Developing community sports, improving health to prevent and combat COVID-19

Focus on sports practice

Recorded at Ho Xuan Huong Sports Center (District 3, Ho Chi Minh City), the number of visitors here is increasing day by day, mostly teenagers, office workers, people of working age.

A representative of Ho Xuan Huong Sports Center said that the number of people coming to practice was quite large, but it did not reach the peak as in previous years because some people were still afraid, especially when gathering in large numbers, practicing in closed rooms. In addition, many families do not practice sports because they spend time with their children in class, taking extra classes to compensate for their knowledge after a long time of having to study online.

In public areas, many elderly people choose outdoor sports and community sports in parks. Some young people choose to walk or ride bicycles along the deserted roads, especially on weekends.

Mr. Nguyen Van Quang (living in Ward 22, Binh Thanh District) often runs with some brothers around the streets of the apartment complex or Nguyen Huu Canh Street. Sometimes, on weekends, the group meets up in the downtown area, walking around the street many times. Exercise brings Quang health and comfort after a stressful working day.

However, since contracting COVID-19 for the second time, Mr. Nguyen Van Quang said that his mental health as well as his health has gone down. Recently, his heart rate has increased, his breathing is faster than before, so in addition to continuing to monitor and treat after COVID-19, he tries to arrange to return to exercise to improve his health.

Having also had COVID-19, even though he had no symptoms, Mr. Pham Huu Dung (Vo Thi Sau ward, District 3) still chose to practice sports on the spot with gymnastics and community sports kits near his home. Open space, close to Nhieu Loc canal.

Every morning exercising here, Mr. Dung not only exercises health and improves his physical strength but also has the opportunity to be close to his relatives and many friends of retirement age. According to Pham Huu Dung, after COVID-19 like the scars have healed, patients need to stabilize their psychology, continue to monitor, but above all, practice sports to improve physical and mental health. .

Diverse activities for people to participate in

Mass physical training and sports in Ho Chi Minh City developed strongly with many movement activities, small-scale sports tournaments in many localities. The campaign “All people exercise their body following the example of the great Uncle Ho” has been effective, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the issue of people’s health has become more and more important. Exercise and sports have become an indispensable routine. The rate of people voluntarily practicing sports regularly reached 102% of the plan for 2021.

Mrs. Nguyen Ngoc Thuy Diem’s ​​family (living on Tran Quang Khai Street, District 1) usually spends 1-2 hours after each working day cycling along Hoang Sa and Truong Sa routes from District 1 to District 3, Tan Binh, Phu Nhuan, Binh Thanh. Up to now, the cycling movement has spread throughout the company and is the motivation for many friends and colleagues, whether or not they have ever had COVID-19 to take advantage of the “green road” while exercising and relaxing. stretch. This activity helps everyone in Diem’s ​​family and company feel good to eat, sleep deeply, and feel at ease.

In addition, many internet-based activities have been implemented to arouse the people’s spirit of exercise and sports. From March 21-27, the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City and VnExpress electronic newspaper organized a virtual running race “For the health of the entire population” on the V-Race platform. All people have no age limit, register to participate in the distances of 10km, 21km and 42km…

Mr. Nguyen Nam Nhan, Head of Sports and Physical Training Department (Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports) said, we create many forms such as virtual running and then will add virtual activities for everyone to enjoy. people who can practice at home or anywhere, are recorded on the electronic information system (app on mobile phones, smart watches…). It is also a physical activity that students can participate in in any area, indoors or out. V-Race running day is a new feature of city sports, this activity was previously only a movement, hopefully later it will become official and on a larger scale.

Currently, every month, the Department of Culture and Sports communicates grassroots sports activities with localities to spread the word for city people to participate. These are activities to guide sports training at home, to guide the organization of exercise to safely adapt to the epidemic.

Districts and districts need to be proactive and creative in their environment and local characteristics, Mr. Nguyen Nam Nhan emphasized.

According to experts, regular exercise and sports will help the immune system work better, toned muscles, stronger bones and joints, increased endurance and flexibility for the body. People who exercise regularly show improved respiratory function, better gas exchange through the lungs, help reduce stress, happy spirit, increase life expectancy, prevent the risk of diabetes… Industry According to the World Health Organization, doing sports well with a nutritious diet will be a way to ensure health, increase the body’s resistance, and prevent disease effectively.

In fact, in order to spread the sports practice movement of the people, many areas such as pavements of Hoang Sa and Truong Sa roads along Nhieu Loc canal, parks, public areas in District 1, District 3, Phu Nhuan, Tan Binh, District 12, Hoc Mon … are all equipped with outdoor equipment for people to practice at any time.

Nguyen Nam Nhan said, the Department is coordinating with units to retrofit and repair outdoor exercise and sports equipment, and at the same time mobilize resources for socialization to deploy. Overseas model research units such as in parks will spread plastic carpets and signs to let people know how many laps and how many kilometers the distance runs, not just placing ordinary exercise equipment.

In 2022, the City’s Culture and Sports sector sets the target that the percentage of the population who regularly practices physical training and sports will reach 33%; the percentage of sports households is 25%; the percentage of high schools that fully implement the internal physical education program is 100%. The city is making efforts to develop mass sports, towards mobilizing people to actively participate in sports practice, improve health for study, work and disease prevention and control.