It’s a Personal Responsibility to Stay Healthy

Children need regular physical exercise to build strong bones and muscles. Exercises also helps children sleep well at night and stay alert during the day. Exercising can be as simple as playing games with friends or keeping busy while at home. Staying active in childhood helps in the adolescent stage to maintain a healthy body weight as hormones change and become more active in your body. During rapid growth and peer influences at the teenage stage, children begin to overeat and if they do not exercise, they eventually become unhealthy. Over the last 30 years, the rate of childhood obesity has more than tripled. This is as a result of children becoming more inactive. For fun they lie down on the couches and just watch T.V as they munch on something. This makes them become obese because of the excessive body weight. There should be measures to prevent, cure or let them know about the dangers of unhealthy eating. “I feel frustrated and humiliated when I get ill. That’s why I bath twice a day and also spend a good time infront of a mirror to make sure that I am smart,” said Barbra Rutayisire, 22, a student at the Rwanda Tourism University College. She noted that people ignore certain things that affect their health in the long run. “Some youth ignore washing their clothes and bathing yet it is one of the factors that can cause infections, shame and isolation in society basing on its impact on their bodies,” she said. “There is also need for people to go for medical check-ups or have a specified time structure for de-worming,” said Angelic Matangana, 23, a student at ETO Muhima Secondary School. “People get affected by worms through the food and drinks they take, that’s why it’s important to de worm regularly,” she said. Careless lifestyles have led to an increase in the number of children suffering from preventable diseases like diabetes, blood pressure and skin diseases. Children as well as parents have the responsibility to teach children the benefits of staying healthy both in mind and body. Ends