Preventive healthcare, lifestyle discipline, and learning to listen to one’s body emerged as key themes at the inaugural ‘SecondAct – Women Beyond Midlife: Informed, Empowered & Thriving’ seminar, which also explored financial independence, technological awareness, and purposeful aging among women.
Organized under the banner Second Act, a collaborative initiative of Yagn Foundation and System Research Society (SRS) at the India International Centre in New Delhi last week, the day-long event featured a series of panel discussions. One of the key sessions, ‘The Body Knows: Health, Hormones, and Healthy Longevity’, focused on menopause, healthy aging, and the importance of preventive healthcare in helping women lead healthier, more independent lives.
The initiative seeks to create a national platform for informed conversations about healthy aging, longevity, and purposeful living for women over 50.
The health-focused panel brought together leading medical experts to discuss menopause, cardiovascular health, bone health, sleep, cognition, and evidence-based approaches to aging.
Chaired by Dr. Manju Barik, the session featured senior gynecologist Dr. Sharda Jain and Shreya Prasad Sharma, COO of Ayurveda Advantage, who highlighted the importance of preventive healthcare, balanced lifestyles, and greater body awareness.
Your health can’t wait
Addressing the audience, Dr Sharda Jain stressed that women must take ownership of their health rather than placing themselves last in the family’s list of priorities.
“Your health is your responsibility. It’s not anybody else’s responsibility. If you’re living alone, make a buddy—but don’t neglect your health. Our aim is that you should be independent till 90 and beyond. For that, diet, exercise, quality sleep, and balance are non-negotiable. Your attitude should always be positive,” said Dr. Sharda.
Drawing on five decades of medical practice, Dr Sharda pointed out that Indian women often prioritize the well-being of their families while overlooking their own health until serious illnesses develop.
“The people who socialize do not have dementia and are less likely to struggle with depression and anxiety. Graceful aging means being independent, independent, and independent. Indian women have an amazing psyche—family first. I’ve been practicing medicine for 50 years, and I’ve seen women who bring the whole family for check-ups but ignore themselves, sometimes until it’s too late. This has to stop,” she added.
She also underlined that healthy aging begins much earlier in life and depends largely on consistent lifestyle choices.
“I believe in aging, but aging gracefully. It requires discipline right from childhood. Lifestyle is very, very important. By lifestyle, I mean your food, your exercise, your sleep, and how you manage stress. If you master these four things, you will not face many problems,” Dr Sharda said.
Advocating preventive nutrition, she recommended that nearly 60 percent of one’s diet should comprise fruits and salads, while vegetarians should include a variety of pulses and millets. She also encouraged practices such as yoga and Vipassana meditation to improve mental well-being and self-awareness.
Listen to what your body is telling you
Putting family first has long been ingrained in many women. However, this deeply rooted habit often results in them neglecting their own well-being and delaying healthcare until it becomes unavoidable.
Calling for a shift in mindset, Shreya Prasad Sharma encouraged women to become more attuned to their bodies, saying they must pay attention to the signals their bodies constantly provide rather than focusing only on external appearance.
“Before meditation or chakra healing, just listen to your body. We make the mistake of not listening to our bodies. Our body is telling us everything. There is the gut also. Nobody pays attention to the gut. We are so busy worrying about our skin, our hair, and our families that we ignore what our body is trying to tell us,” she said.
She encouraged women to develop a daily habit of self-observation.
“Step back every day and understand what your gut is trying to tell you. It will indicate where your body is facing an issue. In Ayurveda, we truly believe in being in sync with nature. Wake up with nature, sleep with nature, and your body will respond,” Shreya said.
While discussing complementary wellness practices, she noted that approaches should always be tailored to individual needs and undertaken under professional guidance.
“If you already have an ailment, chakra alignment can help. Personally, Vipassana and Panchakarma are at the top of my list, but every individual is different and should be guided by a qualified practitioner,” she added.
Healthy longevity begins with everyday choices
The discussion highlighted that healthy longevity extends beyond disease management and includes emotional well-being, social engagement, nutrition, physical activity, and preventive healthcare.
Speakers repeatedly emphasized that independence in later years depends largely on choices made much earlier in life.
The seminar was the first event under Second Act, a national platform that brings together experts, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to facilitate conversations about midlife and longevity, and purposeful aging.
Future editions are planned across metropolitan and Tier-II cities to build a community that empowers individuals with credible information and practical guidance for life beyond midlife.
The event also witnessed the release of Shree Shree Babaji’s book, The Night That Divided My Life, which chronicles his two-decade journey working with people.
Alongside discussions on health, the seminar featured sessions on financial independence, technology, and reinvention after 60, while also showcasing Sacred Earth, an eco-spiritual initiative promoting conscious living, environmental stewardship, and inner transformation—reinforcing the broader message that the second act of life can be one of renewal, purpose, and meaningful contribution.
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