As Nigeria joined the rest of the World to celebrate this year’s World Physiotherapy Day, Nigerians have been advised to take 100 per cent responsibility for their health by investing time and energy in health promotion activities with a view to ensuring optimal wellness.

This is coming on heels of the United Nations high-level meeting on noncommunicable disease prevention and control for countries to adopt a concise, action-oriented outcome document that will shape the global agenda for generations to come.

In an interview with Health features during its Road Show in Lagos to advocate for health promotion, wellness and quality of life as part of activities to mark the Day in Lagos, the Lagos State Chairman of the Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy (NSP), Mrs Benedicta Njokanma noted that life style diseases such as diabetes, hypertension etc, could be prevented through healthy living.

According to WHO, Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) like heart attacks and strokes, cancers, diabetes and chronic respiratory disease account for over 63 percent of deaths in the world today.

Njokanma who stated that this year’s theme was “Movement for Health” said the theme was re-echoing the impact of lifestyle diseases that are of global concern. Advocating the importance of exercise and health promotion, she stated that statistics from UN estimates that about 35 million lives are lost every year to NCDs.

“Movement and exercise are fundamental to leading a healthy, happy life-whatever age you may be. Prevention is possible. Your health and wellness is worth it. To have optimal wellness, you have to moderate what you eat and exercise optimally.

You need an optimal level of exercises for wellness. The optimal level will ensure that your cardiovascular wellbeing is taken care of and you can go about and perform your daily duties and prevent lifestyle diseases like obesity, diabetes, and hypertension.”

Quoting WHO, she said aging adults should engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate – intensity physical activity five days a week, if appropriate but activity has to be introduced carefully if a person is unfit, older or has a chronic disease.

Speaking on the significant of the Road Show, Njokanma explained that the NSP advocates for movement for health in line with the paradigm shift to preventive medicine as it is obtainable globally.

She said the Day was set aside by the World Confederation for Physical Therapy globally to raise awareness about the profession, promote health, wellness and quality of life through structure exercise activities.