INEVITABLY with time and rising living standards people’s lifestyles will change and reality has shown that they go more for affluence and material possessions. And this has had both positive and negative impacts but it would appear that the latter is more dominant.
One of the serious negative consequences has been the moving away from behavior and practices that are conducive to good health.
According to the UN despite progress on many fronts to improve global health, the world still faces persistent challenges, from insufficient funding and capacity to the resistance by many to make needed lifestyle changes, the head of the United Nations health agency warned today.
“Persuading people to adopt healthy behaviours is one of the biggest challenges in public health,” UN World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Margaret Chan told the agency’s Executive Board at the opening of this year’s main meeting, highlighting alcohol abuse and the marketing of unhealthy foods to children, with an estimated 44 million pre-school youngsters overweight or obese. “We have to take action.”
These days a taxi or some other form of public transport is used for the shortest destination which could be reached by walking or cycling. And with the increasing acquiring of personal automobiles more people are doing less walking or cycling which are excellent forms of exercise.
So combined with all the other “unhealthy evils” of junk food excessive use of alcohol the end result is that people are becoming less healthy and fit and as such valuable resources, financial and otherwise, have to be invested to take care of illnesses and conditions that are preventable. But they continue to plague the health care system because of people’s poor approach to their health.
Perhaps we should begin an organised and sustained campaign to encourage more walking and cycling to and from work and for general movement to destination as this definitely will bring many benefits. Most importantly people’s health and fitness will become better but at the same consumption of fuel and traffic congestion will decrease and in accordance with our LCDS there will be less pollution. Also significant amounts of money could be saved in travelling costs
On this note Mr. Ralph Ramkarran in his most recent weekly column “My Friend Jane” actually made some thought proking, interesting and pertinent observations.
“My Friend Jane, who lives in London, rides a bicycle. I had asked her to deliver a package for me to another friend who was going to collect it from her home. She offered to deliver the package herself, despite the long distance from her home, saying that it was no problem because she was mobile. Jane intended to ride from her home in West London to South London to deliver the package’ Ramkarran wrote.
He explained that as a student in London forty years ago, there were hardly any cycles on the road whereas today, there are thousands. It is as a result of a deliberate policy by the Mayor of London to encourage the use of cycles. Facilities have been established on pavements across London where cycles are parked and can be locked. Cycle rentals facilitate those who do not own cycles.
He added: “There were several objectives in encouraging cycle use. The first was to reduce the level of pollution in London. As more people ride, the less fuel is used to transport them and the less carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere. The second reason is the health benefit. Cycling provides exercise which increases fitness and health. Millions are saved with a healthier population and this brings health care costs down. The third benefit is reduced congestion on the roads although the number of cyclists have to vastly increase before a significant impact is made on congestion. Fourthly, cycling has a positive impact on the family budget. Travelling costs are very high and the use of a cycle to work can substantially reduce the cost of travel making a big difference.”
Jennifer R. Scott, in her article: Why Exercise? How Exercise Benefits Your Health & How to Begin notes: “Even if you’re losing weight on a diet, you should start an exercise regimen. Exercise is more important than you might think. The benefits of regular physical activity impact every aspect of your daily life.”
“Exercise helps with ease of movement, builds strong muscles, improves your posture, makes your joints more stable, decreases chronic pain and leads to better sleep patterns and emotional well-being.”
“Plus, almost anyone — at any age — can benefit from the health effects of exercise. It’s never too late to start being more active and improve your health and maintain your weight. A study published a few years ago in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed people who didn’t start working out until their mid-6’s cut their risk of dying from disease by half.”
The problem is we know the correct thing but the challenge is to get people to do it, even if it is for their own benefit. Like Karl Marx said: “Philosophers have interpreted the world in various ways the point, however, is to change it.