Warming up for healthy Oman, hearty Oman

Salalah, Jan 28 - Medicines, in some cases, are not a solution; they are the result of the problems we create out of our bad lifestyle. Many health issues can be addressed by adopting a healthy lifestyle that includes awareness about food and mandatory daily physical activity.
Social group Ard Alloban, which believes in this motto, has been holding physical activities such as walking and trekking involving a cross-section of people with the message, ‘Healthy Oman, Hearty Oman’.
Mundar al Dahim, an active member, was found leading a trekking group. Most of them were students or recent college pass-outs.
“Some likeminded people decided to form this informal group which holds some physical activity on weekends. Activities include walking, trekking or some physical activity as most public parks in Salalah are equipped with exercise tools,” he said.
The group asks members to involve more and more people. “We try to spread awareness among youths that a little sacrifice of comfort can make a big difference (to their health) as a majority of youths hardly have time for physical activity on a daily basis,” he said.
The group members randomly pick up some health topics to discuss. The topics include ‘bad effects of junk food’; ‘obesity, its causes and results’; ‘effects of over-medication on human body’ and most importantly, ‘benefits of physical activity in the daily routine’.
The group is more active during the Khareef season when Salalah is busy with activities. It is easy to spread its message to a larger audience.
Last Khareef, the group kicked off a health walk. Participants covered a distance of 8 km from Burj al Nahda (Clock Tower) to Salalah Tourism Festival venue in Itin. Another walk covered the same distance from festival ground to Ain Kor.
“We got good response as passersby joined our walks. It sends out a message that by taking a break from our cars, we can make big difference to our health,” said a participant.
Dr Harish Kumar, a general practitioner, said it was important to target the youths as many are not aware of their fitness and health requirements.
Raising concerns over the rate of obesity in Salalah, he attributed it to the people’s aversion to physical activity.
“Obese people are prone to diseases. I always emphasise on some kind of physical activity in the daily routine. Walking is among the best, if done regularly.” “The benefits of physical activity are weight control, improvement in blood circulation, strengthening of bones/ muscles, stress reduction and fewer chances of cardio-vascular diseases,” said Dr Harish.