Developing and Promoting Active Lifestyles for Healthy Living and National Development

Abstract

Living a healthy lifestyle is a panacea to quality of life. As many people live healthy lifestyles, the national development is positively affected. This paper examined the role of active lifestyles in healthy living and national development. It first examined the concept of lifestyle in relation to health. Healthy lifestyle is viewed as life choices fundamentally driven by health consciousness. An active lifestyle has physical activity and diet at its core, interacting with other healthy lifestyle choices. The benefits of physical activity and diet are examined in relation to health and development. It is evidenced that healthy people are more productive and lead a more fulfilling life, while unhealthy people are a drain on the national economy. To promote active living for health and development areas that need to be addressed include creating enabling environments in terms of resources and policies, and providing creative leadership and supportive programmes. Specific sectors with critical roles to play in promoting active lifestyles for national development include health, education, food and agriculture, youth and sports, sanitation and water resources, business, media, NGOs, philanthropists, policy makers, district assemblies, families and individuals.