One must keep his/her health fit and healthier. A sick man is a nuisance for
himself and a nuisance for others about him. A sick person cannot go about his
duties efficiently. He will not be able to work hard and he may not be mentally
fit and alert also. If he/she is regularly sick, others will suffer in many
ways. Indirectly, it is a strain on the government because it will have to run
more hospitals for the sick. Economically, a nation whose people are often sick
cannot be strong because the hours of work will suffer. Most of the people are
hard and are capable of longer hours of work, which means more wealth to the
nation. Of course, climate may be one reason why certain people are not keeping
fit. It may be due to hot moist climate or mosquitoes and other pests. But,
where man cannot improve upon natural causes, he can try to keep himself fit by
trying overcome them. For instance, by eradicating malaria, one can be healthy
in such areas where malaria was once prevalent.
Let us now look into the ways of keeping fit. First and foremost is the
diet. Unless one takes a proper, balanced and nutritious diet one cannot be
healthy. It is said that a large part of the population in the third world
suffers from malnutrition, which means wrong diet as well as insufficient diet.
While this may sound a social problem, it is also an individual problem. One
must take care what he eats and how he eats. One must plan to diet in such a
way that it is well balanced, meaning it should contain the necessary quantity
of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, vitamins and so on. He must keep
his surroundings clean and neat, which is called environmental sanitation. He
must be regular in his personal habits like answering calls of nature, bathing
and so on. Even one's clothing contributes to keeping fit.
Keep fit also means how a man lives, his hours of work, his sleep, rest and
relaxation. While everyone has to work to deserve his food, it should not be
all work. There must be hours of relaxation. It may be some reading, playing
with children, taking a stroll or taking up a healthy hobby. Hobbies play a
major role in keeping one fit. The mental attitude also is greatly responsible
for keeping fit. One must take to work like a fish to the water. One must be
swinging like a wheel in his work. Work can be play and play can be work. So,
if one were to take to his work cheerfully then no worry about his keeping fit.
Laziness, envy and jealously are some of the reasons which make one hate his
work and in the long run he becomes unfit.
To
keep fit, some physical exercise is necessary. This may be according to the age
of the person. Some outdoor exercises like running, jumping, swimming or
climbing are for the hardy youth. Walking and jogging are good for the old.
Some fruitful occupation like gardening may give the required physical exercise
but also contributes to the mental satisfaction. Above all, to keep fit depends
on one's attitude towards life. If one can accept success and defeat equally
then one is said to be a fit person. Even choosing company may contribute to
keeping fit. Finally, it means to avoid bad habits like smoking, drinking,
doping and so on. One must be warned against these as they make holes in one's
pocket as well ruin one's health.