Friday March 31, 2006

Need for healthier lifestyles

There is a dire need for the government to seriously address the apathy among Malaysians when it comes to fitness.

And the next five years under the 9MP is crucial as the population ages and with the number of lifestyle diseases growing.

Healthy World Lifestyle Sdn Bhd executive director Eric Cheah said the Government should organise more health campaigns under the plan to raise the awareness of the people on a healthy lifestyle.

The company, which markets the Ogawa line of products, will on its part cooperate with the government on the matter.

Healthy World Lifestyle Sdn Bhd executive director Eric Cheah says the Government should organise more health campaigns to raise the awareness of the people on a healthy lifestyle.

“Nowadays, people are leading a more hectic lifestyle. They are having more stress from work, friends and family. The environment too is more competitive compared to that of their ancestors,” he said.

Cheah said there was also a lack of time for a healthy lifestyle, which required them to sleep and awake early, eat healthily and exercise regularly.

“A lot of people tend to put in a lot of things (food) into their body but they never think of the output (exercise). They think that they should eat more after a hard day’s work and forget to leave time for daily.

“And after dinner, it will be too late for them as all they want to do is just go home and sit in front of the TV set,” he said, giving a vivid picture of what most people do these days.

He said football matches and other television and sports programmes were distractions that stopped people from indulging a healthy lifestyle.

Therefore, he said, the Government should ensure that the public understood the importance of working out.

“Among the diseases and ailments resulting from a lack of exercise are diabetes and hypertension,” he said.

On whether sports facilities are sufficient in the country, he said: “Comparatively, some areas in the country have fewer sports amenities than the others but this is not the reason why people are not exercising.

“From my observation, a lot of these facilities are not being used because people are unaware of the meaning of a healthy lifestyle.”

In order to convey health tips effectively to the public, Cheah said the Government should consider using the media extensively as a channel to educate its people.

“The Government should try to incorporate the media and popular artistes in its health awareness campaigns as they are very powerful icons to create awareness among the public, especially the youngsters, as they will always view the celebrities as their role models,” he said.

On the company’s products that places emphasis on stress relief, Cheah said there was a mindset change among the public over the last 10 years.

“When we first introduced foot massagers to the public 10 years ago, they doubted these products could improve their lifestyles.

“But nowadays, they are more aware of the functions of our products and they know what they want to buy when they walk into our shops.

“They also understand that they need these products, which will help alleviate their stress, as part of their life,” he said.

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