Dr. Anushka Patchava qualified as a medical doctor and practiced for 6 years across US and UK health systems before turning her hand to strategy consulting, working in commercial and product development strategy in the pharmaceutical, health and medical devices sector.
Outside of work, her interests are embedded in the 3C’s: cross-fit, charity (a dedicated volunteer, founder, and fund-raiser), and creations (be it artwork or social enterprise apps). She has advised a variety of health-related start-ups on their journey to commercialization- and is most invigorated by this sort of work.
In 2003, aged 18, Anushka was the second youngest person to complete the London Marathon – making it around the course in under 5 hours despite fracturing through her knee joint at 8 miles!
We brought Anushka onto the Body Clock Podcast, where you can hear more about her exciting life!
Tell us about yourself!
Population Health, Digital Health, and Blockchain Strategist with a serious addiction to physical fitness – in particular – Power Lifting!
Personal Motto:
Be you, be amazing.
Favorite Book:
The Art of Living, by Thich Nhat Hanh
Location:
London, England.
Favorite Exercise:
Bouldering.
Favorite Way to Center:
Mid-morning meditation.
Favorite Vegetable:
Tenderstem broccoli – if steamed with chili flakes is the perfect meal accompaniment!
Imagine your ideal day. What does it look like?
- 8 AM: A gentle river jog or an early scull session – the serenity of being alone on or near the water does wonders for reflection and thinking!
- 9 AM: Long hot bath and an opportunity to catch up on the daily news bulletin 9.30am Wander into work with a large spinach, kale, orange, and egg white smoothie
- 10-4 PM: A mix of meetings, workshops, and solo desk time – got to pay the bills somehow.
- 4.30 PM: Time for a couple of hours in the gym a body pump or HIIT class to warm up followed by some heavyweights (legs preferably) and a 2-3km swim down. If there’s time a sneaky sauna session doesn’t go amiss!
- 7 PM: Home, throw some protein on a pan and steam some fresh veg for dinner 9pm – TV time usually something brainless on the Comedy Channel
- 10.30 PM: Bed
What gets you out of bed every morning?
A desire to clock some active calories on my new Apple Watch!
What is the most important part of your daily routine?
Morning alone, either in the gym before work or on the walk-in -critical time to reflect and prepare for what lies ahead.
What about your “O” do you think is unique or special?
The copious amounts of ‘me’ time I intentionally put in.
Whose “O” would you most love to see?
All of the world leaders –I’d be curious to run an analysis and work out the trends and symmetry (if any) in their day plans and behaviors. What constitutes success?
What is your #1 wellness habit?
Right now, it’s 10 minutes of focused meditation a day. And no chocolate!
What is the best piece of health advice you’ve ever received?
I think one of the best things someone said to me recently was ‘You’re raw- that’s what’s great about you’. We all struggle at some point in our lives with self-identity – the challenge of who we are and who we are expected to be (either by society as a whole or our occupation). Rawness is something I think should be celebrated more. If we were all encouraged to be ourselves, our whole authentic selves, would our mental health improve?
What is your favorite part of living a healthy lifestyle?
Having the energy and health to do whatever I want to do. Some days that’s climbing a mountain, some days that’s laying on the sofa.
Describe your sleep ritual.
I’m notoriously a bad sleeper. It comes from attending boarding school and subsequently rebelling against all forms of authority. During the week, I try to be ‘off screens’ by 11 pm. On weekends, I tend to socialize till past 3 am! Magnesium! I’m not an advocate or fan of self-medicating and I hate swallowing tablets – however, I’ve found, particularly with my overactive fitness regime, magnesium before bed makes a huge difference to muscle relaxation and my ability to sleep.
What’s your biggest wellness challenge? How do you address it?
Work-life balance, and more so a sedentary day job. As a doctor, we were always running around – that’s very different from me now in an office environment. How do I address this? Step 1: Purchase an Apple Watch. Step 2: I’ve learned to manage my diary better – so now I actually plan and put ‘gym time’ in between meetings. Step 3: Introduce the concept of ‘walking meetings’ into my day too. Every step counts!
Tell us about a time you were stuck in an unhealthy cycle and how you got out of it. What was the main inspiration for positive change?
I’ve been close to burnout twice in my life. Each time for different reasons. However, the way I recovered was by giving myself space to breathe. Both times, I reinstated a strict, clean eating diet for 4 weeks, increased my physical activity to at least 60 minutes every day for 4 weeks (allowing myself one cheat day on weekends), and disconnected to some extent from social media and online platforms (most recently I took email off my work phone – so I now have to log on to my laptop if I need to access my email or diary out of hours).
If you could give one piece of health advice to your future kids, what would it be and why?
Start early. If you train your body in your teenage years – by train I mean condition it to be active, through cardiovascular and strength training – the benefits will stay with you for life. My data point here – I’ve maintained a metabolic age of 18 (despite being 33), and I started lifting weights aged 14!
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Anushka Patchava, M.D. is Population Health, Digital Health, and Blockchain Strategist with a serious addiction to physical fitness. Check Anushka out on her Instagram and Twitter.