‘A healthy minds resides in a healthy body’, is an old adage. In other words our body is the temple of our soul. Therefore, it is very essential that we keep ourselves healthy, fit and fine irrespective of our age.
If we are sick and weak it will have an adverse effect on our ability to perform and we shall not be able to achieve our aim of life.
On the other hand if we are physically fit and mentally strong, we shall be able to face all the challenges which we may come across in different phases of life.
Component
For any nation to be strong in every respect, it is important that its citizens are aware of the need of physical and mental well being.
Good health is not merely absence of disease or ailment, it is a state in which an individual is cheerful, energetic, happy and full of life. The awareness about it can be created by making physical education a part and parcel of our curriculum in schools and colleges.
Table of Contents
Basic Need
Our schools must have adequate sports grounds, indoor and outdoor games facilities and infrastructure. Football, hockey, volleyball, cricket, basketball are some of the games which are played by opposing teams. Athletics, squash, badminton, tennis, swimming etc can be individual as well as team events.
The students must be encouraged to play and participate in these games on regular basis by organizing tournaments at various levels.
The school time table needs to be designed in such a manner that a student remains fruitfully engaged throughout the day. Early to bed and early to rise is another old saying.
The good habit of getting up early in the morning, when the air and environment are fresh, is very useful to our general well being. Morning health run rejuvenates our body. The activities like PT, Parade, Yoga can be part of daily school schedule.
Simple Yoga exercises or breathing exercises refresh our mind and vital organs of body. These exercises enhance our power of concentration and memory. This will help the students to perform better in other subjects.
Young children are always full of energy and curiosity which needs to be channelized in right direction. They need to be engaged in positive activities. The power of positive thinking is important aspect of physical education programme.
Therefore, Socially Useful and Productive Works (SUPW), moral and value education, cultural functions , community activities play an important role in keeping us fit. The hobbies club, music club, drama club, environment club, science club and many other clubs keep the students occupied and engaged in creative manner.
These also provide them an opportunity to display their talent and skills which can be developed further as per interest of the child. If the children get distracted towards negative direction it can spoil their health and future life.
Health is Wealth
Healthy dietary habits among children are fundamental to good health. They need to be taught what is useful and what is harmful food from health point of view. Now days the children get attracted to the concept of fast food, junk food, beverages due to misleading advertisement in electronic and print media.
During old days the people believed in simple and home cooked fresh food. There used to be abundance of milk, curd, butter, leafy vegetables. Their use has reduced considerably. We need to come back to our traditional dietary habits for better health.
Smoking, drugs, tobacco and alcohol can destroy nations. Once one gets addicted to the use of these harmful substances, it becomes very difficult to get rid of them. The youth is always highly vulnerable to these bad habits. Hence there is need to make our young students in schools and colleges fully aware of these vices.
Conclusion
A nation whose citizens are physically and mentally healthy can progress at a much higher pace and will have the ability to face any challenge. Therefore, the foundation for a healthy nation can be laid in our schools and colleges.
Leave a Reply