Is Amitabh Bachchan’s ‘Uunchai’ real? Yes, seniors can climb new heights

In the middle of the scorching summer in Mumbai this year, industrial Tanil Kilachand was a familiar sight for Malabar Hill residents, walking the slopes with his backpack for several hours a day. At the age of 85, he was training for a nine-day, 120 km trek in the Scottish Highlands, which he successfully completed in July. His trekking companions were Jaisinh Mariwala and Deepak Bhimani, known affectionately as the Three Musketeers. They have been trekking in the Himalayas and all over the world for the past 20 years. Mr Mariwala is now 90 years old and Mr Bhimani is the young one of the pack, at 83.
I thought of this trio, given this Friday’s film release,“Uunchai,” starring Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani and Danny Denzongpa. It is about three senior citizens trekking to the Everest base camp to honour the wishes of their deceased friend despite their supposed physical limitations. This subject highlights a question I am often asked in clinical practice — Is it safe and prudent for seniors to engage in strenuous physical activity? It has been well established that “movement is medicine”, and being physically active, helps ward off most chronic illnesses. I would go one step further and add, “movement is magic.” I have seen the dramatic improvement in the quality of life of those who manage to keep moving, even with the most debilitating of illnesses, irrespective of age.
There are three important components of physical fitness which should be addressed for seniors: aerobics, strength, and balance. Here’s a caveat. Before beginning your exercise routine, please consult your doctor, who can review your medical hory and guide you on the need for further tests. The simplest form of aerobic activity is walking, which should be done at a comfortable pace to begin with, and then gradually increased, in both pace and dance. The goal should be to achieve 30 to 60 minutes of walking continuously, or with breaks if there are limiting factors.
BEGIN WITH STRENGTH TRAINING
Strength training is an often-neglected component of fitness, especially in our country. There is a precipitous decrease in functional capacity, over the age of 60, and that is largely due to a decline in muscle mass. You don’t need to have strength only to look good; it’s essential for acts of daily living, such as carrying your groceries or a bag during travel, or even the simple act of getting off the floor from a sitting position. For this, you don’t need to go to a gym or buy expensive equipment. Free-hand exercises and simple accessories can serve the purpose.
HOW TO WORK ON YOUR BALANCE
In life, it is important to have a balance, both literally and figuratively. Research reveals that a large percentage of those over the age of 65 have at least one fall per year, and among those who have a fall, there is a very high chance of having a fracture. With age, bones tend to become brittle, there increasing the risk of fractures, which often cause an otherwise healthy individual to become bed ridden. Therefore, it’s important to include balance exercises in your regimen. Regular exercise not only prevents falls but strengthens bones to withstand the effects of a fall better.
While this is a generic exercise prescription, what about those who want to reach a new level of “uunchai?” If there are no medical contraindications, seniors can progressively increase their exercise levels and work towards their goal, which may well include trekking in the Himalayas, or even running a marathon. Fauja Singh, a farmer from Punjab, ran a full marathon at the age of 100 in Canada, and there are scores of examples of centenarians accomplishing great physical feats. Closer home, my uncle, Aspi Wadia, is a fixture at the badminton courts of the Cricket Club of India, that is when he is not trekking in the high mountains or photographing tigers in the jungle, at the young age of 74. I guarantee you that he is fitter and more active than most 40-year-olds. You need a bit of resance training and a disciplinarian approach to fitness routines for a good three months at least.
IT’S POSSIBLE TO PUSH LIMITS
At this point, I must stress that you don’t “have” to climb mountains to be considered healthy but you can do so if you desire to. There are no limits, provided a sensible plan is followed to achieve these goals, and you len to your body when it’s giving you warning signs.
Age is no bar to visiting the Everest base camp. At 5,200 meters above sea level, proper acclimatization, healthy eating, regular exercise and a good support team should see you through.
I would like to conclude talking about “healthspan”, which is a new term being used in conjunction with lifespan. It’s the number of years you live a high quality of life as opposed to just surviving. Regular exercise, a healthy diet and engaging in continuous learning have been shown to promote neurogenesis, or the growth of brain cells, even at an advanced age. Doctors are now talking about what you want to be able to do in your terminal decade of life. Barring a few terminal illnesses, this is largely under your control, but you need to take active steps towards it. You may be content staying at home and watching movies about others trekking in the mountains, or you could be like the reel protagons of “Uunchai”, and conquer your own peaks.