Salad in every meal, screen-free mornings and sleep with phone in another room: Two doctors share lifestyle routines that everybody can follow

Indian Express

06-06-2025

Lifestyle correction seems difficult to enforce in our busy lives. But if doctors, who are among the busiest professionals, manage to keep their lives on an even keel, then they can help their patients prioritise self-care and avoid burnouts. This involves prioritising healthy habits like keeping to a diet discipline, regular exercise, adequate sleep, stress management and setting boundaries.
There's much to take away from Dr Anupam Goel, gastro-intestinal and robotic surgeon at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Mohali, and Dr Aditya Gupta, director, neurosurgeon at Artemis Hospital, Gurugram. Over to them:
Dr Anupam Goel, 38: 'Spend at least 30 minutes with yourself'
Fitness: I try to fulfill my 8k to 10k daily steps routine by avoiding lifts and walking between the floors in the hospital. I swim, play table tennis and cricket. I do some cardio and light-weight training exercises. Should I indulge myself, I burn off extra calories by increasing my physical activity in the form of jogging, cycling or swimming.
Diet: I plan my meals. I try not to overeat, no matter how tempting a food may be and avoid outside and processed food. I prefer at least a bowl full of fresh fruits or salad a day to increase my fibre intake. This improves gut health by decreasing exposure to harmful toxins and preventing constipation and abdominal fullness.
I start my day with a jug full of fresh juice from seasonal fruits and vegetables. I take a heavy breakfast because my professional commitments need at least 6-8 hours of highly skilled work in the morning session. My breakfast would include either bread and omelette, sprouts, some form of lentil pancakes (chilla) or vegetable sandwiches. I try to take either fruits or salads during lunchtime or some rice with curry to add on. In the evening, I prefer a bowl of soup, either mixed vegetables, broccoli-almond, tomato or chana soup. My dinner is the lightest meal of the day, which I try to take at least three hours before I sleep. It could be a multigrain chapati or rice with dal and green leafy vegetables, but I do combine salad in every meal.
I believe in taking Vitamin D3 shots, Vit B12, calcium or multivitamins if I feel weakness in my daily routine life.
Annual tests: Body Mass Index (BMI) is the best marker there is to keep tabs on obesity. My weight is 84 kg at a height of 1.80 metres, so that makes a BMI of 24.81, which falls under the normal category. Above 25 is overweight, and above 30 is obese category. I do an annual health check-up in the form of blood investigations, chest X-ray and an ultrasound of the abdomen.
Self-care: Spend at least 30 minutes with yourself doing physical activity.
Dr Aditya Gupta: 'Build a healthier relationship with tech'
The neurological cost of perpetual screen exposure, lack of focus, disrupted sleep, worry, and even depressive signs, is no longer speculative. It's a clinical fact. The continuous app switching, notifications and scrolling feeds habituate our brain to distraction instead of concentration. Gradually, this can result in lower concentration, compromised memory, decision fatigue and even structural changes in regions charged with impulse regulation and emotional control.
Digital deaddiction isn't about total disconnect but learning a healthier relationship with technology. This is how I personally limit my smartphone use.
Begin the day screen-free: The brain is most susceptible to impressions during the first 30 minutes after waking up. Staying away from my phone during this hour makes me start the day clear-headed. Instead, I stretch, drink water and plan out the tasks of the day with pen and paper, no apps needed.
Put the phone out of sight: By putting my phone out of sight, particularly while working, reading, or eating, I remove the unconscious urge to reach for it. Out of sight is truly out of mind.
Go to greyscale: Colour is psychologically addictive. Social media sites employ bright images to hijack our attention. Changing my phone screen to greyscale removes this stimulation, rendering scrolling much less enticing. It's a gentle but effective deterrent.
Employ physical substitutes: Instead of relying on the phone alarm, employ a wristwatch and analog alarm. This restricts the 'checking time' excuse which becomes 15 minutes of doom scrolling.
Schedule use, rather than screen time restrictions: I keep specific times, such as 15 minutes mid-morning and 20 minutes after lunch, to scan messages, news, or notifications.
No bed phones: It is an absolute rule. The blue light produced interferes with the production of melatonin, making it harder to fall asleep. Put the phone in another room and wind down with reading or journalling.
All of the above are simple and doable hacks that can save us from slipping into old patterns.