23 Mar 2017

Workers are encouraged to practice healthy living.

Speaking at the weight loss challenge prize giving ceremony held by the Office of the President in Gaborone on March 21, public sector reforms coordinator, Ms Goaba Mosienyane encouraged workers to take better care of themselves.

Ms Mosienyane said given the busy work schedule and other social commitments there was a tendency to neglect health matters.

“All should be aware that a productive workforce is inevitably a healthy workforce,” she said.

She further noted the saying that “your health is determined by what you do and what you eat, "saying people must engage in healthy habits in order to prevent lifestyle diseases which were silent killers."

She said the increasingly sedentary lifestyles and gradual move from traditional foods has resulted in complications in wellness, and thus emphasised eating healthy, together with exercising, adding that “prevention is better than cure.”

She said the Ministry of Health and Wellness, in its bid to have a healthy nation, saw it fit to adopt the weight loss programme for the ministry, adding the competion would also contribute to the reduction of hospital bills.

Thus, she urged all participants to make healthy practices part and parcel of their regular regime.

She also urged Batswana to discard bad habits, adding that they should learn to use “polite words, smile more and greet others.”

For his part, Mr Scelo Hlope of BPOMAS fund, said losing weight was beneficial as it contributes to a healthy being and therefore a healthy work force and productivity.

He said as a medical aid administrator, it means people not having non communicable disease that were caused by unhealthy lifestyles.

Mr Hlope said they partnered and sponsored the competition because they were concerned about people who were not actively engaged, and those who consume food and spend most of the time seating.

He commended participants and said would continue with the support.

Mr Hlope also advised that children be engaged on health matters at a tender age.

On the initiative of the competition, the wellness coordinator in the Office of the President, Ms Kegomoditswe Malefho said they saw it fit to have the competition because they had realised that some officers were obese and overweight.

Ms Malefho said staff members enrolled in the weight lose challenge with the main objective of practicing healthy habits.

She noted that they had 80 participants from the departments of information services and broadcasting as well as the Office of the President.

She said members were engaged either way at their different work places, saying some of the activities included walking on a daily basis, climbing the hill and eating healthy.

The winner of the biggest looser competition went to Ms Botsile Ramakama who lost 11.5 kg.

Ms Ramakama advised other participants that discipline was important.

She said discipline means following a schedule, eating healthy, sleeping well as well as cutting on certain things such as indulging in alcohol. ENDS