My Five

End my day with Inbox clean & thoughts free to dream

1 My day begins between 4 am and 7 am depending on my travel schedule. Since I have the ‘sprint gene’, I get bored following a set exercise routine. I alternate between running, swimming, cycling and strength workouts. Even while travelling, I pack in a half-hour of yoga indoors. If not in the morning, I walk at least 10,000 steps or join our evening fitness class in the office.

2 My diet has transformed. My carb intake has reduced substantially and vegetables, nuts and fruits have increased. I avoid sugar, rice and chapatis - yes, even biryani. After sunset, I try not to eat carbs. I have experimented with some fad diets, but they dont work. Avoid keeping junk food in the fridge. Eat almonds, peanuts or cashews when hungry.

3 I de-stress by reading, walking and exploring new cities. I also write poetry

4 I haven’t reached the ‘no-tech days’ level, but occasionally leave my phone alone. I take regular holidays with family and friends: it helps reboot. I get my ‘me’ time late at nights while working or during travel.

5 My day ends with summarising what I need to do the next day and week. My inbox needs to be clean and my thoughts free to dream. I try hard not to e-mail my colleagues and try (and sometimes fail) to keep my phone far away. I do some breathing exercises as I wind up for the day.

(Anu Acharya is CEO of Mapmygenome)