Once I wrote a newsletter about a sprightly 101-year-old Navy veteran Commander (retired) Sriramulu, who runs 18 km every alternate day.
In response, many people emailed me back asking — “What is the secret of his longevity and good health? Surely, there must be something clever he is doing.”
Yes, he is.
But before I spill his secret fitness rituals, you need to hear this oft-told story of an Arab merchant named Nasrudin.
Nasrudin would cross the border every day with a caravan of donkeys, and return in the evening. And every day, Nasrudin seemed to be getting richer and richer.
The perplexed customs officials at the border knew that he was a smuggler and thoroughly searched his baggage looking for gold etc., but they never found anything.
Finally, two years later, when Nasrudin became too rich and stopped smuggling, a customs official asked him, “Now can you please tell us, what is it that you were smuggling?”
He said, “Donkeys.”
Often, the secret is right in front of our eyes but we keep looking for some hidden magic.
The secret to Commander Sriramulu’s health is a healthy diet and intermittent fasting (he does not eat after sunset), strength training and running, sleeping and waking up early, and most likely, a stress-free life.
There is no secret to anything, other than good habits, followed consistently.
And whenever you begin to doubt this, please remember Nasrudin.
– Rajan