Having a healthy lifestyle does not have to be costly

WE ARE so bombarded with advertisements for expensive bling and lifestyle trinkets that we have been brainwashed to believe that if it costs nothing it’s worth nothing. This is not necessarily so. A combined study by three medical schools in Britain has found that regular exercise can significantly reduce the risks of life-changing diseases like cancer, diabetes and heart diseases.

What they mean by “regular exercise” is 30 minutes of walking five times a week, taking the stairs instead of the lifts and bending and stretching as much as possible in the normal course of the day. None of this costs anything extra. They don’t suggest joining an expensive “lifestyle training centre” or investing in fancy lycra outfits or strapping electronic step-counters to your wrist. They don’t even suggest you should get yourself a “personal trainer”.

All it needs is a small change of attitude. When you need a loaf of bread from the supermarket two blocks away you’d normally hop into the car and drive there. Stop.

The walk will do you good and, bearing in mind you’d have to open the garage, drive the car out, close the garage, drive two blocks, find a parking space, be irritated by a “car guard” waving his arms pointlessly at you, then repeating the whole operation, you’d probably save time by walking anyway.

(And what about forgetting that bread and buying a bag of apples instead?)

Look at your local pharmacy or supermarket and you’ll see hundreds of health “supplements” that offer to boost your energy, enhance your muscle profile, lose fat and add gloss to your hair and a sparkle to your eyes, or whatever – all at a price.

So we pay a lot of money for all these wonder concoctions, take them home, take the lift to our apartment, open the takeaway pizza box, a bag of

and a beer, slouch down in front of the TV set… and negate the whole supplement purchase in five minutes.

All the vitamins and proteins, carotene and iron and “good” cholesterol can be obtained in a plate of tasty, home-cooked food. (Actually, I think most of us know all this instinctively).

However, nobody buys into this because we have been bullied into believing it has to cost a lot to be of any value.

Maybe the fast food joints could increase their turnover by advertising a “free” vitamin supplement as an antidote to the juicy, gravy-dripping hamburger and chips.

It would cost the customer a little extra, of course, because “free” stuff always does.

Maybe if it costs nothing it’s actually worth a lot.

Last Laugh

The mother of a teenage boy was deeply concerned about the health of her son. She went to the family doctor and said: “He just seems to be listless and tired all day.

“What made me really worry is that he hasn’t even taken our motorbike out for a ride for three days. He’s usually crazy about that bike and never misses a chance to go for a spin.”

“Maybe he has a temperature,” suggested the doctor. “Do you have a thermometer?”

“No,” said the mother, “it’s a Kawasaki.”

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