Healthy ageing: A three-step plan to live longer

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Thriving at any Age: The Blueprint for Healthy Longevity, the report threw up a mixed bag of results based on a survey of six million users — from teens to 60+ living across 16 cities— of the app. While stress and lifestyle diseases like diabetes and high BP continue to be major causes of concern, a positive change was a drop in the percentage of overweight people (those with a BMI between 25 to 29.9), from 43% in 2021 to 38% in 2023. Health and wellness behaviours in India are evolving, says Vishal Gondal, founder and CEO of GOQii.

“There is increased health consciousness among those in their 20s and 30, who are now adopting preventive measures earlier in life. And individuals in their 30s-50s are planning for a healthy old age by maintaining active lifestyles." For Rukmini Bobde, 42, a Supreme Court lawyer, a slew of health issues that hit her at the onset of her 40s, including vocal cords paralysis and pachymeningitis, forced her to take stock of her situation. “Your 40s are when there’s more pressure on you.

You are at the peak of your career, you have a family to take care of, and you also want to lead a socially active life," she says. Bobde hired a personal trainer, switched routines to add calisthenics and jogging along with yoga to improve her fitness levels. Breathing and meditation became a part of the daily routine too.

“Practising yoga, breathing and meditation helped me face my health problems. Now, they help me calmly face whatever the day throws at me," she says. As proponents of the science of longevity, Desai and Ranney, too, follow protocols to age actively.