An hour a day for yourself!

You are the most important person in your life!

GUEST COLUMN: Dr. N Prabhudev

Bengaluru Express
Bengaluru, Feb. 10: Yes! I agree. No, you are not being selfish! Consider the health consequences of failing to make your needs your first priority. Your body is the only place you have – to live all your life! When you don’t take care of yourself, every part of your body from your cells to your skin to your mind and your heart —suffers. All that cellular damage and dehydration actually ages you and makes you more likely to suffer from diseases making you a burden on yourself and your loved ones!
General mind set- I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it! We are complicated creatures! It is not selfish to care for ourselves!
Change is hardest at the beginning, messiest in the middle and best at the end.” The first step you should take on your journey to a younger, healthier, and happier you – Make yourself the most important person in your life! When you look in the mirror the smile should greet you!
One Hour – 60 Minutes. 3,600 Seconds. We all have the same 24 hours in a day, but somehow, the idea of carving out just one hour to learn something new feels monumental for most people. One hour is the time it takes to watch a TV serial, scroll endlessly through social media, or mindlessly wander the internet. Yet, when it comes to dedicating this small innocuous one hour of the day to a productive purpose – many people just can’t seem to do it.
This one hour is not part of the non-negotiable time of our day like eating, sleeping, chit chatting or working! It suddenly feels like – optional time! Yet, if you harness that single hour every day, the impact can be radical. One hour is enough to learn a new skill, develop a passion, or build a foundation for something life-changing.
I don’t have time.” And yes, not having time is a feeling. You feel busy. But you aren’t. Because if you were to write down on paper what you do at every minute of the day I guarantee you would realize that you are lying to yourself.
Well not today- “I’m too tired.” The morning is when your energy is highest. The minimal amount of time you have in the morning before responsibilities pile up is the only time you have to change your life. May be tomorrow! Oh No- that tomorrow never comes! Many of us rest even before we are tired! No distractions, No disruptions, and No diversions.
Make sleep part of your self-care routine. Yes, you can go to bed earlier. That’s when most of your bad habits take place anyway. You can exchange an hour at night for an hour in the morning, and that alone will set you on a completely new life trajectory.
Keep the gut healthy! If not it becomes a gutter! Swap the fast food for something high-protein but still tasty.
Create a morning ritual. Wake up an hour earlier. – Go to the Gym- go for a walk! Prioritise health! Improved health comes from simple behaviour changes-
Daily Exercise doesn’t require a gym, and simple exercises can be done in no time at home that will have a big benefit on your health for years. Thirty minutes of exercise may seem like an eternity. It’s not. Thirty minutes will blow by with just 5 basic exercises -Stretch – most of us are not flexible. Spend few minutes with a basic stretch routine every day, Squats and Lunges and planks and resistance training!
At least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or
75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic activity, or a combination of both.
Muscle-strengthening activity on at least 2 days per week. There is no greater feeling than progress being made – when you lose inches on your belly!
I used to think – spirituality was reserved for new age hippies. I realised – Spirituality is not sitting cross legged in a forest with crystals floating around you. Spirituality, is releasing the limits on your mind that fog your perception. The pursuit of being at one with reality.
The big takeaway: Spending 15 minutes a day practicing meditation will literally rewire your brain for the better after just 8 weeks. Meditation is NOT about emptying your mind or keeping it still. Meditation is simple. It’s the practice of focusing attention on a single point, like your breath leaving the end of your nose. Don’t let the mind chatter! Relax your body and mind! Breathe deep into the belly from your nose and follow that breath around and back up your spine.
I Just Need Ten More Minutes Of Your Time! Even if you decide that you’re not going to follow the advice of this article, the ten minutes I’m asking for here will be monumental for your healthy 2025. I really need you to do this! For ten minutes, I need you to sit quietly! Focus on yourself and your mind – Brainless activity- I’m saying that 15 minutes or so of brainless activity is enough.
There are 365 short days in this New Year ahead of you. Will you take ten minutes to think about how you can easily accomplish sixty minutes of healthy habits per day in 2025? Give yourself that extra “me hour” that you deserve. Try it, tonight. Set the alarm clock an hour earlier. Give yourself a few weeks to create a new habit that will lead to a healthier and happier you!