Active lifestyle can boost mental, physical health

Islamabad: Islamabad’s mayor Sheikh Ansar Aziz advised the participants of a World Health Day walk here Thursday “to think about what you eat and drink. Think about exercise. Think about how you get medicines and how you take them. Think about what you can do to keep yourself and your family safe, healthy and well.”

Addressing the participants of a walk organized by Shifa International Hospital to promote active and healthy living, Ansar advised the public to “stop for a moment and ask what you can do for yourself to make health and wellness a reality for you. Each and every one of you is a most valuable resource of our beloved country.” This year’s theme of World Health Day was ‘Beat diabetes: Scale up prevention, strengthen care, and enhance surveillance.’

A large number of students, SIH officials, civil society representatives, citizens of twin cities, doctors, as well as medical and nursing students participated in the walk.

Ansar also formally launched Shifa’s Sports Tournament on the occasion.

The director of medical services at SIH, Dr. Mian Amjad Sohail stressed the need to consume a healthy diet and to do plenty of exercise. “Don’t smoke. Drive safely. Keep out of harm’s way. These are not new messages but we need to do more to make these messages real for each and every one of us,” he stated.

The chief operating officer of SIH, Aziz A. Jan, called for living a simple life, consuming simple and healthy food, and doing regular exercise to lead a healthy life. He thanked the administrations of Tameer-e-Millat School, Mount Sinai School and other schools who contributed in making the walk a successful event.