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 findings. Malaysia has been rated as the
highest among Asian countries for obesity. Science Advisor to the Prime
Minister, Tan Sri Zakri Abdul Hamid, said new findings from British medical
journal, The Lancet, showed that 49% of women and 44% of men in this
country were found to be obese
According to a new study published last month by The Lancet, Malaysia
was rated heavyweight at 45.3% of its population, followed by South
Korea (33.2%), Pakistan (30.7%) and China (28.3%). So after 45.3%, does
it mean that in 2020, where our country will be a fully-developed nation,
the rate would correspondingly be more than 60%? Or in 2050, it will be
more than 80%? 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 shouldnt 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 dont get bored with the same
activities. Make sure you exercise and dont say I have exercised! when
you actually havent. 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