THE IDEAL FEEL-GOOD DAY IN THE LIFE OF A PROFESSIONAL

You may have heard a hundred times about “me time” but hear it again from us. Make allowance for some TLC.

Actually it starts the night before. Dinner is filling but not heavy – so no biryani, kebab and korma. Then to bed not later than 11pm. Next day I wake up naturally – no alarms. A tall glass of water and a leisurely cup of Darjeeling tea follows with the morning news. I like my tea with a drop of milk and a sugar substitute but you may sip some energising lemon and honey tea. Tea done, I head for the nearby park – this is actually the “green lung” of Delhi, a sprawling area of forestry that has been kept largely untouched with walking tracks carved through. The idea is to figure out a large open green space and put in about an hour or hour and half of brisk walking, topped off with exercise and a few minutes of sitting quietly and meditating, soaking in the fresh air and vitamin D. I sit cross legged on a park bench in a noise free area, close my eyes, breathe deeply and try to focus on the bird sounds. This makes me feel calm.

Walk done, I head home for an invigorating massage. Spas are lovely, but for my feel-good day, I prefer my local massage woman who comes home. I like to use olive oil with a few drops of my favourite essential oil, firangipani, for my body massage, and almond hair oil for my scalp and hair. Post the massage, I have a fruit platter – this season, I prefer custard apple. A good scrub bath is a must in my feel-good day. But first I apply a facepack made of a fresh fruit or veggie mashed with some besan or sandalwood powder to “hold” the pack. With the pack on, I create my body scrub of sugar and besan mixed with milk or rosewater. By the time I am done with exfoliating all over, my face mask is ready to be washed off under a warm shower. A few drops of essential oil on the shower floor creates an invigorating cocoon of scent as I shower. I dab dry and moisturise well. These days, I use a “special” moisturiser that I have concocted mixing together all the little bits of creams and potions I had leftover. I just put them all into a glass bottle, put in some rosewater and shook it all up. Good way to use up the end bits of product and it works just fine!

Then, it’s time to put together a light lunch. Eat anything you like but make sure it’s not too rich; and keep the portions small. Here’s one of my favourite salads: Fresh rocket leaves with tomatoes, smoked chicken, boiled potato, yellow peppers, raisins, pine nuts, in a dressing of hung curd seasoned with salt and pepper. After lunch, drift off for a short siesta. Late afternoon, I wake up to some more of my fragrant Darjeeling tea with maybe a cracker and a fruit, mostly a pear. If you like, sip some green tea, it’s refreshing and good for you.

I then change into my gym gear and head for a short stint of exercise. In the summer, I like to head for a half-hour swim. This season, I usually get onto the treadmill for about 15 minutes, then some floor exercises and cycling. Not too much. Whatever my dinner, I like to make a soup for myself to my favourite music playing in the background. (Mostly soothing instrumental or favourite childhood songs which refreshes my mind as the exercise does my body.) Here’s how my healthy soup goes: 2 pieces of chicken, a chopped carrot, 4-5 chopped French beans, a handful of peas, an onion cut into four, 2-3 pods of garlic, an inch of ginger, some salt – all pressure cooked with 2 glasses of water, through 2-3 whistles. Once cooled I remove the chicken pieces and mash the vegetables in the broth. I strain the soup and bring it to boil afresh and season to taste with more salt and pepper. I top the soup with some grated cheese and lightly saute the chicken to have on the side of the soup. (Later, I knead in the mashed veggies into roti atta).

If you must have something to drink, let it be a glass or two of antioxidant-rich red wine. Dinner done, I catch some TV news and maybe a show. Then, before brushing my teeth and washing my face, I wash my feet and hands and apply gycerine with some lemon juice mixed into it – this works to keep feet and hands soft as no lotion does. Just slip on a pair of soft socks before you hit the bed. Dose off to some soothing music or your favourite book…

*The author is the editor of a lifestyle magazine.