Global holistic health guru Mickey Mehta has been instrumental in shifting corporate India's focus towards health and wellness, having helped many industry bigwigs reinvent themselves. The first such stunning case in the history of India Inc. was Mr. Anil Ambani, and not surprisingly, Dr. Mehta was a part of his wonderful journey of transformation. Now, he has another feather to add to his cap - but this time he found his client to be just as inspiring!
“Only if a corporate executive is healthy can he make the company healthy”
Keki Mistry’s healthy transformation was not driven by a desire to simply lose weight and look better. He has seen the world change around him, witnessing firsthand the effects of a fast paced corporate lifestyle and the toll it takes on employee health. His strong sense of responsibility towards the organization he represents, HDFC, inspired him to reinvent himself to get healthy and be a better role model to his colleagues and employees. He firmly believes that health should be your first priority, as poor health impairs one’s ability to perform, and more importantly it defeats the purpose of working hard to earn a living! The number crunching wizard also shares the belief that only if a corporate executive is healthy can he make the company healthy, and has accordingly gifted himself well being for his 62nd birthday.
Corporate employees across India are increasingly plagued with health problems linked to high stress levels and a sedentary lifestyle. While there’s no escaping work pressure and long working hours, this should not be an excuse for neglecting one’s health. With the demanding nature of his job, Mr. Mistry decided to set an example by showing people exactly what needs to be done.
Keki Mistry’s Healthy Makeover
“Anyone who smokes and is fond of good food, will know just how tough it is to manage to get rid of one the habits, let alone both together!”
Mr. Mistry’s healthy makeover is truly remarkable, as he was bogged down with an unhealthy corporate lifestyle. As Vice Chairman & Chief Executive Officer for HDFC Ltd, there’s scarcely any job that’s as demanding. Not surprisingly, he was under enormous stress, got little physical activity, and was overweight, in addition to which he was also a chain smoker! The notion of anyone in his predicament getting healthy may seem like wishful thinking, but Mr. Mistry is a man with focus and dedication and he has never been one to shy away from a challenge. If he takes on a task, there is no turning back – you can be sure that he will see it through. While making one healthy change is tough enough for most people, he decided to take on all the issues at once!
“No ifs, no buts, you have to kick the butt!”
Like many other bigwigs in the business world, Mr. Mistry had packed on the pounds over the years and this was one of the first issues that Dr. Mehta helped him address. Unlike many others who have jumped onto the weight loss bandwagon, his aim was not simply to lose weight, but to get healthy, much to the delight of Dr. Mehta. This is why they made sustainable changes to his diet and lifestyle, aiming for gradual weight loss. In a span of less than 30 months Mr. Mistry managed to shed an impressive 30 kilos. Of course, a healthy transformation would be incomplete without overcoming nicotine addiction, as Dr. Mehta rightfully points out. So as someone who is never satisfied with half measures, Mr. Mistry also quit smoking at the same time!
Anyone who smokes and is fond of good food, will know just how tough it is to manage to get rid of one of these habits, let alone both together! What makes the achievement even more extraordinary is the fact that he managed such a drastic makeover this late in life. People half his age struggle to achieve similar fitness and weight loss goals. While Dr. Mehta has played a central role in the transformation, he humbly insists that the key to Mr. Mistry’s success is his fierce determination, commitment, and self-discipline. According to Dr. Mehta, "He is one of the best clients that I have worked with and truly is an inspiration. He exemplifies the idea of corporate executives taking responsibility."
How Keki Mistry Reinvented Himself
“I focus heavily on breathing, as this is fundamental to wellness, especially to regulatory wellness, healing, health, and organic soundness & unity” - Dr. Mehta
Obviously, no healthy makeover comes easy. With Dr. Mehta's support, Mr. Mistry made a conscious effort to change his relationship with food, opting to eat as natural as possible and avoiding junk and processed foods. Dr. Mehta advised him to incorporate more fresh foods, leafy greens, fruits, and nuts, as well as certain Ayurveda herbs. As with all of his clients,Dr.Mehta stressed the importance of physical activity, not just the performance of repetitive exercises. Mr. Mistry completely understood this facet of getting healthy, and no matter how hectic his schedule is, he still makes the time to stay active. Despite his demanding schedule, he makes it a point to workout twice every day.
In addition to increasing and maintaining activity levels, Dr. Mehta incorporated and focused heavily on breathing, as he believes this to be fundamental to wellness and healing. Another often neglected aspect of getting healthy is sleep quotient. When people travel a lot and have long work days, their sleep tends to get disturbed. This is another aspect of the fast paced lifestyle that concerns Dr. Mehta, which is why he stresses on the importance of adequate sleep for better health. With great effort he managed to get Mr. Mistry to improve both the quality and duration of his sleep. These are just some of the changes that they were able to make to get Mr. Mistry to his current levels of fitness.
Keep in mind that this makeover didn’t happen overnight. It took immense perseverance, commitment, and discipline. Wake up India, if at the age of 62, Mr. Mistry can juggle his corporate responsibility and personal life to manage such a healthy makeover, there is no reason why you can’t achieve it too.