Daily Lessons from Life 22 May 2010 - Healthy Lifestyles

"4,000 S'pore residents take part in archery, water sports, marathon Posted: 22 May 2010 2244

SINGAPORE : About 4,000 Singapore residents will be swimming, running or taking part in archery this weekend. Organised by the People's Association, the 34-hour archery, water sports and running marathon kicked off on Saturday morning.

Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong joined in the sporting action along with other grassroots members.

The event is part of the People's Association's four-month long Community Sports Festival which ends in July. It is targeting a total turnout of 100,000 over the period of the festival, which also aims to get residents to know their neighbours better and make new friends. - CNA"

Good initiative by the government and the grassroots movement in Singapore to promote an active and healthy lifestyle by Singaporeans. Hopefully it will rub off on some of them who will voluntarily engage in such preventive lifestyle to live healthily. They can next aim to live meaningfully!!

Lessons for me are:

1. people are creatures of habits. Once you developed or got used to a sedentary existence in the urban environment, you do not usually seek change voluntarily, even if your body is telling you something is not right, like a bigger tummy and shortness of breath when you walk up a flight of steps, etc!;

2. while there is no guarantee that by participating in some events organized by others will make you CONTINUE the change of lifestyle, at least that is the 1st step. Like they say a successful thousand mile journey starts with the 1st step. The 1st step create the momentum, and the momentum will be lost if there is no follow up and follow through actions. Set the SMART goals and engaged allies to remind/conjure/push you to follow through will be the next step!;

3. if I am the leader, I will create incentive to get the people to exercise regularly. Positive reinforcement like 'no sick leave' bonus (though have to administer it very carefully and not create the wrong effect of getting 'sick people from seeking medical care!), exercise allowances, etc.

May this movement continue to expand and reach more people to exercise and keep healthy! This is especially useful for the over-50s though it is also the most challenging to get 'old' folks to exercise given their decade-old habit of not doing so!! A challenge but a good challenge!