The weekly P.T. [Physical Training] hour at St. Mary’s Higher Secondary School, Pattom, usually involves a quick game of footie or basketball, or if it’s too hot, just larking around on the covered steps in a corner of the school’s playground. Today, though, Nandu B.S., Mohammad Nabas, and Mohammed Faisal Khan, all students of class nine, and some 200 of their classmates and juniors are in for a P.T. session of a different kind.
The youngsters are all taking part in an hour of HEALS (Health, Exercise and Active Living through Sports), a pilot programme by the Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs, Government of Kerala, that aims to create awareness about the importance of leading an active lifestyle, achieved through taking up exercise, sport or similar physical activities.
“As a population we don’t often give much importance to exercise and sports and don’t understand how vital they are to our health and well-being. The recently concluded National Games has renewed an interest in sports among the masses and we thought of capitalising on the goodwill to promote active lifestyles,” says P. Pugazhendi, Director, Sports and Youth Affairs, who is spearheading the initiative.
“Kerala, a leader in health and social sectors in the country, with a knowledgeable population is an ideal place to launch this kind of novel outreach programme,” he adds. Moreover, in many schools, girls are neither encouraged to take part in sports activities nor do they get equal space for it.
The programme is being implemented – on a trial basis – in schools, colleges, residential complexes and public places in the city in partnership with Sportz4You, a city-based community sports promotion company.
“Based on a survey conducted by Kerala State Sports Council in 2011 for its Total Physical Fitness Programme, more than 80 per cent of children in the state had below average fitness levels required for their respective age groups. The state has extraordinary rates of childhood diabetes and obesity as well. In a school like St. Mary’s which would have thousands of students on its rolls, on an average, less than 10 per cent would be athletes per se. What about the physical fitness of rest of them? The main problem, we believe, is a lack of awareness about active lifestyles, when actually only half an hour of sport or physical activity a day is needed for an individual to keep themselves fit. HEALS is a fun-filled fitness message to the community,” says Arun V. Nair, co-founder and chief operating officer, Sportz4You. “There are many entertaining ways to keep yourself fit. The more entertaining a physical activity can be, the more interested people will be. That’s why we’ve tried to make the session as fun as possible,” he adds.
The programme is being implemented as a mobile outreach event. Sportz4You sets up sporting equipment at each location and conducts specific events tailored to the community that is ‘being activated.’ Included in the programme are short, informal games involving the participants, a fitness assessment test, pamphlet distribution and audio-visual presentations.
“We want it to be a participatory programme. This way the people themselves will get a first-hand knowledge of the benefits of an active lifestyle,” explains Dr. Pugazhendi.
Meanwhile, Nandu and Co. are ready for HEALS. The fitness trial begins with a series of light squats and stretches. Immediately, groans ring out from assembled boys as they, rather reluctantly, it seems, go through the several repetitions of the routine. “I didn’t know that I had such muscles on my thighs that needed to be stretched!” exclaims lanky livewire Mohammed, as he huffs and puffs his way through the routine. On the sidelines, Rahul Thomas, chief executive officer, Sportz4u, says: “See how they find even simple squats difficult to do. It’s a sure indicator of physical inactivity.” Next up is a short obstacle course where the boys have to run, hop, skip, jump and dodge through a series of obstacles, which they do with much more gusto.
The boys are then divided into groups and they get to work passing a hula hoop from one person to the other without breaking the chain of hands. This is followed by an equally enthusiastic game of dodge-ball. “Both games exercises their flexibility and hand-eye coordination, and tests their upper body strength,” explains Rahul, as the boys by now buzzing with energy listen in rapt to the activity coordinators explaining the science behind the games.
“The session was really good fun. Back home, most of us play cricket or football with others in our neighbourhood. What I’ve realised is that we need to be more active and more consistent about playing sports,” says Mohammed. “I hope we have more such sessions.”
At present, 30 communities within the district are being targeted for HEALS. “We will soon expand the scheme to other districts in the state as well,” says Dr. Pugazhendi.
