Keeping fit Keeping ppsx

Keeping fit

Keeping fit means maintaining good health. Looking at
history in the West, the activities connected with keeping
fit first started in Greece where the Olympic Games were
born. In those days these activities were pursued for
sportsmanship. The Chinese have their unique form of
exercises for keeping fit. These have been developed from
methods used a thousand years ago. Examples are Taiji,
Gongfu and Waidangong which are among the most
popular in Singapore.

Many people here began to take an interest in physical
fitness exercises in the early sixties. By 1970 it became so
popular that today we can see hundreds of people taking
part in these exercises in every park and any available
open space. People from all walks of life, male and
female, young and old do these exercises under the
instructions of professional instructors. There are many
factors which may account for this popular involvement.
Technology has made a lot of improvements in the last
few decades. As a result, machines are used extensively
at work and also at home. Machines save time and effort.
This means that man not only does less manual work, but
also has more free time. Hobbies are pursued, pastimes
are created, and too much leisure leads to sloth. People
who develop a habit of laziness normally find that it affects
their ability to work effectively. As a result the past
competitive decades have woken up men from their sleep
of indolence. Men have learnt to fill up their free time with
activities to keep fit.

Science has both curse and blessing with various new
diseases and cures. Some of these diseases are different
in that they affect even those who eat nutritious food, live
in a clean environment and have access to health
facilities. Previously diseases resulted from lack of
hygiene and nutrition deficiency. These normally affected
the poor and under-privileged. Doctors say that the
present life style has in some ways created a new range of
diseases like “heart attacks”, cancer and diabetes. Large
intake of junk food and preservatives, air pollution and
insufficient physical activity have been identified as some
of the causes of the new range of diseases. A new
awareness to change our way of life and the realization
that health is more important than wealth has taken place.

We are presently in the midst of a craze to keep fit. The
media has been very successful in informing the public of
the importance of physical fitness. Physical fitness has
been described as a factor that can bring about a long life,
free from diseases. Men, women, children and the old are
encouraged to sweat it out in fitness activities.

However, we must not forget that physical fitness
programs have their limits. An overdose of anything can
be lethal. Over exertion may cause serious injuries.
Injuries may result from improper and incorrect application
of techniques of fitness. So a person embarking on a
physical fitness program to become healthy may end up
being seriously injure