JAY JOSHI
Health has been a key topic of discussion and awareness in recent years, thanks to the rise of several channels that keep bombarding us with health-related information. People are more aware than ever about major diseases, ailments, and also of the best ways to achieve fitness. There are many reports today, claiming that people, especially youth are increasingly becoming health-conscious. However, this optimistic statement might not be as plausible as it seems.
When TG Life spoke to doctors and fitness trainers around Goa, it was found that the youth today are aware of what needs to be done, but very few will actually act on the issues, and even fewer will stick to the fitness resolutions they take up.
“I do not think the youth today are becoming health conscious. Here is a lot of information available about various diseases, but they should be willing to take it seriously and act. Instead they are awakened when they see colleagues suddenly being struck by lifestyle ailments or the condition coming to themselves,” says Dr Rajendra Hegde, a consulting psychiatrist from Margao. “Also, when we talk about health, most people will focus on physical health only. Mental health is just as important. WHO has listed 10 key life skills such as coping with stress, coping with emotions, empathy, self-awareness etc. that need to be taught right from childhood, but they are not taught in our schools. This leads to a number of problems in later life,” says Dr Hegde.
While many surveys project the picture that Indian youth are becoming aware about their own health, and we see increasing membership in gyms, that picture may be deceptive. Datta Palekar, a former national-level bodybuilding champion and gym owner underlines the problems faced by trainers in fitness.
“It is true that the membership is increasing, but the dropout rate at gyms is also quite high. Secondly, many people do not listen to trainers and do as they please. The point of going to gym is burning calories and sweating it out naturally. Instead, people want air-conditioned gyms. Supplements are to be taken only under certain conditions, but there are people who will consume supplements left and right because they want fast results. They lack the patience to gain results from bodybuilding” the trainer says.
People neglect safety concerns, skip warm-ups, and are not always aware of the link between mind and body when it comes to fitness training, says Palekar. He further notes that even though there is information available about fitness, a lot of it is wrong, and there are several misconceptions. “Many people consider walking as an exercise, but it’s not. It’s just a plain activity. Plus, walking mainly helps the heart. It cannot help you get into shape. If you want to burn fat, you have to do proper weight training.”
P Narayan, a parkour trainer from Mapusa also outlines that increasing membership in gyms and parkour classes cannot actually be seen as an indicator of rising fitness among general populace.
“Very few of the people who initially join the class will stay. Many participants will soon complain of aches as their bodies cannot cope up with the routine. Some of the participants struggle to make time for the class, others have time, but lack the will to stick to the routine,” Narayan points out.
Dr Reva Dubhashi, a Ponda-based gynaecologist also stresses that lack of will is a major problem today. “Everybody has realised that it is important to live healthy life, but no one is doing anything about it. Most women become health conscious after they start gaining weight. I have to constantly advise my patients about diet. I tell them to have specific diet and avoid junk food, but many do not listen. The young people often disregard medical advice and do what they want, because they take their body for granted,” says Dubhashi
Thus, one cannot exactly say that the youth today are unaware about healthy living, but the problem is that very few are willing to know, study, and act on the information available out there.
