“Nature is incredible, it never fails to inspire me.”

“For everything there is a season and a reason.”

Nature possibly is one of the best teachers of inculcating in ourselves the values of presence and awareness. Nature shall allow you to live in the present and make you aware of your emotional state. Nature teaches you to be authentic and raw giving you chances to be alone with yourself in a non-judgemental scenario. The Mahatman philosophy encourages disciplines in the areas of health, wealth, and wisdom. Self-discipline allows you to stick to your own decisions and follow them thoroughly. This would lead to increased self-confidence, self-esteem, and happiness.

Great health should be maintained by daily exercises and a healthy diet. Research suggests that a healthy positive attitude helps build a healthier immune system. Great Wealth helps you to be stable through managing your time and energy.  Taking accountability for your own actions will help you learn and pursue new knowledge. Great Wisdom comes through realizing your own potential and knowing who you can be. 

“Each facet of nature insinuates self-discipline among us.”

“Humans have long been reigning at the top of the food chain – it is now time to extend this victory into the realm of longevity. We must be the species to outlive all others!”

—Sam Adettiwar

While some may respond with scepticism to my claim, this is the only way forward for the race of Mahatmans that our philosophy seeks to build. This Mahatman longevity is built on the foundation of productivity and the two feed off from each other. Therefore, a productive lifestyle enables a person to live longer, which in turn helps him or her to be more productive. What use is a long life if it is merely vegetative – if the old person is just content to eat, mate, excrete just so that he can begin the routine all over again the next day.

Have you heard of the Japanese concept of IKIGAI (pronounced “Icky Guy”)? Simply put, it means a strong purpose – that which makes you jump out of bed every morning, raring to get to work. IKIGAI originated in the Japanese island of Okinawa, which is home to the largest population of centenarians in the world. IKIGAI gives a sense of clarity and purpose to life, which in turn has a direct correlation to longevity. The same concept has been practiced by people in Sardinia and the Nicoya Peninsula regions with large concentrations of hundred-year-olds.

In complete contrast to this traditional concept of a long life, Mahatman proposes that we make our lives as useful as possible – we keep working, studying, loving, giving, and essentially learning with all kinds of experiences. Such a productive life is bound to make us healthy in body and mind leading to greater longevity.

Do you think that all this is a mere fantasy?
Check out all the stupendous research carried out in the field of longevity. Massive advances in genetic engineering will soon prevent or reverse the ageing of cells while innovative 3D printers will create human organs loaded with living cells. In this way, people will soon be able to replace vital body organs with new parts without going the painstaking way of traditional organ transplants. The best part of such futuristic biotechnology is that you do not have to be old to live long but you can live the life of a 25 or 30-year-old for years and years. Indeed contemporary science has gone so far as to claim that by the year 2050, humans can become immortal.

With billion-dollar companies like Google sponsoring high-end anti-aging research, longevity is no longer a distant dream. Its project Calico has been focusing on how caloric intake influences overall health and aging in particular. There are already scientists like Valter Longo of the University of Southern California who have found the genes responsible for entropy or the change from order to disorder on the cellular level. When Longo removed these two genes, RAS2 and SCH9, the life of Baker’s Yeast were extended from 6 days to 10 weeks, which is equivalent to 800 human years2. Suddenly the Mahatman dream of living beyond 100 in a youthful and productive existence does not seem impossible anymore – does it?

The possibility of an immortal existence for now at least exists in the realm of extreme science. Nevertheless, what if I told you that there are newer lifestyles being explored, which could place longevity squarely within our own control. Harvard scholar David Sinclair who first came into prominence with his research on key cellular mechanisms responsible for vascular aging and its effects on muscle health promotes one such approach. His research found a way to successfully reverse this process in animals, thus opening up the direction to reverse vascular aging in humans too that is responsible for several age-related conditions, such as cardiac and neurological problems, muscle loss, impaired wound healing and overall frailty.

Based on years of research Sinclair outlines three levels of aging and thus advocates a three-pronged strategy to increase longevity. First, there are certain lifestyle changes like intensive exercise that can slow down the aging process. Next, there are drug regimens like supplements and anti-aging molecules that begin to stop aging, and finally there are experimental new procedures that may actually reverse aging once they are fully developed. In fact, Sinclair reveals that his mother – a former patient of lung cancer – prolonged her life with only one lung for 20 years by taking the molecules he gave her. Likewise, Sinclair has been giving his father such supplements for years and now the sprightly 79-year-old father continues to enjoy white-water rafting and mountaineering as his hobbies. The crux of Sinclair’s research is based on sirtuins, which are genes that tell enzymes to control the way a cell functions. According to Sinclair, sirtuins are activated by practices such as calorie restriction and extreme exercise as well as supplements with a high concentration of resveratrol, a compound found in grape skin.

I personally follow certain strategies to prolong life in good health based on Sinclair’s theory. This is based on the idea that when the body is faced with biological stress, organisms put most of their energy into maximizing their own health in order to survive. In other words, its repair mechanisms go into full drive, and as a result, the cells are rejuvenated. In order to put this theory in practice, I do several things like running until I am out of breath, staying hungry by occasional fasting, and my personal favorite, regular cold-water showers.

However, before everything else, we need to change our attitude toward aging. It should be considered a disease rather than being mystified and glorified – a disease that becomes easier to treat with each passing day. Therefore, in Mahatman, that day is not far when humans will live beyond 120 and I, for sure will be looking forward to that amazing time when humans can take their rightful place at the apex of the longevity chain!

“Great Health gives one great outcome!”

Sweat yourself out through weight training, aerobics, dance, Zumba, and sports. Throughout the day, remind yourself that whatever you do, you have to pursue great heath. With such thoughts, the most mundane tasks will yield great outcomes. Every second, life gives you opportunities, so stretch as far as possible to allow your mind to overcome criticisms. Stretching helps you to release toxins and create energy for great and fruitful work. Scientific Research by Wharton, MIT and London Business School suggests that laughter relieves stress and boredom and induces physical changes in your body leading to better physical, mental and emotional health.

We all know Ayurveda is the oldest form of medicine to promote natural well-being in humans. It suggests that when all our systems in the body are inequality and when our mind is happy yet active, we are healthy. Great health is required for being a MAHATMAN, a self-actualized human being embarking his journey from happiness to greatness. Here is how:

Boundless; immense or limitless!

If the weather is good outside, go out and feel the warmth of the sun. Sit in a comfortable situation and breathe rhythmically. A perfect balance would help you calm and compose throughout the entire day.

Don’t consume hard foods that take time to digest and take a great deal of our energy. Eat less but in a timely manner. Fuel yourself with water; your body needs it to process calories. Research shows that getting plenty of protein can boost your metabolism, causing you to burn an extra 150 to 200 calories a day, says Jeff Hampl,a spokesman for the American Dietetic Association.

Carry less of your past and feel lighter afterwards. Let go of the negative emotions from your body. Meditate and raise your energy. Concentrate on your thoughts and attitude. Observe the way they flow and enter your body.

There is power inside your body, express it, and make it loud. Energize your body and soul. We have to grow with great vigor and get every nook and cranny of an opportunity we can. We need to stick our necks out to thrive and evolve. We are here to stay and thrive. We must be unapologetic about our quest for affluence. Take risks and feel great. Work hard to attain what you desire. Stay positive on your journey as it will breed happiness. Keep learning and acquiring new knowledge. There is no time bad to do things that you love.

“Bike or not bike? Everyday question that strikes me.”

Let’s define Fatigue, the first sign your body gives you when it cannot handle overload on your muscles. Once lactate acid begins to build up in your body, you start to feel the burn in your muscles. But let’s note that Biking is a top-notch cardio workout. You will burn about 400 calories in an hour and it strengthens your lower body. If you prefer a gentle workout for your back, hips, knees and ankles, biking is a great choice.

Biking improves mental well-being and a recent study suggests that people who ride a bike are actually exposed to fewer dangerous fumes than those who travel by car. There are so many ways exercise can boost your mood; the release of adrenaline and endorphins in your body and improved confidence. You can always ride solo – giving you time to process certain thoughts. A study by the Healthy Air Campaign, King’s College, London showed that the driver experienced five times higher pollution levels than the cyclist. Long story short : the cyclist won.

Cycling raises your heart rate and gets the blood pumping around your body. It is one of the healthy ways suggested by the NHS to cut your risk of major illnesses such as heart disease. Dr. Jason Gill of the Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences commented: “Cycling all or part of the way to work was associated with a substantially lower risk of adverse health outcomes.” Exercise has been frequently associated with brain health and a 2013 study found that during cycling or exercising, the blood flow in the brain rises by 28% and 70% in specific areas. Improved blood flow keeps us healthy and maintains heart rate.

A basic thing we need to understand here is we have to do each and every activity with mindfulness and passion. Even something as mundane as brushing our teeth or tying our shoelaces can be done with a lot of energy and passion. We need to understand that everything we do is for the brain and the body. Every small activity that we undertake is going to benefit our brain and our body in some way.

Now since Gen Z tend to be logical realists, we always need a reason why to do something. So, to REALLY convince that working out is crucial, here are 5 prominent reasons why you should exercise regularly.

Due to its myriads of benefits, you understand why great health is truly the foundation for our Mahatman philosophy and the launchpad to help us achieve greatness.