Physiotherapist Advocates Physical Activity as Option for Healthy Living

A Professor of Physiotherapy at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Ade Fatai Adeniyi, has provided evidence on how physical activity has become a viable option for healthy living, advising individuals to invest in their health through physical activity.
The evidence was contained in the 559th Inaugural Lecture of the University of Ibadan, entitled “Lynching the Linchpin: Healthy Living in Disarray”, delivered on behalf of the Faculty of Clinical Sciences by Prof. Adeniyi.

The professor affirmed that physical activity is very important to the well-being of apparently healthy people as well as those living with one health condition.
He noted that man has deviated unwittingly from the design and specifications created for him by nature, saying the early man who had little or no knowledge of Medicine was able to live long and ward off some undesirable health consequences through physical activities.

Professor Adeniyi explained how physical activity has been seen to support the human system to stay healthy and functional and how physical inactivity has contributed to the woes of man by the various outcomes of physically inactive lifestyles, saying such actions lead to the lynching of the linchpin to healthy living, which is physical activity.

The professor asserted that it is the prerogative of all and sundry to make informed choices about adopting healthy lifestyles, recommending that the healthy population should desist from self-rating of physical activity but get accurate assessment and customised prescriptions for physical exercise from experts.

He advised patients with chronic diseases not to see their diseases as death sentences but strive to keep their appointments with their health care providers and live healthy and productive lifestyles, while calling for improved synergy among health care providers concerning education, counselling, and interventions, especially for physical activities.

Professor Adeniyi also charged policymakers to encourage parents to allow children to walk to school by creating safe school routes, providing functional sidewalks, and enforcing stricter driving rules to safeguard pedestrians and cyclists.

He advised that no schools should be approved without evidence of ample space for physical activities and recreation for the pupils and students.
The inaugural lecturer also recommended that new settlements should have neighborhood with recreational parks incorporated into housing estates and rules protecting the parks put in place.
The inaugural lecture is the ninth in the series of inaugural lectures for the 2023/2024 academic session.