How To Lead A Healthy Life

Thank you to the Master of Ceremony.

Friends, let us ponder for a moment about some of these startling

statistics. These statistics are by no means exclusive to Malaysia but is a
worldwide phenomenon. In 2010, the obesity rate in Malaysia was 26.5%. In
2011, it shot up even higher to 28%. So after 28%, does it mean that in 2020,
where our country will be a fully-developed nation, the rate would
correspondingly be 41.5%? Or in 2050, it will be 86.5%? Being of normal weight
would be at that time an endangered species then. Think about it. How are we
going to prevent this?

A very good morning to the honorable judges, teachers and my fellow

friends. My name is ___________________ and I am standing here today to
deliver a speech entitled “How To Lead A Healthy Life”. I do not profess to
expert on this subject, but I will try to shed some light on this matter.

What is healthy living? According to Webster Dictionary, healthy living is

living a life without having to worry about diseases and body size. To obtain
healthy living is not easy. We have to work hard to get it. There are several
ways one can lead a healthy life. Among the ways are having a proper diet,
having enough sleep, having enough exercise and also a proper time
management.

So before I go on, let us see the ways to get a proper diet. Our diet
should follow the food pyramid. We should eat sufficient carbohydrates such
as rice, bread and noodles. We must eat plenty of vitamins such as fruits and
vegetables. We should also eat proteins such as fish, meat and chicken, but in
moderation. We shouldn’t eat fatty and greasy foods such as junk food, butter
and margarine. If we follow this diet effectively, we will get a lot of good and
rewarding benefits.

Another way that we should practice is eating at the right time. How
many of us have breakfast in the morning? Not many, right as we are all too
busy trying to make it to school on time? This is wrong because breakfast gives
us energy to start a fresh day. If we do not have breakfast in the morning, we
will feel very tired and sleepy. In fact, some cultures advocate breakfast as the
most important meal of the day. Without a proper breakfast, our
concentration span will also reduce, thus making us unable to comprehend
what is taught in class.

We should get enough sleep every day. I am not hinting to my friends to

take forty winks when they are in class. An average child needs at least 8
hours of sleep. For example, if we wake up at 6am, we should sleep at 10pm
every night. What will happen if we do not get enough sleep? Well, for sure
we will feel very sleepy and unable to comprehend what is taught in class, thus
making us to lose out.

We must get enough exercise time every day. How many of us exercise
every day? I am afraid to admit that I am also one of the guilty ones who fall in
this category. We should exercise because when we sweat, the fats in our
bodies will break. If we do not exercise, we will become obese and this may
lead to various lifestyle diseases such as heart attack and diabetes. Our
exercise routine should consist of a variety of activities such as running, games
like football and basketball and also physical exercise such as tennis and
swimming so that we don’t get bored with the same activities. Make sure you
exercise and don’t say “I have exercised!” when you actually haven’t. Lifestyle
diseases are one of the easily preventable diseases which have overtaken
other communicable diseases like malaria and dengue.

We should also manage our time properly. Preparing a timetable and

adhering to it strictly is the best way we can manage our time. If we do not
have a timetable, we will feel stressed and unable to do our activities
effectively because we will be rushing to do them. Plan your activities well so
that it does not clash with your daily routine.

If you follow my suggestions to lead a healthy life, I am sure we can build

a healthier Malaysia. Thank you for lending me your ears.