Like many men in Indian families, I too come from a not so proud line of men with clogged arteries. Luckily, I am yet to be clogged. But like many Indians, I too have thrown caution to the winds and succumbed to culinary charms.

For most of my life, I have had an intense and regular relationship with oily Kesri bath and Masala dosa. I have had sweaty sessions with Andhra chilly chicken and ghee-drenched white Rice. I have relished the wild times in dark alleys with food cart Gobi Manchurian. And the obsessive gulp and slurp with Biryani and Coca-Cola continues.  But now after all these years of gastronomic adventures, I am afraid I have gone too far.

Now, every time I hurt, sweat or feel a burn anywhere in my torso area, I fear it might be a heart attack. I am sure I am not alone in feeling this way considering that more and more younger men are having heart attacks in India. In fact, a report published in the Vascular Health states that young Indians in the age group of 35-45 years die of heart disease 10-15 years earlier compared to other populations in rest of the world !

No wonder then that the new topic of conversation among middle-aged Indian men includes types of stents, arterial plaque, ECG (Electrocardiogram) and Angiogram. The conversation includes not just about CEOs or cricket players and their statistics but also about Cardiac Surgeons and their statistics.

It was after one such conversation that three years ago I got myself a care taker who woke me up with a message of “Good morning sweetie” and who when I took more than 10, 000 steps congratulated me with a “Well done hon.”

Yes, I wore a fitness watch and it displayed, literally, as much care for my health as any mother would.  Back then the only reason I bought the watch was because it had a heart monitor and I thought given my family history it would be nice to know when I needed to pop the heart shaped ‘sorbitrate’ tablet under my tongue and rush to the hospital.

Now, the Fitbit watch has been replaced by the new iWatch. This fitness watch has taken my health issues to a whole new level of inspection. It tracks everything: my heart, my step, my fall, my calorie and even my sleep. I’m sure soon, with all the talk of “gut health” it will start tracking my poop interval, duration and intensity. It’s all getting too intimate and invasive.

 But the best feature of this watch is for elders. Any older person who lives alone should own this watch as it senses when you fall and promptly calls a person to inform them that you have fallen down and need help. 

Now, as for people who have heart issues this watch gives them their resting heart rate, their heart rate variability, walking heart rate average and regular heart rate. Apart from this, now one can even take an ECG by placing one’s finger on the ‘crown’!

The hand wearing the watch must rest on a surface and the user must remain still. As the user touches the crown, the circuit is completed and electrical signals across the heart are measured. If an irregular rhythm is identified on five checks over a minimum of 65 minutes, an alert will go out to the user that they must proceed to get a check up. It is literally, as the saying goes, wearing your heart on your sleeve.

The fact is, while glancing to see how your heart is beating, how you are sleeping or how many calories you are burning, can be oddly gripping and give you a sense of control over your body, it can                                          also  induce anxiety.

But as intimate and invasive as such fitness watches may seem, when used correctly and read with a pinch of salt, they do help to maintain good health. They set you on a path to get healthy. They coax you to have an active lifestyle. So the best way to handle it is like everything else in life — moderation.

In the end, a device can only do so much; if you really want to be healthy it has to come from within. Instead of being reactive, it is time to be proactive when it comes to health. 

Now, whenever the issue of heart disease is discussed it is usually with the assumption that it is a “male” problem. But that is not true. Actor Sridevi’s death has drawn attention to heart disease among women. It is said the symptoms of heart disease in women are simple and not typical or dramatic,                       so it is ignored. It is said that many women realise they have had heart attacks when they go for some other test! So their heart attacks are different and that is why they have their own Heart Day? — February 17th is celebrated as Women’s Heart Day. In short, women too, like men, should get a regular heart check up, because their heart attacks do not manifest like a man’s, they                           are just milder.

Speaking of mild heart attacks…

A woman finds a magic lamp and rubs it. Immediately a Genie appears. He happens to be a sexist Genie and does not like the fact that a woman got lucky and he has to grant her three wishes.

Genie: Woman, you have three wishes (being a sexist Genie he adds) … but your husband will get ten times more than what you wish for.

Woman: Hmm… that’s okay. I just care what I get, it does not matter that he gets more. 

Genie: Okay then, what is your first wish?

Woman: I want to be the most beautiful woman in the world.

Genie: Granted. Also your husband is now ten times more handsome (trying to make her jealous he adds) … women all over will go crazy for him.

Woman: That’s okay, because I will be the most beautiful woman, so he won’t look at them.

Genie: Really ! okay if you say so. Now, what’s your second wish?

Woman: I want to be the richest woman                                   in the world.

Genie: Granted. Also your husband is now ten times richer than you.

Woman: That’s okay. What’s mine is his and what’s his is mine, it is all ours.

Genie: Really? okay, now ask your third and final wish foolish woman.

Woman: Okay. Dear Genie, please grant me a mild heart attack !

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