While sports journalists in the country are pre-occupied with the latest transfer news, who is scoring and who is not; among many other things, recent occurrences have shown that most people in the profession pay less attention to their health.
It is in this light that the Sports Journalists Forum (SJF) decided to blaze the trail with an interactive health session with a seasoned medical professional who reiterated the importance of living and staying healthy.
The SJF, a convergence of the best brains in sports journalism in Nigeria, is a strategic industry communications and networking platform founded by ace journalist, Godwin Enakhena.
Dr George Uchendu, a Medical Doctor with interests in Sports & Sports Medicine was the special guest on the SJF WhatsApp platform during the maiden health session and he opened the eyes of many to varying issues bordering on healthy living.
Dr Uchendu submitted that health should be more of preventive than curative hence there is the need to be deliberate in eating habits, personal hygiene and all-round well living.
“Our health is very important because to deliver the right content and message to the populace, we ourselves have to be in a state that is I’d say ‘healthy enough’” The health practitioner who also doubles as a Master of Ceremony noted.
The doctor shed light on High Blood Pressure, Hypertension and Diabetes; three diseases now rampant in the society majorly due to the carefree attitudes of many.
He said: “A lot of us (Sports journalists) despite being active stakeholders in a sector that promotes physical activity rarely exercise.
“We also eat a lot of junk cos we’re highly mobile, lots of processed foods and these lead to an accumulation of cholesterol.”
While admitting the peculiarity of the sports journalism profession, Dr Uchendu harped on the need for regular testing by all for early detection of any ailment in the body system
“For the kind of work we do-a fast-paced job, you need to know your BP (Blood Pressure levels so you know when to slow down
“So, please I’d advise, walk into a pharmacy or a hospital first thing tomorrow and check your BP.
“Your BP level, that simple number, can tell us to a large extent what’s going on inside your body.” He said
The doctor enjoined all to try to live healthy, eat healthily and stay healthy.
He said “You have a great future and family that you want to see grow and achieve great things. Don’t take that future away from them because of today’s lifestyle.”
Mr Enakhena expressed satisfaction at the maiden health interactive session and hinted more innovation are being worked on to help individuals on the SJF and journalists as a whole.
