Reading Dr Rhodri Martin’s piece in yesterday’s Western Mail as the lack of physical activity as the single most detrimental behaviour afflicting the worldwide population, I must endorse his comments with a passion.
As outlined last Saturday by Professor Steven Blair at a recent conference held in Cardiff, “inactivity is killing more often than smoking, obesity and diabetes combined”!
The burden on the NHS in Wales, and therefore on a tax payer, of illnesses etc caused by unfit people is not getting less, it’s getting more and more. We must put greater emphasis on getting this nation moving.
You do not have to visit a gym to get fit. Just start off moderately by using stairs instead of a lift, walking to the shops as opposed to getting into your car or getting off a bus one or two stops before yours. All of these simple adjustments could save your live as well as the nation thousands of pounds of health care.
Even dancing and singing can have beneficial effects as I found out on Saturday night when I took part in an extraordinary concert given by the legendary Bruce Springsteen at the Wembley Arena. He had the crowd dancing, singing, clapping and every member of the audience must have lost pounds in addition to enjoying a memorable event.
Let’s not dust this issue under the carpet, and let’s give it the airing it needs to get a strategy in place to address the problem and get our nation back in shape.
