By: Kamohelo Ntsebeng
It is very important to stay healthy as human beings to avoid unnecessary illnesses and discrimination, health walk-brought to the people by the Healthy By Choice team is a purposeful walk that focuses on advising people about healthy lifestyles, proper eating habits and natural habits. It took place on the 3rd March 2024 at Pioneer Mall Maseru.
The walk is volunteer led, free, sociable and open to everyone no matter their age, fitness levels and ability. It is a supportive and welcoming way for people to start enjoying the many benefits of being physically active. More often than not, people tend to join health walks because the activity reduces risk of heart diseases and the chances of cancer and, decreases premature death by 10%.
They are also advisable to people with depression and anxiety because they can help boost one’s self esteem and reduce symptoms of social withdrawals.
Healthy By Choice came into existence around the year 2011, it is a nutrition coaching and lifestyle changing company that organises health walks once a month. The primary aim for organising these walks is to encourage people to exercise and embrace healthy living. The founder and managing director of the Healthy By Choice family Fallang Khechane, states that health walks have a positive impact on the people because they transform people’s lives positively towards better health and wellness and therefore he advices more people to engage in health walks so as to decrease their chances of illness and chronic diseases.
He further explains the reason behind him starting these health walks to be realization of Basotho not being in charge, and consequently not prioritizing their health despite the fact that chronic diseases are rocketing the country as a whole.
“Walking is very much beneficial and encouraged for people as it helps burn calories, lowers blood sugar, enhances mood and creativity in a way that it busts stress and paves way for creative thinking,” he goes on as he highlights also how the club supports most inactive people to take part to embrace a sense of belonging.
It is such a good thing to see people engage in lifestyles which are advantageous to their lives and people taking responsibilities of their wellbeing and not hoping that someone somewhere will come and rescue them when they are having it hard, but actually making initiatives and taking part in ensuring that they are always healthy.
One of the people who take part on the heath walks, Relebohile Khechane declares that the health walks transformed her life, “in a very positive way such that it improved her mental health,” she says before joining the team, she used to forget a lot.
“I would even forget something I am holding in my hands but since I have started taking walks, things have started getting much better”, she said. What Khechane must have been experiencing was an effect of stress.
She recommends that, “people who have not yet done this walking thing should start as soon as today because it does not only help with the memory but it also helps with the wellbeing of the body , heart health, circulation of blood and improving mood and many more important aspects of human health.”