Many are still surprised as to how how the old man still keep up with time and in his own words remain ‘as fit as fiddle’. Smiling to his cabinet as they welcomed him with the popular Happy Birthday song, all who expected an ailing freedom fighter at 88 were mistaken. Mugabe has been in power for 32 years and is seeking re-election, a subject I will shelve for another platform.
Mugabe made a very profound statement concerning how to remain fit and live a longer life during an interview recently. He told Radio Zimbabwe that his good health was down to his healthy lifestyle – getting up at 05:00hrs to do his exercises and eating well. He is also quoted by the AP news agency to have said “There are things one must do for oneself. Don’t drink at all, and don’t smoke, you must exercise and eat vegetables and fruit,”
The old man clearly has hit the nail right on the head; the statement you are what you eat has been underestimated or ignored by many. We pay little attention to what goes into our body. We must begin from this day to start thinking anew; most definitely a healthy balance diet with reduced animal protein, fat and more fruits and vegetable will do the longevity wonder. For an 88 year old man to wake up that early to exercise is most commendable.
His admonition that people should not drink at all may come as a hard statement to many especially ‘the social drinkers’. But it is increasingly becoming evident the harmful effects of alcohol on even the so called moderate drinkers. Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair’s Director of Communications and strategy has lived through the times as a hidden alcoholic whilst still a ‘professional, successful on the surface, with a good job, a steady relationship, a mortgage, nice holidays, lots of friends’ as per his own admission. He has now thrown his weight behind The British PM, though opponents in terms of political ideology, as Cameron leads a campaign on Alcohol reforms; a semblance of what Mikhail Gobachev did for Russia to reduce alcohol related abuses significantly.
There are three other things I will like to add concerning the principles of good health. One is the importance of rest; Brutus my favourite character in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar was apt when he said ‘nature must obey necessity’. Rest is the ‘restorer of our resiliency’ after our daily and also weekly labors. There is also the need to trust in God for he is the giver of life. The Prophet Isaiah writes that “they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint”-Is.40:31. The last point is to enjoy good interpersonal relationship with others, build good relationships so you can fall on in difficult times. These principles help one to live longer, healthier and happier.
Perhaps the Governor of the central bank who leaked to wikileaks in 2008 that Mugabe has prostate cancer and has 5 more years to live didn’t know that Mugabe has these precious health tips up his sleeves, he has spent almost 4 years out of the 5 years still strong, still the good old Mugabe.
