Health as a personal priority

WE LIVE in a modern world surrounded by stressors from the moment we wake up to the time we go to bed. Even if we now enjoy some conveniences not experienced by our parents, new sources of stress are also coming our way at home, at work and even in our relationships with people.

Last year a Pulse Asia survey showed that three out of five Filipinos said that staying healthy and avoiding illness is an urgent personal concern.

Aspiring to be healthy is more than just having a svelte and sculptured figure. For many, it is about keeping bad cholesterol at bay, ensuring blood sugar levels do not spike, maintaining a healthy heart – all of which require losing weight and a reduced waistline.

Proper diet and exercise, plus enough sleep may be simple enough but these are better said than done. The bingeing on food during the holidays have kept many of us fearful of the state of our health. Even those who regularly exercise admit to have skipped some sessions due to the many functions and parties they have to attend during the season.

Doctors have reminded us not to indulge too much during the holidays as the number of cases of hypertension and other diseases usually increase at this time of the year.

In the city, keeping fit through exercise has been the rave with many men and women having access to Zumba sessions in malls during the weekdays and at the People's Park on weekends. Some frequent gyms that offer various forms of keeping fit.

Also, we are blessed with abundant fruits and vegetables which are affordable and in good supply in our wet market.

We could not afford to be sick. Rather than spend money on treatment, it is better to watch what we eat, avoid stress and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

This should be the personal goal of every Filipino.