I am a doctor for diabetes, BP, cholesterol and this is my must-do morning routine

A healthy lifestyle adopted today is like a long-term investment, writes Dr Chandrakant Lahariya in this edition of DocYard. He adds, it pays dividends in the form of vitality, independence, and quality of life as you age.

In Short

• Doctor emphasises consistency in health over perfection
• Daily routines impact health more than medicines
• Movement and simple eating are vital for wellness

Editor’s Note: In this fortnightly column, top doctors share how they deal with their own health challenges, offering readers expert insight grounded in experience. Read more such stories here.

I’m often asked a question that usually comes with a curious smile: “Doctor, do you actually follow what you advise your patients?”

My answer is always honest—not perfectly, but as much as I can. And over the years, I’ve realised something important: good health is not about perfection; it is about consistency. The quiet, repeated choices we make every day matter far more than occasional bursts of discipline.

WHAT YEARS IN MEDICINE HAVE TAUGHT ME

As a physician specialising in cardiometabolic health, and as a metabolic health coach, my professional life revolves around numbers: blood sugar, cholesterol, liver fat, blood pressure, weight, waist circumference.

I’ve also spent years working on health policy with governments and international organisations. But across clinics, conferences, and policy rooms, one lesson has remained constant: health is shaped far more by daily routines than by prescriptions.

Numbers guide us, but habits define us. Medicines, in many cases, come later.

STARTING THE DAY WITH HYDRATION, STILLNESS AND CALM

My day begins early, around 5:30 am, usually without an alarm. That first hour feels like borrowed time: quiet, undisturbed, entirely my own.

I don’t rush out of bed. I pause. A few moments of stillness, followed by simple rituals—splashing my face with cold water for around one minute, then two glasses of infused water prepared the night before with crushed ginger, mint, basil, and squeezed lemon.

It’s as much about the ingredients as it is about starting the day with intention—hydration, awareness, and calm.

I spend a few minutes in silence, sometimes on the balcony, sometimes walking slowly on the terrace. Some days it’s structured pranayama, other days just sitting with my thoughts. That stillness does something subtle but powerful—it prepares me.

Early morning light, a calm mind, a hydrated body—these small anchors quietly regulate sleep, metabolism, and mental clarity. I used to think routines were overrated. Now I see them as stabilisers. Before the world starts making demands, I feel grounded.

WHY MOVEMENT IS NON-NEGOTIABLE

Physical activity is non-negotiable for me. I go to the gym three times a week, and on other days, I run outdoors.

Not every session is perfect, and that’s okay. What matters is continuity. Health, like most meaningful things, responds to consistency more than intensity.

SIMPLE, STRUCTURED EATING

My meals are simple, familiar, and home-centred. Breakfast usually includes fruits, nuts, and seeds, followed by something traditional—poha, paratha, or another home-cooked dish.

I avoid processed foods and packaged juices. I typically have two main meals a day—breakfast and an early dinner—with light, mindful eating in between. It’s not rigid, but it is structured enough to support steady energy and metabolic balance.

By 9:30 am, I’m in the clinic. Over the years, my consultations have evolved. Earlier, like many doctors, I focused primarily on diagnosis and prescriptions.

Now, my conversations are longer, often 30 to 45 minutes, and revolve around lifestyle: food, movement, sleep, stress, and habits. I usually see 8 to 10 patients a day, and my goal is simple—to go deeper, not wider.

REDUCING MEDICINES, NOT ADDING MORE

Two things have become very clear in my practice. First, I have reduced medicines for more people than I have prescribed. In many cases, I actively remove unnecessary supplements and replace them with food and lifestyle changes. If I may say so, reducing unnecessary medication and offering kitchen-based alternatives to marketed nutraceuticals has become one of my strengths.

Second, I strongly believe—backed by both science and experience—that metabolic conditions improve when people change how they live, not just what they take. In diabetes, hypertension, fatty liver, and obesity, medicines play an important role, but they are often supportive. Lifestyle addresses the root cause and creates the possibility of real improvement.

India today is facing a silent epidemic of cardiometabolic diseases. What concerns me most is not just the rising numbers, but the normalisation of unhealthy living such as sedentary routines, poor diets, irregular sleep.

When something becomes normal, we stop questioning it.

COMMON MYTHS PEOPLE STILL BELIEVE, BUT SHOULDN'T

There are also persistent myths. Many believe that medicines alone can fix metabolic problems. They cannot. A pill cannot undo years of inactivity or poor nutrition.

Another misconception is that prevention begins after diagnosis. In reality, prevention is most effective long before disease appears.

And perhaps the most misleading belief is that “normal weight” equals “good health.” Many Indians have what we call a “thin-fat phenotype”—a normal weight but higher abdominal fat and metabolic risk.

Waist matters as much as weight, sometimes more.

This concern has shaped much of my work, including my writing. I have recently completed a book on the growing problem of overmedication in India and how people can reduce unnecessary medicines while improving health.

The aim is not to reject medicines, they are essential, but to use them wisely, and wherever possible, reduce dependence through sustainable habits.

True health is not about taking fewer medicines; it is about needing fewer medicines.

Of course, I am not immune to the same challenges my patients face. There are days I miss a workout, eat more than I should, or don’t sleep enough.

But I return to my routine—not out of guilt, but out of understanding. Health is not a destination. It is a process of returning, again and again, to what works.

DON'T WAIT FOR DIAGNOSIS

If there is one message I would leave you with, it is this: don’t wait for a diagnosis to take your health seriously.

Small, consistent actions, done daily, can change your trajectory in ways no prescription can.

A healthy lifestyle adopted today is like a long-term investment—it pays dividends in the form of vitality, independence, and quality of life as you age.

I often tell my patients: health is not something a doctor gives you. It is something you build every single day through your choices.

The best outcomes come when this becomes a partnership, where you and your doctor work together, not just to treat disease, but to sustain health.

(Dr Chandrakant Lahariya is a specialist in cardiometabolic medicine and an internationally certified metabolic health coach. He lives in New Delhi.)

- Ends