Unlikely it is being a country that has well been known as a country that encourages healthy living now, overweight people in Japan will be re-educated on living a healthy life. According to The New York Times, this has come into effects under the national Japan law two months ago stating that the Japanese peoples’ waistline limits must measure 33.5 inches and 35.4 inches respectively for men and women. Japan also has taken a leap frog through this weight-loss campaign in the effort to slim down its citizens by re-educating its people after three months who does not lose their weight accordingly.
The limit measurements stated is cohesive of what has been given by the International Diabetes Federation for Japan in 2005 as an easy guideline for identifying health risks at an early stage. This according to the country’s Health Ministry, will keep the spread of diseases like diabetes and strokes at bay.
When one’s health is good this can also help in reducing the ministry’s cost of medical or health related costs problems of the citizens which is according to the Japan Ministry of Health, one of the most serious and politically delicate problems facing Japan today.
The campaign is aggressively followed in Amagasaki, a city in western Japan. Before the mass waistline-checking by the officials in Japan however, the slim down campaign just only started a couple of years ago when the Health Ministry of the country began beating the drums for a medical condition that few Japanese had ever heard of, metabolic syndrome, that is a collection of factors that heighten the risk of developing vascular disease and diabetes. This is including abdominal obesity, high blood pressure and high levels of blood glucose and cholesterol.
Other than popularly called as funny-sounding,metabo, by the nation for the scary-sounding condition, the Japanese government also will impose financial penalties on companies and local governments that failed to meet its specific targets or measurement limits.
Though the measurement limits will only be taken effect on individuals that ages between 40 to 75 years old, I personally think that we should all embrace this campaign idea and follow in the footsteps of the Japanese even we are not yet at THAT age..
There is a Malay saying, Melentur buluh biar dari rebungnya (Bending the bamboo from its shoots) meaning that it is best to start early, especially something this good, than to start later. Imagine that you are in a gym in your 50’s with your flabby arms and spare tyres to look like one of the young ones? No offense but I’d rather take the high road earlier.
Besides looking good, when you are let say not 24 years old, you will also feel and look healthy!
How about THAT for living the high life huh? Come, let us begin our days with a light breakfast first just enough to take us through lunch and not feel bloated. Cherio! (^_^)
ps: You can read the full story here.
*~icedlemontea~* 
Malaysian people too have to learn to control their diet. Food prices are up anyway. One scope mind is wrong, where we should see things at larger perspective. Not having a bowl of rice a day doesn’t mean its the end of the world. The end of the world is when your blood pressure, sugar level going up as much as the oil price increase. Be healthy, be wise.