Cherishing Health is Cherishing Yourself

 Cherishing Health is Cherishing Yourself

     Do you believe in the saying “Health is Wealth”? 

It is a common phrase used to encourage one another to take care of our health. According to Mary Ann LL. Reyes (Philstar, 2025), the Philippines thrive for better health care system improvement. Many Filipinos suffer from unfair treatment due to biased selection, and many of us Filipinos also neglect our responsibility to care for our health.

     Health isn’t something we have that we can carelessly neglect. Smoking, alcohol intake, obesity, fatigue, and many others are factors which lead us to Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). We can start caring for our health by simply:

• Maintaining a healthy balanced diet.

     Eat only what we can eat. It’s significant for us to balance our meals as to fill our bodies with the nourishments we intake from our food. We only take what we can only eat to not also waste food. We need to consider our limitations with what we’re eating. Our bodies show what we eat. We must limit the unhealthy such as—junk foods, soft drinks, sugary foods, fatty foods, etc—to prevent us from having health issues. Food gives us energy, especially to the young generation, and it is important to balance our diet to be healthy. We also need to drink plenty of water to cleanse and refresh our bodies. If we lack the nutrients that come from food, it may lead to malnourishment. 

• Doing physical activities.

     Physical activities strengthen our bodies to carry out everyday tasks. It helps boost our immunity to illnesses. Each part of our body supports each other and works together. We can simply do walking, jogging, or simple exercises. It can energize and motivate us. Moreover, we’ll be able to do longer physical activities later on because our bodies have just the right strength. Physical activities are important for our bodies to be boosted and prevent us from becoming fragile. It prevents us from getting tired easily, and having no energy at all.

• Having enough sleep.

     Getting 8-10 hours of sleep for adolescents are significant for our growth and development. We need to get enough sleep to condition our minds. We won’t be able to study properly without conditioning our brain. Basically, we need to charge through sleep to have energy to do things we need to do. It helps us focus better in doing our daily tasks and activities. It is a simple thing to do, however, we still tend to not be able to do it. 

These three simple factors support each other and work together. If we reach a good equilibrium between the three, it may form what we call a ‘healthy lifestyle’. We must nurture our health if we don’t want to be vulnerable to illnesses. Let’s take into consideration the positive notion that health is everything. How can we proceed to doing things we need to do if we are sick? 

     Having a healthy lifestyle boosts our productivity and engagement with societal activities and everyday struggles. It also saves us financially because we don’t need to worry about healthcare costs. 

     Philippine institutions must continue to improve our healthcare systems to better accommodate each Filipino citizen who needs health support. Collaboration amongst these institutions is a must to properly plan the development of the Philippine healthcare systems. On that note, we must also learn to oblige ourselves in taking care of our health. We need to consider ourselves and our families. Cherishing your health is a form of loving yourself as it shows how much you take care of yourself. 

     We must also encourage others to care for themselves. As Filipinos who embrace the concept of  ‘Bayanihan’, encouraging our fellow Filipinos is a form of supporting one another. Hence, health is a fundamental priority that we must consider for ourselves, our families, and other people.