NEW DELHI: Longevity along with wellness is a process of moving towards a higher equilibrium of physical, mental and emotional well-being to lead a long and fulfilled life, while preventing disease, says a new book by Sujata Kelkar Shetty, a trained biological scientist.
"99 Not Out! - Your Guide to a Long and Healthy Life" (Penguin) book explains the principles that govern each type of well-being: physical, nutritional and emotional-mental, and shares tips on how we can engage each principle to live longer.
Finally, and critically, it explains the role stress plays in undermining the wellness equilibrium, and what we can do to heal from stress and prevent its accumulation from hampering our life's journey.
While ageing and death are inevitable consequences of being alive, there are behavioural practices that can slow down the ageing process while keeping disease at bay.
The book acknowledges that to be fully present in our lives and enjoy it without suffering, we need to be proactive and do the groundwork to prevent illnesses before they occur. It shares evidence-based practices-Ayurveda, yoga and Western medicine-that promote longevity, while keeping our bodies healthy and our minds alert.
Shetty did her post-doctoral training at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, US. While there, she also studied mechanisms of how mental stress negatively impacts physical health. She has researched and written on preventive health and wellness for the last decade, and writes a regular preventive health column for Mint.
Her writing emphasises on a combination of cutting-edge medical research and ancient but empirically grounded Ayurvedic practices. She conducts well-being seminars for large corporates like PWC and HP and institutions like BIC, PIC and IIM-Bangalore, among others.
She is also an International Coach Federation-certified life coach, trained by the Coaches Training Institute. She assists people in claiming their wellness and finding fulfilment by combining her training as a coach with her expertise in wellness.