At the same time, I look around and see a lot of older Ukrainians who are just tired of life, who can barely move and who are talking about a lot of problems with their friends on the benches. It doesn’t have to be like that, and then I realise that one of the reasons for the huge difference is the joy and zest for life that sport gives.
This attitude is instilled from childhood. People in Scandinavia are just crazy about sport, you typically see them hiking, jogging in the streets, you see pensioners, which you almost never see in Ukraine. And in these countries it is an everyday reality. This is the reason for their much better health, longevity, and feeling of being able to live on this earth. Of course, I’m not saying that sport is the only factor — the economy, salaries, and levels of corruption all play a big part, but sport is undoubtedly an extremely important component of a truly happy and healthy society. Exercise helps the body, including the heart, to function better in the long term. The body needs rhythm and movement, which is essentially the basis of our evolutionary development as a species. Think about it: for millions of years, our ancestors were nomads, hunting animals, gathering plants and constantly moving from place to place. And even with the advent of agriculture and the shift from nomadic to agricultural life, we still had a lot of physical work to do. There was no time to sit down because there was always work to be done. Our bodies evolved to accommodate this physical activity.
And only recently, from an evolutionary point of view, have we as humans been ‘saddled up’ with computers and office workstations, and in our spare time we have all collectively ‘settled down’ on social media. Hence, the plethora of complaints about back pain, headaches, and general ill health. But don’t get me wrong. I am certainly not calling for humanity to return to the days when we were hunters and gatherers. Of course not, but I think we can learn a lot about ourselves by looking back to our common past.
Humans are used to living in motion, and sport today is the best and most accessible embodiment of that rhythm. It is for everyone, and we no longer need to harness horses or chase new prey to have that movement. Walking to work every day if it’s not too far away instead of getting in the car, going for a walk with your family or best friends on the weekend or during the holidays, taking a walk in the park. These things strengthen relationships, whether they are friendships, family or romantic relationships, and create a lot of good memories that will last a lifetime.
In this way, you will not only improve your physical health, but also your emotional health, and you will learn to think quickly in different situations, such as when an unexpected accident occurs during a hike, and you need to find an urgent solution. It may seem trivial, ‘well, you’ve run around, you’ve walked, so what?’ but there are countless scientific studies that confirm the great value of an active lifestyle for human health, including intelligence. We all want to be smarter as citizens of our country, don’t we? Awareness of the importance of your health, body, and mind leads to a better understanding of yourself, your abilities and your ambitions. If you’re depressed all the time, if you walk around gloomy, with a pessimistic view of things, it’s hard to imagine how you can change the world or the country for the better. I think it’s impossible. If you eat terribly, don’t exercise and just sit chained to your phone or TV, that philosophy won’t make any difference to your life or the lives of those around you. Other people around you will absorb this negative energy and gradually become despondent as well.
And a good, conscious lifestyle with a balance of all aspects: healthy food, exercise, time outdoors and with friends, should only help you to strive for better changes and actually do everything possible to achieve them.
And so, quite imperceptibly, we have returned from a short trip into space, visiting cheerful Norway, and travelled through time, visiting our ancestors. Our last stop is today, right now, as you read this sentence. The most important thing here, at this stop, is: what can you do today to become a better you tomorrow and thus contribute to a better future for Ukraine?
I often notice that we, Ukrainians, rarely go outside just to take a walk, to admire nature, to enjoy a beautiful sunny day. Just to stop or go somewhere in the mountains to feel that moment when you are alone with yourself and your thoughts. We are always busy, running after something, people are running, nervous and under constant stress. As a person who has lived in Kyiv for many years, I can say this with confidence because I have seen a lot of this with my own eyes. There is a lot of nervousness, young people are often insecure in life, many boys, and girls smoke, and even worse, many students of my age take drugs.
On the other hand, in the places I mentioned at the beginning, such as Norway and Switzerland, people seem to enjoy life. Of course, like all of us, they work (they pay a lot of taxes, by the way), earn money for themselves and their families, but they also know how to relax properly so as not to overload themselves, and they know how to spend this free time to the greatest benefit. These are the same Norwegians who run, travel long distances just to get to the top of a mountain, ride bicycles, laugh and enjoy a sunny or cloudy day. We can be just as cool, can’t we?
I believe that there are no barriers, it all starts with you, with small steps, decisions that seem insignificant at first, but later turn into incredible results. I believe that our nation is capable of anything, and to be healthy and conscious citizens is not only the duty of each of us, but also the key to Ukraine’s victory and prosperity.
