I turned 25 in a hospital cafeteria, young and away from home.
I was in the middle of my duty at a government hospital, running between patient wards and ICUs, surviving on cups of tea. At that age, I thought I was invincible, that I could push my body to any extent to get the job done.
Now, almost two decades later, when I think about my 25-year-old self, I often imagine pulling up a chair beside her and saying, “There are a few things I wish someone had told you earlier.”
Let me share a few of them with you.
1. The people who love you need you healthy
At 25, I genuinely believed taking care of myself was something I could postpone. There was always something more urgent: patients waiting in the ward, reports to finish and family calls to return.
What I didn’t realise then is that neglecting yourself doesn’t make you noble. It simply makes it harder to show up fully for the people who depend on you.
For your daily dose of medical news and updates, visit: HEALTH
There’s an old line many of us have heard before: you can’t pour from an empty cup. It may sound like a cliché, but after years of watching people run themselves into exhaustion, I’ve realised there’s a lot of truth in it.
2. Start strength training earlier than you think
If there is one habit I wish I had started earlier, it would be strength training.
At 25, I already knew it was important. I had studied nutrition and understood the role muscles play in metabolism. But work hours were long, and exercise was often the first thing to get pushed aside.
Later, when I did find time, I took up running. It felt efficient as I was losing fat. What I didn’t realise then was that without strength training, I was also gradually losing muscle.
About ten years ago, I finally began strength training regularly. And the difference is something I notice almost every day.
It shows up in small, everyday moments. Long workdays feel less tiring. Carrying groceries or lifting a suitcase while travelling doesn’t feel like a task anymore. The body simply feels stronger and more dependable.
3.Health is more than just weight
In my twenties, like many people around me, the weighing scale felt like a big test. If the number looked okay, health was considered good.
But here's what I learned: what's the point of a "normal" weight if you're exhausted all day, popping antacids after every meal, or have bloating whole day?
I've seen people with textbook-perfect weights who felt miserable, and others whose weight barely changed but whose lives transformed completely once they started eating regularly and move consistently.
Health isn't a number on a scale. Its waking up on the first alarm actually feeling rested, not needing three coffees to function, having energy left after work to cook dinner or meet a friend. That's what health actually looks like. The scale is just one tiny piece of a much bigger picture.
4.Your definition of “treating yourself” needs work
In my twenties, “treating myself” almost always meant food.
A difficult day at work? Sev Puri.
Finished a project? Momos and noodles.
Looking back, I sometimes wish someone had asked me a simple question: why is your every reward related to food?
Because if your “treat” leaves you feeling bloated, uncomfortable or guilty, it isn’t really a treat.
Over time, I realised that real treats can look very different : a long bath after a tiring day, buying a book you’ve been wanting to read, sleeping in without guilt, calling a friend you miss, or sometimes just giving yourself permission to do absolutely nothing.
It gets better (If you start now)
If you observe closely, the habits that shape our health are often very small. It could be starting the day with breakfast instead of just coffee or drinking a little more water through the day. None of these feel dramatic in the moment, but repeated day after day, they begin to add up.
And also one very important thing to note is that the process doesn’t have to be super strict or joyless. It can be as simple as trying a new recipe, enjoying a walk after dinner, or learning to cook a meal you genuinely like.
If there is one takeaway I would leave you with, it is this: don’t treat health like a punishment or a checklist. Make the process enjoyable, and the consistency will follow.
I can't go back and tell that 25-year-old self these things. But if you're in your twenties now, reading this, maybe you don't have to learn all these lessons the hard way.
