Wellness Day to be celebrated September 13th

And if you can’t condition your body in time for the grueling Lionman triathlon, then you can begin to prepare for the less intense, but equally healthy Family Fun Walk and ten K run. The activity is being organised as a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Health, HECOPAB, National Sports Council, Youth for the Future, Belize City Council, PAHO, and Belize Chamber of Commerce. It is in commemoration of the first observance of the Caribbean Wellness Day on September thirteenth. The steering committee has planned the walk and run to trek through the streets of Belize City starting and ending in front of the Marion Jones Sports Stadium.

And in an early start to Wellness Day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade got a briefing on chronic diseases and changing lifestyles organized by the Ministry of Health. The participants benefitted from pressure, weight, sugar and BMI checks as well as HIV testing. And when last we checked, the health of the Ministry was just fine.

The decision to observe Caribbean Wellness Day was an outcome of the CARICOM heads of government meeting held in September of last year. It is an unprecedented joint effort to address the increase in non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and heart disease within the Caribbean. It is hoped that the observance of this day would showcase national community level activities to promote healthy living and encourage the development of good health practices. Caribbean Wellness Day will be observed annually on the second Saturday of September. Belize’s Family Fun Walk and ten K Run is being held under the theme “Love that body, Love that mind.”