By Asmau Ahmad
The Chairman, Nigerian Society of Physiotherapy, Mr. Bennett Ilechukwu, has called on Nigerians to avoid sedentary lifestyles for them to enjoy healthy living.
Mr. Ilechukwu gave the advice during the commemoration of the World Physiotherapy Day with the theme ‘Movement for Health, add life to years’ in Abuja.
He said some of the diseases associated with sedentary lifestyles are: diabetes, cancer, hypertension, stroke and other non-communicable diseases.
Ilechukwu said avoiding junk foods by people would also help them to eradicate chronic conditions, urging Nigerians to cultivate the habit of participating in regular exercises.
“It is not living a long life but how healthy one is and getting old gracefully; many Nigerians are too occupied thus forgetting the essence of exercising their bodies.
“If there is more of physical exercise, it will prevent people from having hypertension, a silent-killer, killing people in silence,” he said.
Also, a lecturer from Bayero University, Kano Dr. Rufai Ahmad, said the day was set aside to stress the importance of physiotherapy to the elderly people, the wider community and healthcare policy and decision makers.
Dr. Ahmad said that exercising the body had enormous advantages compared to non –physical activities.
Similarly, the Director of Non-|Communicable Disease, Ministry of Health, Dr. Nnnena Ezeigwu, advised Nigerians to know their health status as many had died due to ignorance.
She said the physiotherapists in the country should create more awareness on the relevance of exercising to their health.
“The physiotherapists are experts in their field as they come in when someone that has stroke find it difficult to walk, they specialized in helping mobility,” Ezeigwu said.
