Despite being one of Dundee’s top heart experts, Professor Chim Lang loves black coffee and a fish supper on a Friday. Here he tells us about his daily routine.
I normally get up at around 6.30am, after around seven hours sleep. I take my two schnauzers for a half hour walk, come back and make some coffee before doing a bit of dusting.
I do a quick tidy up and clean usually around the kitchen and the common utility area which is a bit of a workout.
I usually tidy up the places where we spend a lot of time ie the kitchen, dining room and TV room.
I might also do some crunches, squats and some press-ups and use dumbbells in the morning. It’s not a lot but I have a routine where I do two cycles of this. This is my early morning routine.
I do that and then brew more coffee before going to have my shower and come back downstairs.
How much coffee is too much coffee?
My wife, Anna Maria, a fellow cardiologist, will cook breakfast and we usually have this around 8am. Usually I will have porridge. I love porridge with a bit of milk in it.
When summer is here I also have an unsweetened probiotic yoghurt. I will have that with some fruits and coffee. I need my coffee!
I will have a black coffee in the morning, no sugar.
I think sugar is the new tobacco so that’s the one thing I avoid. Excess sugar is not good as it increases the risk of diabetes and also that of obesity which also increases cardiovascular risks. But a tea spoon with coffee and tea is perfectly fine.
And I am not sure if I should tell my patients this, but when I come into work I will have another coffee!
I don’t have coffee in the afternoon though. In the afternoon around 3pm I like a cup of tea with milk. It perks me up.
Coffee is fine to have in moderation but I would recommend not having more than four mugs per day.
Four large mugs is the general recommendation as the cut off without affecting sleep and having palpitations for those who suffer from them. Everything in moderation.
Fish and chips is a Friday treat
Like many Malaysians, I love to cook and I cook a lot. I will do an easy stir fry or a stew for dinner and whatever is left over, I pack it to have for lunch the next day.
I have a certain routine and on Sundays we usually have a roast but other days it is usually Chinese like stir fries which are so healthy and nice. I have seen myself give some recipes to my patients in the past!
It is very easy to cook simple dishes.
Sometimes though, I will be honest, if I am starving, I will buy a roll from the university shop – I like a coronation chicken roll.
I will also buy some fruit for lunch, usually an apple and a banana.
The only exception is a Friday when I will have fish and chips.
I do enjoy the occasional fish and chips and I have been caught by my patients having fish and chips in Arbroath before!
At Ninewells we have a new kitchen and they have their signature fish and chips. They are so popular and there is a long queue every Friday for them!
I’m not perfect, but it’s about moderation.
Home cooking is best at dinner time
For dinner I will usually cook a chicken, vegetable or beef stir fry with mangetout and sweetcorn with a bit of garlic. Then I will stir fry some prawns which are healthy and easy to cook and have some rice with it.
It takes less than five minutes and it’s crunchy and yummy! I like salmon too. I air fry salmon with teriyaki sauce and it’s the best thing ever. I will have vegetables or a salad – no chips or potatoes. My wife and I will usually have that twice a week.
I will have very little processed food. I’m not very good at making desserts so I will maybe buy an apple pie from the supermarket but I don’t have frozen pizzas or anything like that.
My message would be to cook your own food if you can and things like a simple roast chicken is very healthy and it’s a great meal.
I don’t drink alcohol every week
I do drink alcohol but not a lot. I don’t drink every week.
On a weekend I might open a bottle of wine, have glass and then cork it. I don’t have a daily gin and tonic or whisky. I usually only drink wine when I am with friends at the weekend or entertaining.
I don’t drink alcohol during the week because I am working so it’s usually a weekend thing.
Alcohol is ok to have in moderation. The recommendation for alcohol is not to drink more than 14 units per week and to spread it over 3-4 days.
But if I am with a crowd and don’t want to have alcohol I will have a diet coke or sparkling water.
Taking the stairs is better than nothing when short on time
I do exercise but not enough. I wish I had more time for exercise.
I cycle on the weekend to pick up the papers and at work every day I take the stairs .
I walk three flights of stairs from my office to the wards many times a day that amounts to a lot of walking around the hospital.
Walking is good and it is something I would encourage everyone to do.
We should make walking a daily habit. Daily walking helps to reduce the risk of heart disease and of obesity and diabetes.
It increases fitness which is good for the heart and the body. Walking for longer periods i.e., up to an hour will also help to reduce weight.
20 minutes of reading and then its lights out
I am at a stage where life isn’t too stressful. I’m 63, I haven’t retired and I like my job. I really enjoy what I do – I think I am lucky in that sense.
I watch some television, like some history and antiques programmes and I like reading too.
I read every night before bed but it’s usually only around 15-20 minutes and then I’m gone! I love history and I have been in Scotland since 1979 but I enjoy learning new things about it.
Why I wanted to be treated in Dundee, not London
Yes. I had my gallbladder taken out around ten years ago.
It became inflamed and was a gangrenous gallbladder so it was life threatening at the time. I know sometimes NHS Tayside gets knocked about a bit but I trust the staff completely. I was happy to be a patient there at Ninewells Hospital and I was quite ill. But they treated me so well.
After that I was in London and another gall stone dislodged again.”Although I was offered a bed at St Mary’s Hospital in London, I made my way back to Ninewells Hospital because I trusted the staff entirely and I wanted to be treated there.
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