Public Speaking Text: How To Lead A Healthy Life

* I recently participated in a public speaking competition and this is the text of the speech.




Thank you to the Master of Ceremony. Friends, let us ponder for a moment about some of these  startling statistics. These statistics are by no means exclusive to Malaysia but is a worldwide phenomenon.  In 2010, the obesity rate in Malaysia was 26.5%. In 2011, it shot up even higher to 28%. So after 28%, does it mean that in 2020, where our country will be a fully-developed nation, the rate would correspondingly be 41.5%? Or in 2050, it will be 86.5%? Being of normal weight would be at that time an endangered species then. Think about it. How are we going to prevent this?

A very good morning to the honorable judges, teachers and my fellow friends. My name is Dhanvin Kumar Lal Asokan and I am standing here today to deliver a speech entitled “How To Lead A Healthy Life”. I do not profess to expert on this subject, but I will try to shed some light on this matter.

What is healthy living? According to Webster Dictionary, healthy living is living a life without having to worry about diseases and body size. To obtain healthy living is not easy. We have to work hard to get it.  There are several ways one can lead a healthy life. Among the ways are having a proper diet, having enough sleep, having enough exercise and also a proper time management.

So before I go on, let us see the ways to get a proper diet. Our diet should follow the food pyramid. We should eat sufficient carbohydrates such as rice, bread and noodles. We must eat plenty of vitamins such as fruits and vegetables. We should also eat proteins such as fish, meat and chicken, but in moderation. We shouldn’t eat fatty and greasy foods such as junk food, butter and margarine. If we follow this diet effectively, we will get a lot of good and rewarding benefits.

Another way that we should practice is eating at the right time. How many of us have breakfast in the morning? Not many, right as we are all too busy trying to make it to school on time? This is wrong because breakfast gives us energy to start a fresh day. If we do not have breakfast in the morning, we will feel very tired and sleepy. In fact, some cultures advocate breakfast as the most important meal of the day.  Without a proper breakfast, our concentration span will also reduce, thus making us unable to comprehend what is taught in class.

We should get enough sleep every day. I am not hinting to my friends to take forty winks when they are in class.  An average child needs at least 8 hours of sleep. For example, if we wake up at 6am, we should sleep at 10pm every night.  What will happen if we do not get enough sleep? Well, for sure we will feel very sleepy and unable to comprehend what is taught in class, thus making us to lose out.

We must get enough exercise time every day. How many of us exercise every day?  I am afraid to admit that I am also one of the guilty ones who fall in this category. We should exercise because when we sweat, the fats in our bodies will break. If we do not exercise, we will become obese and this may lead to various lifestyle diseases such as heart attack and diabetes. Our exercise routine should consist of a variety of activities such as running, games like football and basketball and also physical exercise such as tennis and swimming so that we don’t get bored with the same activities. Make sure you exercise and don’t say “I have exercised!” when you actually haven’t. Lifestyle diseases are one of the easily preventable diseases which have overtaken other communicable diseases like malaria and dengue.

We should also manage our time properly. Preparing a timetable and adhering to it strictly is the best way we can manage our time. If we do not have a timetable, we will feel stressed and unable to do our activities effectively because we will be rushing to do them. Plan your activities well so that it does not clash with your daily routine.

If you follow my suggestions to lead a healthy life, I am sure we can build a healthier Malaysia. Thank you for lending me your ears.