A call has gone to Nigerians to prioritise quality and healthy lifestyle by embracing fitness and wellness as against living a sedentary life.
A trained physiotherapist and fitness instructor, Dr Felix Babawemimo, reiterated the need at a Fitness Fortification Outreach (FFO) programme in Abuja on Saturday.
The annual event, which was sponsored by the fitness clinic featured a walk from LEA Primary School, Wuse Zone 2 to the city gate which ended at the National Park, where adults and children participants were further engaged in variety of games, sight-seeing of wild animals at the park and other workout session.
Babawemimo, while fielding questions from newsmen emphasised that the sensitisation exercise was against the backdrop of the need for Nigerians to be fit, healthy and productive as an individual to be able to contribute to the country’s overall productivity.
“This outreach is our own way of reaching out to the public to sensitise them on the need to change their lifestyle and be mobile in order to live a healthy lifestyle.
“Many as we speak today are living a sedentary lifestyle which is inimical to their well-being and overall health.
“That’s why today we have cases like arthritis in the joint, diabetes, high blood pressure, and whole lot of other diseases and disorders.
“Many people are not moving at all, forgetting that movement lubricate the joint and your joint serve you better when you move it, makes you productive at your workplace thereby help improved the country’s productivity. The body is the only vehicle that we have, and it must serve us better and not pack up even as we are ageing,” the expert said.
Mrs Pleasant Babawemimo, while contributing, encouraged children and adults to partake well so as to improve their healthy lives.
She said the programme, which started a few years ago, has been very impactful with testimonies from participants.
Also speaking, a retired civil servant, Mrs Modupe Ogundoro, said she embraced the programme about eight years ago and that so far she has experienced wellness and improvement in her body, urging the public to embrace the fortification programme.
“Now I make use of all the parts of my body and am mobile and agile. My vision is clear and brain sharp. I have never missed any of their programme,” Ogundoro said.
Another participant and a retiree, Mrs Ojogwu, said her secret of wellbeing was not living a sedentary lifestyle after retirement.
“I want to live till 100 and do not want to die now. I am 71 and still want to be around for a long time. I attend the wellness clinic once a week and turn up for the weekly fitness exercise every saturday,” she said.
Little Munachi Chukumba told newsmen that she embraced a healthy lifestyle early in life to defeat diseases and other health challenges.
There were also presentations of gifts and medals to long-term and outstanding participants at the event.
