Healthy living for a healthy business
World Health Day 2002, is a call to action to individuals, families, communities governments and policy-makers, to move for health. By choosing physical activity as the theme for World Health Day, the World Health Organization is promoting healthy, active and smoke-free lifestyles. Our aim is to prevent the disease and disability caused by unhealthy and sedentary living.
The habit of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including regular exercise and a nutritious diet ideally begins in childhood.
The world is experiencing a rapidly spreading epidemic of inactivity, poor diet and increased tobacco use. These disturbing trends are present in all societies and all countries, whether rich or poor, industrialized or developing, and they lead to an increase in lifestyle-related disease and disability.
This disturbing trend can be reversed. My message to you today is that prevention is the most powerful weapon against disease and disability, and it is a weapon that is available to everyone.
Physical activity is a fun and easy way to improve our health and well-being. It does not have to cost anything and everyone, whether young or old, can participate. It is an effective way to prevent cardio-vascular disease, diabetes, obesity and the two million deaths per year resulting from conditions related to physical inactivity.
Individuals need to take control of their own health and fitness and they need governments and policy-makers to help them. Physical activity should be the easy option as well as the healthy option. This means implementing transportation policies that make it safer for people to walk and ride bicycles, legislating smoke-free public buildings and spaces, and building accessible parks, playgrounds and community centres.
We should all be ready to move for health and to adopt healthy active lifestyles.
 Top of Page
|
