DOHA: Hundreds of schoolchildren had the chance to do some exercise and learn about healthy lifestyles when Yalla Natural Roadshow came to Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF).
An initiative of the ‘Your Health First’ campaign organised and run by Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q), the roadshow aimed to show people benefits of regular exercise and eating fresh, organic food, and supports QF’s commitment to make an informed community aware of healthy living.
The Yalla Natural trailer rolled into Education City last Sunday and stayed there until Thursday, attracting hundreds of children from schools across the country to join in the fun and get healthy.
The event was so popular that students and teachers from Al Shamal made a 100km journey down, along with their counterparts from schools from Al Khor.
Students and staff at QF were also invited to try some food and learn something new about their health. Attractions included demonstrations of healthy, nutritious dishes, an exercise class and the chance to make your own smoothie on Your Health First smoothie bicycles.
Dr Javaid Sheikh, Dean, WCMC-Q, said, “The college has a commitment to help improve the health of the community and through initiatives like Yalla Natural we are doing that.
“Healthcare should not always be reactive, rather it should be proactive, preventing people from getting ill so they never need to see a doctor or the inside of a hospital. That is what the Yalla Natural initiative — and the Your Health First campaign — is about, improving people’s health by educating them about nutrition and exercise.” The roadshow will be at MIA Park from March 24 to 28 when it takes part in Qatar International Food Festival.
Along with cookery demonstrations and exercise classes, the public will be offered free recipe cards, nutritional information packs and exercise cards, and they will be able to weigh themselves and find out vital health statistics like BMI using equipment carried by the trailer. Everyone who takes part in Yalla Natural can tweet about their experiences and share healthy pictures with the community by using the hashtags: #YallaNatural #YHF and #SahtakAwalan.
People can also visit Your Health First on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and share information on the produce they have grown, healthy meals they have created and exercise sessions in which they have taken part.
The Peninsula
