Life ebbs and flows as we sulk and smile. Take a closer look and you will be baffled by the whims of its motion. Under the wiles of innocence, it starts off as a blur. It roars forward like an unbridled bull bent on smashing months and weeks in a few seconds. Inevitably, out of breath, it eases, contemplates, ponders, and restarts… with unsure steps. Sometimes steady, sometimes giddy, sometimes faltering. Till the eventual cramp, the sudden snap, the final buckle. You are lucky if you make it to your 80s. Very few face the nervous 90s. Only a select group touches 100.
But can you? Can you control the eccentricity of life’s speed and bend it to your will? Can you reach the coveted century and raise your bat? Can you blow off those 100 dancing candles? The answer is: Why not?
Follow these five steps below and you stand a great chance of hitting the milestone. I simply call them the 5 Ms.
Mood
‘Staying positive’ and ‘mood elevators’ have become cliches. I am often asked about how to deal with mood and the relative benefits of positivity versus negativity. I keep things simple with an example: If you had a conversation with your friend for 10 minutes and the first eight minutes flew by with laughter while the final two crawled with anguish, you are more likely to dwell on the latter than remember the former. In other words, for every bit of negativity we encounter, there is a lot more positivity we overlook. Mood is not a matter of whims. Getting the right, positive mood is like hitting the right chords of the guitar. It needs practice, discipline and enterprise.
What’s wrong with negativity? Chiefly, it brings stress. And stress damages our organs. From heart attacks to strokes to Alzheimer’s, science has shown with alarming clarity how stress can be the mafia of malaise.
Motion
The advantages of motion are time-tested. The problem is that we don’t pursue it with zeal. A bigger problem lies in confusing motion for rigorous, sweat-dripping exercise. Wrong. If you can’t make it to the gym, run a few laps. If you can’t sprint, jog. If you can’t jog, walk. If you can’t walk, move your arms and legs. If you have a functional pair of eyes, don’t just stare. Wink!
Research has been pouring in on the immeasurable benefits of motion. Not just in the prevention of major diseases, but in its ability to offer a youthful life. Also, motion matters because you don’t want to limp to a hundred. The landmark should be reached with a flourish!
Music
Music can be effective at preventing as well as healing medical conditions TT Archives
Music is both a refuge and a retreat — our perennial guardian angel. When scientists put music under the microscope, its treasures begin to unravel. Even as we live longer these days, our brains struggle to keep pace with and make sense of our lives. This is where music can be our medicine. From melancholy to stress to depression to dementia, music is effective in both healing and prevention. And just like exercise doesn’t have to be in a gym, music doesn’t have to be spiritual or classical. If hip-hop gladdens your heart, so be it!
Meditation
We, fortunately, come from a country where meditation is taught in schools, fostered in scholarly circles, and sometimes celebrated like a sport. Yet, truth be told, the scientific world is only waking up to its full potential. The Harvard University Breathing Programme, with its proven health benefits, largely revolves around pranayama. And again, you don’t have to sit like Buddha in a lotus posture under a fig tree to meditate. Take a comfortable chair. Go through the motions of normal, relaxed deep breathing and you would have started your meditation journey.
Mediterranean diet
A Mediterranean diet invariably contains a lot of fruits and vegetables Pixabay
Having originated in Crete, this diet has become the darling of the cardiologists. Formally introduced by American physiologist Ancel Keys and chemist Margaret Keys, this diet has been ratified by several studies as being heart and brain-healthy and, hence, life-enhancing. A look into its ingredients shows why. It’s a predominantly plant-based diet that includes unprocessed cereals, legumes, vegetables and fruits. Add to these a moderate consumption of fish, dairy products, a low amount of red meat, and you have a cuisine primed to take you to a century.
A word of caution before I wrap up. The aforementioned 5Ms are valuable tools for a long life. But they don’t replace the drugs needed when a disease creeps in. Be it high blood pressure or high sugar, necessary medications must be taken. In other words, over-reliance on holistic ways can be as dangerous as over-dependence on drugs. Getting to 100 and having a long, healthy life is all about striking the right balance.
Dr Shuvendu Sen, born and brought up in Kolkata, is a US-based physician currently serving as the vice-chair, Research, at the Jersey Shore University Medical Center, New Jersey. An award-winning physician and author, his works include The Fight Against Alzheimer’s (Rupa Publications, 2024), Why Buddha Never Had Alzheimer’s (HCI/ Simon & Schuster, 2017) and A Doctor's Diary (Times Group Books, 2014), among others. Dr Sen can be reached at shuvendusen57@gmail.com
