 am, I am awake two hours later. I run for two hours every morning. My body clock is honed by years of following the same schedule. I still do not eat at restaurants. Instead, I pack two lunch boxes and one extra tiffin containing salads and fruit. I do not suffer from any health problems and I have never had to visit a doctor for years,” she smiles.

Good health leads to good wealth

With Sunetra’s health and fitness at optimum levels, she does not face lapses in concentration at work. “The trick is to sleep and wake up at the same time every day,” she explains. “My colleagues are constantly drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes to fight sleep. Instead, why not take a walk around the office and have a glass of fruit juice?”

She also admits that her good health has ensured that she has never missed a day of work, and she has saved a lot of money on doctor treatments. “People should ensure that they never have to see a doctor by just eating healthy food, exercising every day and resting adequately. Just these three steps ensure good health. Instead, they rely on medicines to feel better. The amount of money one spends on medicines, cigarettes, junk food and alcohol is astronomical. Just taking care of yourself will not just save money, it will give one a longer life, too!”

Just last month, she was promoted at her workplace. “They are happy with my performance and thrilled with my attendance sheet!” Sunetra laughs.

*The characters in this article are fictional and have been used for illustrative purposes.