Wellness Strategies for High-Performance Living
Experts from diverse medical fields share practical strategies on immunity intelligence, nutrition, vaccination, and health—highlighting holistic wellness approaches for high-performance living.
The Immunity Advantage for Modern Leaders – From Inside Out
by Dr D Suresh Kumar
We are working to transform infectious disease care and make it accessible to as many people as possible. People often ask me: What exactly are infectious diseases? ID specialists are Infectious Disease doctors, in short, fever specialists. We deal with all kinds of fevers—whether it lasts one day, ten years, or even 25 years.
We don’t usually focus on common fevers like dengue, malaria, or chikungunya—those are better managed by general physicians. Our specialty is with the complicated cases: post-transplant fevers, HIV-related fevers, hospital-acquired fevers, or what we call nosocomial infections. When COVID came, suddenly the world realised who we were and what “infectious diseases” meant. We were the specialists who dealt with it day and night.
But unfortunately, when it comes to income, we are right at the bottom. This specialty doesn’t earn much. We don’t perform big procedures; we don’t earn like cardiologists. What we do is solve problems. When someone has a fever for three days, physicians are happy to handle it, and patients are happy to consult them. But when the fever continues for more than five days, both the physician and the patient start to get jittery. That’s when they call us. We step in, investigate, and find out what’s going on. That’s why I like to joke—we’re not ID doctors, we’re CID doctors. Just like criminal investigators, we conduct detailed investigations, except ours is inside the human body.
HIV and Infectious Disease Care
Another important area we deal with is HIV care. Over the years, HIV has carried a lot of stigma. Patients often ask, “How can I have HIV? No one in my family has it.” But HIV doesn’t run in families—it spreads through transmission, often unnoticed. At our clinic, we treat over 25,000 HIV patients. We don’t discriminate. We do bypass surgeries, treatments, and everything for HIV patients, just as we would for anyone else.
HIV is far easier to treat than diabetes which requires daily medicines, strict diets, and constant investigations. HIV, in contrast, can be managed with just one pill a day or even a single injection that lasts six months. The tragedy is that because ID doctors don’t perform procedures, people assume our specialty is less valuable. But solving fevers, HIV care, and hospital infections requires sharp thinking and detective work. We don’t make big money—but we make a big difference.
Consider these cases: A 32-year-old male CEO, under chronic stress; a 55-year-old female senior manager with sedentary lifestyle; a 25-year-old management intern, living on pizzas and burgers; and a 45-year-old female HR head, post-menopausal and constantly on her mobile. Who among them needs immunity intelligence? The answer is all of them.
Think of immunity as your security guard. It prevents harmful things from entering your body. If something does enter, it knocks it out as quickly as possible. It has memory—once something enters, it ensures that the same thing cannot enter again.
Three Types of Immunity
There are three main types of immunity that protect the human body. Innate immunity is the natural, non-specific first line of defence, made up of barriers like the skin, tears, and saliva. This is why burn patients are highly vulnerable—when their skin is damaged, the body’s most vital protective shield is lost.
Adaptive immunity works differently. It is like your legal team, examining every threat in detail, learning from past exposures, and then building precise, targeted defences against specific pathogens. Finally, there is passive immunity, which is borrowed protection. A classic example is the antibodies passed from mother to child through breast milk, along with the comfort and warmth of kangaroo care. This form of immunity offers temporary but critical defence until the body develops its own immune strength.
And finally, there are vaccines—our favourite as ID specialists. Vaccinations train your immune system to fight and remember.
Lessons from COVID
During COVID, we learned many lessons. Initially, the government insisted on thermal screening of everyone entering hospitals. It was of no use. At that time, vaccines weren’t available, so we tested for antibodies. Around 520 people tested positive. It was clear: superficial screening does not help. Building real immunity does. We also developed innovations like e-ICUs to minimise transmission risks. With cameras, doctors could monitor and even speak with patients remotely. Technology like this is becoming part of healthcare, just as adaptive immunity strengthens the body.
People often ask: “Where is my immune system?” The answer is: everywhere. Your skin, tears, saliva, blood—all play a role. Among your blood cells, the white blood cells are critical, especially lymphocytes, which act as the policemen of your body. If they are destroyed, you are left vulnerable.
You can often tell if your immunity is weak by observing certain warning signs. If you find yourself getting frequent infections while others around you remain healthy, it could be a red flag. Constant fatigue—something many post-COVID patients continue to experience—is another common indicator. Weak immunity can also reveal itself through persistent digestive problems, heightened stress, muscle weakness, or unusually slow recovery from illnesses and injuries.
Immunity Intelligence
Now, what do we mean by “immunity intelligence”? It’s basically common sense. For example, if you get a cough or cold, most people run to the pharmacy for antibiotics like erythromycin or azithromycin. But antibiotics kill good bacteria along with the bad. Your gut—your ‘second brain’—houses 70% of your immune cells. If you destroy the good bacteria, you create long-term problems, including cancers. So immunity intelligence means knowing when to fight and when not to fight—using your energy wisely, like in any management decision.
COVID taught us that immunity is the ultimate equaliser. The virus did not care whether you were a CEO, an intern, or even the President. Dengue does not skip boardrooms. TB is not limited to government hospitals. Amitabh Bachchan himself had TB twice and is now an ambassador for awareness. Diseases do not discriminate. Immunity is everyone’s responsibility.
Your gut is your second brain. It communicates with your primary brain, constantly regulating your immunity. Yet most people don’t respect their gut. Our traditional diets knew this. Fermented foods like idlis, dosas, curd, and buttermilk maintain gut health. But now, pizzas, burgers, and processed foods dominate.
History shows us the impact of infectious diseases. The 1918 influenza pandemic killed millions. But later influenza outbreaks were milder thanks to vaccines. Polio wards have disappeared. Tetanus wards are gone. Vaccinations and awareness have changed the landscape.
TB treatment once meant sending patients to sanatoriums with fresh air, eggs, and milk. Nutrition and ventilation were considered primary therapies. Today, we’ve forgotten the importance of fresh air and sunlight, building sealed homes and hospitals. But sometimes, the simple traditional wisdom—ventilation, handwashing, sunlight—is the best prevention.
Way Forward
If we want to live not just 100 years, but aim for 115 or even 120, the formula is quite simple: get vaccinated, eat healthy and natural food, sleep well, ensure proper ventilation and sunlight, and most importantly, avoid unnecessary antibiotics. In fact, sometimes the bravest and most responsible thing a doctor can write on a prescription is just two words: “Stop antibiotics.”
For managers and leaders, my advice is: think about infections not just in hospitals but also in how you design your offices and communities. Ventilation, healthy spaces, and preventive health are as important as business strategies. What we need is smarter living, resilient organisations, and healthier communities.
Eat to Beat, Fuelling Immunity with Intentional Nutrition
By Dr Daphnee Lovesley, Dietitian
As George Herbert once said: “Whatsoever was the father of disease, an ill diet was the mother.” Think about it—whether it’s cardiac disease, diabetes, or any other non-communicable condition, diet plays a central role. Poor diet can be a causative factor, while intentional and healthy eating can be preventive and even healing.
The food you eat can either be the safest and most powerful form of medicine—or the slowest form of poison. The choice is yours. Nutrition plays a pivotal role in longevity. It directly influences not only life expectancy but also the quality of life we enjoy.
When we talk about nutrition, it must be seen as a holistic approach. It’s not just about what is on your plate. It integrates with lifestyle factors—stress management, physical activity, and sleep patterns. All these elements work together to create health.
The Magic 3: Exercise, Sleep and Diet
Intentional eating means making food choices that connect with your performance, immunity, and clarity of mind. The right foods energise you, while the wrong ones leave you foggy and drained. What you feed your gut directly shapes your overall health. A lot of research is going on in this aspect. The solution to improving or sustaining better immunity comes down to three simple but powerful components: exercise, sleep, and diet. These are the factors you can control more than anything else.
When it comes to diet, it is all about feeding your gut with the right foods—foods that strengthen your immunity. The gut and brain are in constant conversation, just like we talk over the phone. When your gut is happy and healthy, your entire system feels the same. Our bodies are made up of around 100 trillion microbes—more than our actual human cells. Among them are good bacteria and bad bacteria. The key is to nourish and sustain the good bacteria.
So what can we do? Start with at least one meal every day that strengthens your immunity. The first step is incorporating probiotics. Fermented foods are an excellent source and they support a healthy gut microbiome. It could be something as traditional as idli and curd. A healthy microbiome is essential for strong immune function, proper nutrient absorption, and overall well-being. Unfortunately, as we move away from our traditional eating habits, especially the younger generation, we are also drifting away from foods that naturally nurture our gut.
Alongside probiotics, don’t forget prebiotics—plant-based foods, especially vegetables, that feed the good bacteria in your gut. Vegetables and plant-based foods play a very special role in immunity. These foods are rich in dietary fibre, and unlike other nutrients, fibres are not digested. Instead, they remain in the gut, where they become food for the good bacteria. When these fibres undergo fermentation and partial digestion in the gut, they are converted into short-chain fatty acids. These fatty acids are, in fact, the food that nourishes good bacteria and keeps them thriving. That’s why it is important to include at least one to two servings of vegetables every day.
Vitamins and Minerals
We can strengthen our immune system through nutrition by ensuring that our plate contains the essential nutrients—Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Zinc, Selenium, Omega-3 fatty acids, and of course, Protein.
Vitamin A is important for vision, but it is equally crucial for maintaining immunity. We get Vitamin A from animal sources such as dairy products, eggs, poultry, fish, shellfish, and egg yolks, and from plant sources for vegetarians like colourful vegetables rich in beta-carotene such as carrots, squash, pumpkins, and leafy greens. Beta-carotene in these foods is converted into Vitamin A in the body. The key is variety—mix and match different colourful vegetables so you don’t get bored.
Next, let’s look at Vitamin C. This became extremely popular during COVID-19. But supplementation is not the only answer—simple, natural foods can do the job. Citrus fruits like oranges, mosambi and gooseberries are excellent sources. Make sure to have at least one portion every day. Vitamin C strengthens immunity by blocking the entry of microbes into the body, making your system more resilient.
Vitamin D deficiency is on the rise, and more and more people are being treated for it. Do you feel fatigued when you get home, or find it difficult to get out of bed in the morning? Fatigue is one of the key symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency. Food sources for Vitamin D include fatty fish, milk, eggs, cod liver oil, and fortified cereals. Low Vitamin D makes you more susceptible to infections.
You get zinc from both animal and plant sources. Among plant sources, one of the simplest options is nuts. About 30 grams a day—almonds, walnuts, peanuts, or any combination—works well. Zinc deficiency is linked to loss of taste and smell, which, as many of you remember, were also common symptoms during COVID. Selenium is another important nutrient. You’ll find it in Brazil nuts, seafood, eggs, and whole grains. Selenium helps protect the body from oxidative damage and supports the immune system.
Omega-3 and Protein
Omega-3 is mostly discussed in relation to heart disease. It also helps reduce inflammation in the body, delays the onset of non-communicable diseases, and supports overall health. If you are a non-vegetarian, have fish at least twice a week. Choose fatty fish, and avoid frying them—instead, go for a grill or curry. If you are a vegetarian, walnuts are an excellent source. Omega-3 fats help restore a healthy balance in the gut microbiota, reduce inflammation, and strengthen the gut wall.
Last but not the least—protein. 9 out of 10 Indians do not consume adequate protein. The requirement is simple: about 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight. So, if you weigh 50 kg, you need at least 50 grams of protein daily. For vegetarians, the primary sources are dal, pulses, milk, and milk products. For non-vegetarians, the list is longer—meat, fish, poultry, and eggs provide excellent protein. Too little protein makes you feel weak, fatigued, and lowers your immunity. Include protein in every meal. It’s not enough to have it just once a day—it needs to be spread across meals so that absorption and utilisation are better. If you skip protein at breakfast and load it all into dinner, it doesn’t work as effectively.
Chronic diseases—coronary heart disease, strokes, cancers, atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes—all have strong links to dietary habits. Diet is at the top of the table when it comes to health risks. How do we tackle such issues? Increasing physical activity is one part of the equation. The other, and often the most important, is reducing weight by controlling the calories —or energy—that we consume, without slipping into malnutrition. Eat nutrient-dense foods in portion-controlled amounts.
Redefine Your Plate
How should your plate look? Ideally, it should be half a plate of vegetables, a quarter plate of protein and a quarter plate of carbohydrates or cereals. But what happens in practice, especially in South India? Very often, half the plate—or even three-fourths of it—is rice! This is why portion control of carbohydrate or energy-dense food is so critical.
Another simple but powerful factor in healthy eating is the size of your plate. Serving meals on a smaller 9-inch plate naturally reduces portion size without making you feel deprived. A balanced diet should have cereals and whole grains as the base, with minimal fats—especially saturated and solidified ones—and more foods rich in vitamins, minerals, and protective nutrients with little or no added sugar, salt, or fat. The three S’s to watch closely are sugar, salt, and saturated fat.
In practice, this means making steady, mindful choices: fill your meals with more fruits and vegetables, pick whole grains over refined ones, choose low-fat dairy, and vary your protein sources. Add “smart snacks” like nuts, sprouts, or eggs to keep energy stable, and avoid long gaps between meals that can cause blood sugar dips and fatigue.
Consume Millets
Plant-based foods are strongly emphasised because they help maintain weight, lower cholesterol, regulate blood sugar, and reduce inflammation. The goal is at least five portions of vegetables and fruits a day—about two cups of vegetables with each meal and one portion of fruit daily. Fibre-rich foods like whole wheat, beans, nuts, and leafy greens are excellent choices, while processed foods should be minimised. Even adding millets once or twice a week can bring health benefits.
Hydration and healthy swaps also matter. Instead of sugary drinks like Coke or Pepsi, choose coconut water, buttermilk, or clear soups, which refresh without harm. For protein, focus on natural sources rather than supplements, which many youngsters take without guidance. Cook with a mix of oils rich in monounsaturated fats, but limit intake to 25–30 ml per day. And don’t forget the fundamentals—drink at least eight glasses of water daily and aim for thirty minutes of physical activity five days a week. Together, these simple, consistent habits build lasting health and energy.
Just as important as movement is rest. Erratic sleep weakens immunity, raises stress hormones like cortisol, and contributes to long-term lifestyle diseases. Aim for seven to eight hours of sleep each night, and create a calm wind-down routine for the last two hours before bed. Keep your bedroom dark and quiet, avoid smoking, skip late naps that disturb nighttime rest, limit heavy or spicy foods that cause heartburn, and cut out caffeine after 5 p.m. These small changes can make a big difference to both immunity and overall health.
Take-home Message
Maintain a balanced diet with a focus on plant-based foods, practice portion control since nutritional needs vary from person to person, reduce sugar, salt, and saturated fat, ensure you get at least seven hours of quality sleep daily, stay well-hydrated with about two litres of water, and keep yourself active for at least thirty minutes on most days of the week. Do this, and you’ll experience overall well-being, stronger immunity, better protection against diseases, and a higher quality of life.
The Most Valuable Player – The Vaccine
By Dr Madhumitha
Let’s talk about the MVP—the Most Valuable Player—vaccines. I call them the MVP because they are truly the most powerful strength-builders for our immunity. Every adult professional must know about vaccines. I am an ardent advocate of adult immunisation. That’s my passion.
The Biases
We are all prone to cognitive biases that shape how we think about health. Availability bias makes us believe something is true simply because we keep seeing it, while affirmation bias keeps us clinging to our own beliefs even when challenged. Optimism bias can make us dangerously overconfident—like skipping insurance because “nothing will happen”—and denial leads us to ignore uncomfortable truths about illness. Patients, too, often want easy fixes, preferring a pill or home remedy over surgery when it’s truly needed. Added to this are widespread myths: vitamins as magic pills, antibiotics as cure-alls, or blind faith in internet advice. The harsh truth is that money or shortcuts cannot buy lasting health—only prevention, awareness, and consistent self-care can.
We have been misusing antibiotics. We have reached a stage where self-medication with antibiotics has become the norm. Newton once said, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Nowadays, we need to add a new rule: “For every action, there is also a social media overreaction.” Probably the only way to prevent infections today, including antibiotic resistance, is adult immunisation.
Many adults dismiss vaccines with the thought, “Nothing will happen to me”—a classic case of optimistic bias. But when COVID struck, the same people rushed to get vaccinated, influenced by social proof. History reminds us that the greatest public health victories were safe drinking water and vaccinations—together they have saved millions of lives. Without those two drops of polio vaccine, countless people would have been crippled.
Beyond health, vaccines have a strong economic impact: they prevent missed workdays, reduce absenteeism, lower healthcare costs for families, and protect livelihoods. And as our bodies age, our immunity declines too—just like hair greying or balding—a process called immunosenescence. Shaped by genetics, health conditions, activity levels, and nutrition, this decline makes adult vaccination even more critical.
Exercise, healthy eating, avoiding smoking, and regular health check-ups are important. But at the base of this pyramid is vaccination. Just as we vaccinate children to build their immunity, adults too need boosters to maintain theirs. Today, there are about 15 vaccines recommended for adults. It used to be 14, but I’ve added COVID, because it has saved millions of lives. If the pandemic was eventually contained, it was because of the COVID vaccine.
How Do Vaccines Work?
At their core, vaccines are basically protein molecules or small parts of a virus or bacterial antigen that have been modified. When introduced into the body, they imitate a natural infection.
Here’s the difference: in a true infection, your body fights the antigen while you experience the full illness—high fever, body aches, cough, fatigue. For example, a real influenza infection can leave you bedridden with fever, joint pain, headache, and running nose. But when you take the influenza vaccine, your body still mounts an immune response—sometimes you may even have mild fever for a day—but you don’t go through the misery of the full-blown illness. That’s the beauty of vaccines: they give you immunity without the suffering.
Remember: vaccines are designed to prevent disease, which is why they’re given to healthy individuals before illness strikes. Their power lies not only in protecting each person but also in safeguarding communities—when more people are vaccinated, even those who can’t be immunised benefit through herd immunity, as we saw during the COVID pandemic. Unlike medicines, which are used after someone falls sick and work only for that individual, vaccines are extensively studied, proven to be safe, and typically have only minimal side effects. So vaccines are proactive; medicines are reactive.
Key Vaccines for Adults
Vaccination isn’t just for children—its protection can fade over time. For example, the tetanus vaccine requires boosters, but many people wait until an injury to get one. Adults also face risks from diseases that evolve, like influenza and pneumococcus, which need repeat shots. As we age, our immune defences weaken, making vaccines even more important. Certain illnesses, such as shingles (a painful reactivation of childhood chickenpox), often reappear later in life, while gaps in vaccination have led to outbreaks like measles in the U.S.
Recommended vaccines for adults include the annual influenza vaccine (especially for those over 50, pregnant women, and anyone with chronic conditions), the shingles vaccine (Shingrix) for everyone over 50, a Tdap booster for adults above 18, and pneumococcal vaccines for older adults or those with health risks. The Hepatitis B vaccine is also vital to prevent chronic liver disease and cancer, while the HPV vaccine protects against cervical and other cancers, ideally given at 9–15 years but still beneficial up to age 26.
Never compromise on health. Don’t spend on gold and skip vaccines. Remember: wealth is meaningless without health. Have you taken your vaccines? If not, don’t wait—because without them, you risk becoming an endangered species.
Why Movement Matters
By Dr. Lakshmi Nair
I represent rehabilitation medicine which is one of the lesser-known specialties. I often joke that corporates tend to keep us hidden. We are the doctors who help people get out of the hospital faster and prevent them from coming back.
In the Western world, rehabilitation medicine is already a well-established specialty. In India, however, health priorities were different for a long time. But today, particularly in the private healthcare sector, the situation is changing. People are no longer satisfied with just survival. Quality of life matters. And that is exactly what rehabilitation medicine is about—helping people not only survive, but live better, healthier, and more productive lives.
One crucial pillar of rehabilitation and long-term health is exercise. Exercise improves your quality of life, enhances your work performance, and most importantly, extends your lifespan. Research shows that regular exercise can actually add years to your life.
I run a Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at Apollo, Greens Road. This program goes beyond exercise alone—it combines exercise, diet, and risk factor management. The benefits are remarkable. Regular exercise reduces inflammation, lowers harmful cytokines, and improves overall immunity. Every single organ benefits from regular physical activity.
The Three Pillars
But I must stress this: cardiac rehabilitation is not just about exercise. It includes three equally important pillars—nutrition, risk factor control, and stress management. And let’s not forget one crucial factor—good sleep of seven to eight hours per night. I’ve seen young professionals in their 30s and 40s admitted with heart attacks—often linked to poor sleep patterns and chronic stress. So if you want to save your health—and your money—start by sleeping more, managing stress, eating better, and exercising regularly.
A 2018 study by Nieman showed that people who paired water with a small carbohydrate, like a banana, during workouts had less post-exercise inflammation compared to those who drank only water. The takeaway is this: if you exercise regularly, support your recovery with a light, healthy carb source—like a banana or a few dates—not junk food.
Exercise strengthens immunity in two key ways: it sharpens the body’s defence, helping immune cells respond quickly to pathogens or even abnormal cells like tumours, and it lowers harmful inflammation, which is a major factor behind conditions such as heart attacks. This has ripple effects: less inflammation also means lower risk of autoimmune disorders and better resilience overall.
Intermittent fasting allows your gut to rest, giving the microbiome time to rebalance, while also reducing inflammation and strengthening immunity.
The Right Way to Exercise
When it comes to exercise, moderation is key. Jumping into intense workouts without preparation can backfire, as research shows a J-curve effect—moderate exercise strengthens immunity, but overtraining actually raises infection risk. Aim for about thirty minutes, five days a week at a moderate intensity, or 15–20 minutes of vigorous activity daily. A simple rule of thumb: you should be able to speak a sentence while exercising, but not sing a song.
Exercise isn’t just walking casually; variety matters. Aerobic training like walking, cycling, or jogging builds endurance, while strength training—such as lifting light weights—improves recovery and resilience, especially in older adults. Even small, creative approaches can make a big difference: try a “colour walk,” where you pick a colour (say yellow) at the start of your walk and look for it around you—turning the walk into a mindful, meditative practice. Or blend in “kitchen-sink” stretches while cooking, or take short “exercise snacks” like stair climbs or squats during work breaks. Interval training (HIIT), alternating bursts of higher and lower intensity, is another powerful method for boosting fitness.
The message is simple: whether it’s a mindful walk, a few squats at home, or a structured rehab program, what counts is moving regularly, moderately, and consistently. Done right, exercise protects your heart, strengthens your immunity, and enhances your overall quality of life.
