Health

The four pillars

Health isn't complicated — it's just not easy. Four things drive 90% of how you feel: how you sleep, how you move, what you eat, and how you manage your mind. Fix these, and almost everything else gets better automatically.

Sleep

The most underrated performance drug — and it's free.

1. 01

   Fix your wake-up time first

   Pick a consistent wake-up time and never change it — not even on weekends. Your body's clock anchors to wake time, not bedtime. Everything else follows.

2. 02

   No screens 1 hour before bed

   Blue light suppresses melatonin and delays sleep onset by up to 90 minutes. Switch to dim warm light, reading, or just talking after 10pm.

3. 03

   Keep your room cold and dark

   Your core temperature needs to drop to fall asleep. 18–20°C is optimal. Blackout curtains or an eye mask make a measurable difference in sleep quality.

Movement

You don't need a gym. You need to move more than you currently do.

1. 01

   150 minutes per week — that's all

   WHO recommends 150 min of moderate movement weekly. That's 22 minutes a day. Walk, cycle, swim, play a sport — anything that makes you slightly breathless.

2. 02

   Strength training 2x per week

   Muscle mass is the strongest predictor of longevity. 2 sessions a week of bodyweight or gym work is enough to maintain and build it. No gym needed — pushups, squats, planks work.

3. 03

   Break sitting every 45 minutes

   Prolonged sitting increases mortality risk independent of exercise. Set a timer. Stand, walk to the kitchen, do 10 squats. The interruption matters more than the duration.

Nutrition

You don't need a diet. You need to stop eating things that aren't food.

1. 01

   Eat mostly whole, single-ingredient foods

   Dal, rice, sabzi, eggs, fruit, nuts. If it has more than 5 ingredients on the label, eat less of it. Processed food is engineered to make you overeat — whole food isn't.

2. 02

   Drink 2.5–3 litres of water daily

   Most people are chronically mildly dehydrated. It causes headaches, brain fog, and low energy that people mistake for hunger or tiredness. Start mornings with 500ml.

3. 03

   Protein at every meal

   Protein keeps you full, preserves muscle, and stabilises energy. Aim for 0.8–1g per kg of body weight daily. Dal, paneer, eggs, chicken, curd, sprouts all count.

4. 04

   Stop eating 2–3 hours before bed

   Late eating disrupts sleep quality and leads to fat storage. Kitchen closes 2 hours before you sleep. Your digestion and your sleep will both improve.

Mental health

Your mind is not separate from your body. Treat it the same way.

1. 01

   10 minutes of stillness daily

   Not meditation if you hate meditation — just sit quietly with no phone, no input, no agenda. Outside is best. Your nervous system desperately needs this reset every day.

2. 02

   Sunlight within 30 minutes of waking

   Morning sunlight (5–10 min outside) sets your circadian rhythm, boosts serotonin, and improves mood and sleep. Free, takes 10 minutes, works every time.

3. 03

   Journal — even 5 minutes

   Writing externalises your anxiety. What you fear feels 30% smaller once it's on paper. Write what's worrying you, what you're grateful for, and one intention for today.

4. 04

   Therapy is maintenance, not crisis management

   You don't go to the gym only when you're out of shape. Therapy is mental fitness. If you can afford it, see a therapist regularly — not just when things break.

Preventive care

Habits to quit

• ✕Sleeping less than 6 hours and calling it fine
• ✕Sitting for more than 2 hours without moving
• ✕Skipping meals and then binging on junk
• ✕Using alcohol or scrolling to manage stress
• ✕Ignoring symptoms for months before seeing a doctor
• ✕Treating health as something to 'start next Monday'