Features
Principles of new start
This is just a picture of what happens to the whole body when we fail to get proper exercise. Each part suffers and in turn the whole body suffers.
Some people work at sedentary occupations. Even though they are brain tired at the end of the day from standing or sitting for hours in heavy concentration, they need to exercise physically and breathe fresh air deeply.
It would be well for these people to enjoy some late afternoon or early evening sunshine and exercise in the garden, cycling or brisk walking.
When oxygen is lacking in the body, the blood moves sluggishly and the waste, poisonous matter that should be eliminated, is held in the body and the blood becomes impure. Exercise improves the blood circulation and helps cleanse the blood. Good health depends on good circulation.
Proper exercise gives life to the whole body. It gives strength to the digestive organs, the liver, the kidneys, the lungs and the heart.
Exercise is excellent recreation not only for the body but also for the mind. It brings relief to the weary brain, helping us to think more clearly and to feel more cheerful. The whole body becomes more resistant to disease.
It is not wise to exercise too vigorously, especially after eating a larger meal. The blood is then needed in the stomach to break down the food and is not as available for the other strenuous exercise.
Exercise, like all other daily activities must be done with care, thoughtfulness and common sense. Let us begin to take some steps and make a decision to get some exercise today and every day from here on.
BENEFITS OF GOOD EXERCISE
1. Prevention of heart disease.
2. Prevention of and treatment of obesity.
3. Lower blood pressure.
4. Increase circulation and oxygen intake.
5. Increase self-worth.
6. Improved sleep.
7. Lower cholesterol levels in the blood.
8. Decrease in anxiety and relief of depression.
9. Elevation in mood and vigor.
10. Stronger heart beat and lowering resting heart rate.
11. Increase fitness level.
12. Aid in stress control.
Water
Water is very important to this world. About three-quarters of the earth is made up of water. Most of it is salt water, but the sun has the ability to change salt water into fresh water.
Just to basically explain it, the heat from the sun picks up small drops of water from the sea and takes them up to make clouds but it leaves the salt behind.
As the clouds gather more and more moisture, the drops get heavier and heavier until they become heavier than air and fall as rain on the earth.
Also springs of fresh water bubble up from under the earth. Often big rivers start from snow and springs in the mountains.
As they trickle down to the lower areas, water from the rain and thawing snow join the streams and together they tumble downward. As different creeks join the flow, they become rivers and soon the rivers flow into the mighty ocean – to repeat the ongoing, never-ending cycle.
Water is a very important part of our lives, both inside and outside the body. We need to drink six to eight good-sized glasses of clean water each day. A good health habit to develop, is to drink two to three glasses of warm water when you get out of bed. This helps to flush out the stomach and digestive tract.
It is best not to drink after 20 minutes before eating food. This way the water does not dilute the acid juices which break down the food when it comes into the stomach at meal time.
For this reason, it is best not to drink with any meal. It can cause the food to stay in the stomach longer than needed and it starts to ferment and build up bad gases.
The blood needs a good supply of clean water as well. Water helps blood to flow around our blood system, to keep our body running well. If we could follow our blood into all the hidden recesses of our body, we would find that it picks up poisons and waste matter on its travels.
Water is essential for the function of the kidneys as they continuously filter the blood.
The kidneys’ work is made more efficient if we drink plenty of clean water. The body will keep healthier. Also, if we have trouble with passing solid wastes (constipation), this can often be relieved by drinking a good supply of warm water.
It is essential to drink plenty of water when we are sick. It helps to pave the way for a quicker recovery. People suffering from colds, fever, infections and viruses will be greatly helped if they increase their water intake.
On the outside, we must not forget that our skin is another very important organ that eliminates body wastes. A bath or shower every day cleans the skin of germs and impurities, helping all the organs inside the body do their work.
All our clothes and bedding should be washed in clean water to keep them fresh and clean as well. Water on the inside and the outside assists nature to keep out diseases.
THE typical itinerant salesman in Sikaman is a herbalist. He is normally a slim macho with the capacity to perambulate the expanse of area covering the triangle of Accra-Tema-Ashiaman. In short, he can walk a total of 60 miles a day, marketing a product that cures every disease, including poverty. 
The door-to-door herbal pharmacist advertises his product by word of mouth. He has nothing to do with the Food and Drugs Board (FDB). After all, his concoctions do not feature on FM stations.
Those herbalists who cannot walk to propagate the herbal gospel, liaise with drivers of mass transportation and their mates. They are, therefore, given the chance to sell their products on Benz buses that ply the routes.
Normally, the herbalist starts his sales message with a prayer and Bible study. He asks the passengers to bow down their heads in supplication to God the father, the son, the Holy Spirit.
When a herbalist asks the passengers to close their eyes and bow their heads, Moslems on board naturally feel offended. They feel that the herbalist has no right to assume that every passenger is a Christian. They think such an assumption is an affront to Islam.
So a Moslem on board will raise the hand for a point of order. He’ll remind the herbalist that it would be in his own interest to mind his language.
“Be careful the way you address people in a public place. Not every person here is a Christian,” he’d state assertively.
Of course, the herbalist will promptly ignore him, but would all the same “watch” his tongue. Who knows whether or not the Moslem brother is inspired by Quoranic zeal to defend the tenets of Islam to the hilt?
When he starts saying, “Wallahi!” and “Inshallah!” it could be the beginning of proclaiming Islam as supreme, a point which must be driven home with talibanic precision.
So the herbalist must tread carefully lest he steps on fire.
The herbalist could even add a measure of mirth to it all, by announcing that Christians on board today have very interesting company on the journey, but that should not detract from the business of the day.
The Moslem brother will weigh the words carefully and offer a wry smile.
He must be careful the occasion does not degenerate into the use of semantics and proverbial oration to deride his conviction that public utterances must be mindful of religious sensibilities. He has made his point very clear and expects that it is taken in good faith in the interest of a peaceful journey.
The herbalist will now open the New Testament and preach salvation, stating clearly that salvation can come only through Jesus Christ and NOBODY else.
The Moslem brother will now start twitching his moustache. The visible and almost revolutionary reflexes of his upper lip can be an indication that sentiments have begun superseding reason, and the outcome could well be tragic now shift uneasily in his seat.
The time has come for him to also express his right to the religion of his fore-bears. He’ll put his hand into his pocket and rise to his feet. The time has indeed come!
This article was first published on Saturday, September 9, 2006
When the cause of a particular problem like sickness, disease, sudden illness, a social issue etc. are not known, it stands to reason that resolving it becomes a huge challenge.
Citizens would understand the government when public announcements are made to the effect that government is trying to find a solution to the issue, even though it is taking a while for it to be resolved because citizens are rational beings.
On the other hand, if the solution to a particular issue is known to everybody but the government for whatever reason, is dragging its feet in resolving it, citizens become frustrated and begin to lose trust in their leaders.
One such issue is the heavy traffic along a section of the Kasoa – Odokor road. A short stretch of bad road between the traffic light at the Weija Government Hospital and the entrance to the entrance of the overhead that leads to the N1, is the cause of the problem but nothing is being done about it, day after day, week after week, month after month. Thus is clearly unacceptable.
Another issue that requires urgent attention is the lack of pavements along a lot of streets in parts of the various Municipal Assemblies. Exercise is a prerequisite for long life and healthy living and for those of us who it has become a way of life, this issue of people putting up structures right to the edge of the drains beside the roads, are making life difficult for us.
We are compelled to walk along the roads, putting our lives at serious risk. Pedestrians should never be compelled to compete with vehicles on our streets and roads. Roads and streets are made for vehicles and pavements are made for pedestrians. That is the norm. Any attempt to normalise a situation where pedestrians are mingling with vehicles is insanity.
It is the road regulations that makes it so and therefore district or municipal assemblies are to take responsibility and ensure that spaces for pavements are not encroached upon. Citizens have rights that must be protected by their leaders and making pavements available to pedestrians, is one of them.
When we hear of teachers having sex with students, it appears it is something recent. It is not a new phenomenon. It has been there since Adam. Perhaps this issue is getting much attention due to the proliferation of social media. It was an open secret in times past when Teachers were in relationships with female students and some married them immediately after completion of school.
Some teachers were also known to be having unholy interactions with female pupils but due to the times that these acts occurred, human rights issues and the awareness around it, allowed such unscrupulous teachers to get away with their crimes.
Now we are in a different era and so a Headmaster is now in hot waters. He is alleged to have raped about 19 female students and as usual, some officials tried to cover it up and are also in hot waters and their actions or inactions in the matter are under investigation.
Why the man has been allowed to roam freely without being arrested is simply mind boggling. It appears that the law applies differently, depending on who you are. This issue came to public attention sometime in August this year, yet the police had not arrested or invited this man for question regarding the rape allegation.
It has come out that he is a Constituency Secretary of the ruling party and the question in the public domain is that, is it because he is a political figure that is why he is still walking around without questioning? I believe in the rule of law so let us hold our breadth and let the proper thing be done.
The police must however be seen to be active in this matter. God bless.
SKIP THE QUEUE, TAP THE NEWS
You can now read the Ghanaian Times and The Spectator newspapers from the comfort of your device via TimesNewsPlus.
Join our WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
