Health and Wellness in Saudi Arabia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Health and Wellness in Saudi Arabia - Essay Example This paper tells that in Saudi Arabia they did not take a lot of medicines. Instead, they were served a healthy diet all the time. They also played a lot outside by running and playing sports and that served as their daily exercise. These basic things have shaped t beliefs about health and wellness. I once had a classmate in school who was very sickly. He would miss school often and when he came back, he would be very thin. I learned he had Cancer. My classmates and I were very surprised because we thought Cancer only struck old people. My teacher then had to explain that Cancer does not choose any age or gender or even status in life. She reminded us to take care of our bodies well so that there is less likelihood of contracting diseases. That got me more health-conscious. I kept myself clean all the time, made healthy choices in my eating and exercised every day. Coming to America, I realized just how different the culture is and how Americans regard health. I come from a country w here there is a limited choice of food as compared to here in the US where fast food restaurants abound. I look around me and see various kinds of diseases resulting from eating food loaded with calories and preservatives. On the other hand, I also discovered how fortunate Americans are because they are provided with health coverage from their government. Healthcare here is much more advanced than in Saudi Arabia. I also observed that children also play, but their kind of recreation is mostly done indoors, with video games. Television also plays a huge role in their lives that they spend so much time in front of it while munching on snacks. Thus, they do not get enough physical activity and become prone to being overweight or even obese. The adults, on the other hand, seem to be obsessed with fitness, as seen in popular shows like â€Å"The Biggest Loser†. Exercise videos and a whole lot of gadgets that promise a sexier and more fit body to abound in advertisements. Numerous diets have been developed such as the Atkins diet, South beach diet, the GM diet and so many more. Sometimes, these diets contradict each other in recommending which foods to eat or avoid that people get confused about what is the truth. Thinking about these things convince me that good health practices should start from childhood. If children have been trained to eat healthily, engage in exercise or more physical activities instead of just being entertained passively by electronic media, then they do not grow up to be adults who are obsessed to regaining their health and fitness. For me, health and wellness can easily be achieved by not only caring for the body with good food, exercise, enough sleep and maintaining one’s hygiene well. One should also consider caring for his mind and heart. This means feeding the mind with good thoughts, ideas, and information from books, shows or worthy and sensible and worthy conversations with people. Right now, I have no problems with tha t, being a student. I am learning so much from my courses as well as from discussions with my peers. In terms of caring for one’s heart, I do not mean just physically, but to keep the heart happy as well. This can be achieved by having harmonious relationships with others and keeping peace with them instead of drawing up negative emotions and stress. Having no enemies and keeping a positive outlook in life truly brings about wellness. My current perspective about health and wellness has been influenced by my parents and teachers in Saudi Arabia who all served to be good role models to me by living healthy lives and having positive dispositions. I am grateful to my parents, for raising me with good health practices, and my teachers for stressing the importance of good health.