Lifestyle Management

Rtn. Dr. Shivaramakrishana. RC Chembur was the guest speaker at our weekly Rotary meeting dated 25^th July,2008. Dr. Shiva, as he is called afectionately, gave an excellent speech on LIFESTYLE MANAGEMENT.

We present few salient points from his speech.

Today relatively younger persons are succumbing to certain diseases that were hereto were earlier known to have affected aged people only.

Blood pressure, diabetes and obesity are commonly know diseases or disorders that are related to one's lifestyle ….much attributed to present lifestyle where physical activity is reduced due to modern day comforts on one hand and a changing eating habit on the other hand. Rich, processed food has also brought in increasing level of stress. It should be remembered that stress is our response, physical or mental to
a physical, mental, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension. Again, in today's world stress is more due to more and more emphasis on performance.

Body is continuously aging and no one can stop that, but we can regress progression of aging by lifestyle management.

Dr. Shiva gave the following formula, which he called D A R E S :

D	Diet	Proper Diet-Indian Thali is considered to be the best balanced diet offering all the minerals & vitamins that are required by our body, whereas fast food or junk food that is more popular among younger generation may rob your body of the requisite constituents for your body.
A	Activity	Implies physical activity which is very much neglected in today's fast paced, facilities laden life. He stressed on brisk walk, jogging or any other cardiovascular exercise on regular basis.
R	Relaxation	Stress today is mainly mental stress which remains constantly. Stress is an ability to perceive implied threat. Therefore it is needed to keep proper balance between Work & Life. Relaxation in any form that soothes your senses, relieves or reduces your tension or stress is very much important. Light music, hobbies that divert your mind is recommended. Involvement in volunteering like in Rotary work also gives much needed fillip to your mind.
E	Empathy	Empathy as different from sympathy is caring for others by putting yourself in others shoes. Compassion or Empathy takes you to think beyond "I" or "me". It is the ability to experience the world from another perspective, often the perspective of another person. Lack of empathy leads to poor communication and a failing to understand others which may anger you.That's bad for your health. While we cannot control other's thoughts, feelings or behaviors, we most certainly can increase our empathy skills : listening, self-awareness and acceptance.
S	Spirituality	Being spiritual mean remaining positive, optimistic, supporting worthy causes, remaining cheerful. In fact Various practices associated with the path of spirituality—meditation, breathing exercises, physical exercises (yogakriyas/yoga practices), and practice of positive thinking make one physically and mentally better equipped to manage stress.