In a bid to propagate the importance of health and wellness, especially after the emancipation festivities in the Virgin Islands (VI), talk show personality Cromwell Smith aka 'Edju En Ka' has encouraged the VI to consider detoxifying as the first step to a healthy lifestyle. Photo: VINO

Talk show personality Cromwell Smith aka 'Edju En Ka', who hosts ‘Umoja’, Thursday nights on ZBVI 780 AM, has said mass education is needed to encourage the Virgin Islands to lead a healthier lifestyle. Photo: Facebook

While Dr Sharlon Lewis says that celebrations is necessary for mental health, she said the need to physically and mentally detoxify can start as easy as drinking more water to stay hydrated. Photo: Facebook

Speaking with guest Dr Sharlon Lewis on his show ‘Umoja’ on August 16, 2019 on ZBVI 780 AM, Mr Smith noted that in order to get the territory in the mind-set of healthy living, mass education is needed.

Mental preparedness

“I wanted to start off talking about detoxifying the body… and it dawned on me that mentally we have to be prepared to do that,” he told Dr Lewis and the listening audience.

Mr Smith continued, “A lot of time we talk to persons about maintaining wellness and the things that you need to do, eating right, and exercising, correct preparation of foods, etc.”

He said, however, the mental will and motivation have to be present to effectively take on healthy lifestyle changes.  

“When we start to talk about these things, we start off with all these grand schemes and ideas and everything and people tend to feel overwhelmed,” Dr Lewis remarked.

Finding Balance

She noted that in order to take on positive lifestyle changes, a start from the basics in required. “We just had a time of celebration and life is all about balance,” she said in choosing to celebrate and then caring for the body to recover.

“A lot of people look forward to that time to kind of breakaway. We don’t have work to worry about the children not in school, so we get a little time to really free up and enjoy ourselves.”

She said celebration is necessary for mental health; however, the need to physically and mentally detoxify can start as easy as drinking more water to stay hydrated.