Dubai: Dubai's commitment to a healthy approach depends solely on will power in making physical well-being a lifestyle, according to a top official from the United Kingdom.
"Prevention is the key and according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) at least 80 per cent of premature heart diseases, stroke and Type II diabetes and 40 per cent of cancer can be prevented through health diet, regular physical activity and avoiding tobacco products," Dr. Nick Cavill of Cavill Associates, Manchester, UK, told a gathering at the 2nd Dubai International Physical Activity Forum organised by the Dubai Sports Council on Tuesday.
Cavill, a co-author of the book entitled Physical Activity and Health in Europe: Evidence for Action along with Sonja Kahlmeier and Francesca Racioppi under the auspices of the World Health Organisation (WHO), has been extensively associated with health and wellness in the UK for the past more than two decades. "Promoting physical activity should be seen as a necessity and not a luxury and we need to see what moves the whole society and population," Dr. Cavill said.
For a while, Dr. Cavill mulled on the idea that sports could be a definite answer to the problem of inactivity of society at large.
"In a place like Dubai, the problem is quite basic due to the failure to balance input of calories with output of physical inactivity. So the real challenge lies in getting an entire population motivated to pursue some sort of physical activity on a regular basis as this can improve mental well-being," he said.
Quoting from a study done in coordination with the Oxford University in 2005, the expert from UK strung out a whole load of excuses that interfere with individuals pursuing a healthy lifestyle.
"I haven't got the time is the most common of these, and I find this a bit too amusing as we all have the same amount of time during a day. There are so many among us who find the time in a busy day," Dr. Cavell said.
The WHO's global physical activity recommendations stipulate that an individual dedicates 150 minutes of activity throughout the week or at least 75 minutes of more vigorous intensity aerobic activity if he is really ultra busy. "I am not the sporty type,' we say and in the UK, we have darts as an official sport," he exclaimed.
Ultimately, pursuing a healthy lifestyle is entirely in the hands of the individual concerned. "Heat is a major concern here, but it should not be used as an excuse," Dr. Cavill said.
"Make healthy choice the easy choice," he said.
