Healthcare is very important in life and especially an
understanding of how to proceed with regards to our own surroundings…
An
informal health-guide:
by Roman Ahsan
'Sunday Plus', The Nation, Lahore. [Sunday, April 26, 2009]
He had just entered the reception area of a large building
where his friend had a corporate office. As he proceeded to the staircase, a
peon called, ‘Sir, there’s an elevator here’. The man replied, ‘No thanks, I
will take the stairs’, and then he continued up the stairs to reach the office
on fifth floor.
The elevator was launched in the West long ago, but even
now health conscious people there sometimes use the stairs instead as an excuse
for a small workout. The people in the East however still cling to Western
ideals not bothering how they can optimize their health. To be really healthy,
one needs to shun false ideals and adopt a lifestyle that can boost one’s
health in the long run. For example, people in Pakistan blindly follow the
media trends without using their own mind. The media ad campaigns capitalize on
people’s imaginations promoting intake of soft drinks with BBQ meals. The
viewer sitting in front of television sets does not even bother to seek a
second opinion whether it is good for him to have cold drinks with Shish Kebobs
for the poor fellow has been brainwashed. No doubt, cold drinks with spicy
meals taste great since they provide temporary respite from the chilly flavour
yet we ignore the risks to health involved. Research shows that having cold
water or drinks during meals slows down digestion since it is a heat
consuming process. Furthermore, the intestines secrete a fluid during
digestion which gets diluted when we drink cold water.
Modern times offer a passive lifestyle. Driving a vehicle
is everybody’s dream and nobody thinks of balancing it out with physical
workouts. There are very few people who are cautious of maintaining good health
that take up brisk walking or jogging to burn body fats and in this way lend
some exercise to the heart muscles. Leading sedentary life styles makes us fall
victim to heart diseases, diabetes, depressions and what not! Regular workouts
lasting even 20-30 minutes, at least four to five times a week can rescue us
and make us fit. Normally, executives who have hectic work schedules find
themselves working late in the evenings, and then only wish to return home
after wrapping up their routine duties. Such individuals could buy an affordable
treadmill to keep at home, which could be used in the morning for 25-30 minutes
or in the evening according to their convenience. This is also a way to keep your blood pressure under control
and to remain active and youthful. Apart from treadmills, some free hand
exercises like push-ups and pull-ups could also be undertaken. Many natural
activities in your domestic settings can also contribute to your health. For
instance, instead of always relying on your gardener, you can give him a leave
once a week and pull the lawn mower for trimming your lawn or cutting the
hedges in your lawn with garden-scissors yourself even if it requires sweating.
Our thought patterns play a very significant role in
determining our health. Many of us lack a higher purpose in life. Our goals
just revolve around getting university degrees, getting an executive job,
aspiring for progress in careers even at the cost of the rights of our
colleagues, having a car after just one year of job experience by unnecessarily
burdening ourselves with auto-loans, wanting to be socially accepted in even
those circles where we do not belong, getting married, looking after our
children and then preparing ourselves for the retirement phase in terms of
financial security. These targets are somewhat necessary to nurture but
depending on our resources, our Creator demands something more from us. We have
to reach out to those who are in distress, be they in our neighbourhood or
wherever we spend most of our time. The feeling that you are doing something
for others not just as a charity measure but as goodwill gesture raises your
spirits and strengthens your mind over the years. Goodwill acts may involve
contributing to the plight of the people in your area, giving free tuitions to
youth imparting them with your wisdom and experience, and carrying out small
steps that might be seemingly mundane like helping out around your own house
instead of leaving everything to the servants.
Cable TV viewing has now taken a large share of our time in
the evenings. The favourite pastime for many is channel surfing where they keep
switching between 60-70 channels. The term ‘couch potato’ was never so relevant
as today. Internet surfing and social media have added to this dilemma. Obesity is the hallmark of the second millennium and also because
of our food consuming habits. Many people here prefer eating out in restaurants
and consume snacks or processed foods preferring them to fresh vegetables and
fruits that guard the body against illnesses. Liquid consumption trends need to
be monitored also. Green tea intake two to three times a day is very beneficial
to tone up your body and helps in fighting scores of illnesses including cancer,
while imparting vitality to your moods. In addition to that, 10-12 glasses of
water-intake daily is much necessary as it flushes your inner system, energizes
you up and keeps your skin youthful.
We live in a poor country yet we aspire for the lifestyles
of the inhabitants of the first world as conveyed through their media messages
that have grown deep in our minds. The thing to be wary here is that many
Westerners are simple folk who shun the media trends and adopt healthy outlooks on life with focus on natural foods. Good health is above all, and there should be no
compromise on it.
'Sunday Plus', The Nation, Lahore. [Sunday, April 26, 2009]
