Fitting role model
At 75, Datuk Dr Hashim Abdul Wahab inspires young and old alike with his healthy attitude.
DATUK Dr Hashim Abdul Wahab may be 75, but he keeps an exercise regime that may leave some of us gasping for breath. For starters, he jogs 6km thrice a week, swims 700m to 1km twice a week, and cycles between 30km and 60km every week.
The former director-general of the Malaysian Cocoa Board (MCB) is a firm believer of the principle: Health is wealth. And he works hard to stay fit and is careful with his diet.
“I may be 75 but I have the heart of a 28year-old (laughs). It is important to exercise. It doesn’t need to be anything difficult or too strenuous. Start slow and build up stamina. When I was in my early 20s, I played squash and did a lot of running. I perfected my swimming stokes at 50 years old and went on to participate in the 1998 Sabah International Triathlon at 60. It is never too late to pick up a new sport or activity,” says the fit-as-a-fiddle retiree, who was one of the torchbearers at the Beijing 2008 Olympics Torch Relay in Kuala Lumpur in 2008.
While Hashim’s stamina and endurance can put many to shame, his glowing complexion is also the envy of many who marvel at his youthfulness.
The trim grandfather of three believes his age-defying secret lies in a concoction of freshly prepared juices made from organic produce from his garden. Every morning, he gulps down a drink of blended star fruit flowers. To complement his diet, his wife Datin Kamariah Mohd Saad prepares a herbal tea which she brews daily using a leafy plant, pecah beling ( Strobilanthes crispus), which is said to have anti-cancer and anti-diabetic properties.
“Plants have many medicinal benefits. Noni fruit helps reduce high blood pressure and diabetes, while lemon grass works wonders for flatulence, irregular bowel movement and is a mild diuretic. Clinical data shows that turmeric helps aid hypertension and has anti-inflammatory effects,” explains Hashim, whose vast knowledge of plants and their benefits can be attributed to his years