05 Grassroots with passion
W hether you are 15 or 50, being healthy is important to enjoy life to the fullest. If we do not take charge of our health, needless to say, the detrimental effects can be devastating. By international standards, the overall health of Singaporeans is good. That being said, it has been found that the leading causes of mortality are major diseases such as cancer, coronary heart diseases, strokes, diabetes and hypertension. These lifestyle diseases share many common risk factors such as smoking, obesity, physical inactivity and alcohol consumption 1 . In 2017, in his National Day Rally, PM Lee Hsien Loong outlined governmental efforts to counter the rise of diabetes. He mentioned that it was alarming to have 1 in 9 Singaporeans with diabetes and that it was a very serious problem 2 . He reminded Singaporeans that there will be a flat health screening fee of $5 for those above the age of 40, a fraction of the usual over $100 it costs. There were going to be other plans to help Singaporeans keep healthy as well. Regardless, we have to take the lead in taking charge of our own health. Let’s use the elements as mapped out in TetraMap to outline simple measures we can take to keep our health in check. The TetraMap model uses nature as a guide using the four Nature elements: Earth, Air, Water and Fire 3 . The Earth element focuses on outcomes whilst the Air element focuses on procedures. The Water element builds on relationships whilst the Fire element builds on ideas and possibilities. With that in mind, when taking charge of our health, let the Earth element remind us that we need to set goals to ensure our health is in check. Set a target and progress to reach our set target. Remember, nothing comes about just overnight. What we must look out for should be progress and not perfection. Use current technology like smart watches or phones to track our health indicators – such as, tracking the number of steps we take a day to avoid being sedentary. We can also set out to exercise at least 30 minutes per day. Be specific with our targets and goals. We can even set the target to eat more healthily. If we set the target to eliminate sugar in our diet, we can slowly achieve this by tracking what we consume in a day and eliminating foodstuff that contains a lot of sugar. We can also set out to eat 2 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit daily. The point is to find out what determines a healthy lifestyle and set goals to achieve it. Mapping Out A PLAN TO TAKE THE LEAD WITH YOUR HEALTH By Mr Mohammad Nasir Bin Md. Rasid, Vice President (Education), Grassroots’ Toastmasters Club
REMEMBER, NOTHING COMES ABOUT JUST OVERNIGHT. WHAT WE MUST LOOK OUT FOR SHOULD BE PROGRESS AND NOT PERFECTION.
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