10 Nov 2024

 Regular physical activity helps to reduce the risk of stroke, heart disease, cancers, high blood pressure, osteoporosis and other health challenges.

Military commanding of Paje college, Brigadier, Benjamin Masunga encouraged residents, during a Botswana Defence Force wellness day in Paje on Thursday, to engage in physical activities which would help ease stress and improve general wellbeing.

The wellness day was held under the theme: My Health My Responsibility’. 

Military college officers based at Paje camp together with residents of Paje walked 10km to Mabeleapudi and back to Paje.

Brig. Masunga  encouraged participants to eat a healthy balanced diet, advising that they should avoid canned foods, excessive salt, smoking and high much alcohol consumption.

He further indicated that exercises lowered risk of type 2 diabetes or diabetes complications. 

‘’ Itshidilo mmele e simolola kwa malwapeng, o feela jarata kana o gatelela dikgomo, e botlhokwa thata’’, he said, explaining that household chores were also a form of exercise

Brig. Masunga stated that keeping the environment clean was important to wellbeing. Many disease-causing germs exist in dirty environments, such as the ones that cause diarrhoea and worm infections, he said.

‘’This means that many diseases can be prevented through good personal hygiene, and by keeping the environment clean’’, he said.

He said it was everyone’s responsibility to keep the environment clean. 

Meanwhile, Lt Col. Moses Masilo said the objectives of the day, was to provide a forum for Paje community to screen for non communicable diseases and access other services as well as to promote  healthy civil and military relations.

The day’s events, he said, promoted social, physical and mental self-care amongst troops and community thus embracing social interaction.

Family Physician, based at Sekgoma Memorial Hospital in Serowe, Dr Kefilwe Ramoruswa said non-communicable diseases could be caused by lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating, alcohol, substance use disorders and smoking tobacco.

‘’An inactive lifestyle can be one of the causes of many chronic diseases. By not getting regular exercise, you raise your risk of obesity, heart diseases, including coronary artery disease and heart attack,’’ she said.

She noted that lifestyle factors such as use of tobacco and alcohol, unhealthy diet and lack of physical activity were closely associated with myriad chronic health conditions such as cancer, diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease.

Deputy chief at Paje, Mr Moses Bakoko thanked Paje Military college personnel for engaging residents in fighting non-communicable diseases through exercises and free education.

Kgosi Bakoko said Paje camp had done a lot of good things for the people of Paje.

“A healthy diet helps to protect against malnutrition, as well as non-communicable diseases and other conditions’’, he said. Ends