01/05/2026
๐ฒ๐น With elections in Malta around the corner, both major parties have started announcing health-related proposals. As you all know, obesity in Malta is a problem.
As someone who has spent the past 35 years in the sphere of sport and healthy livingโฆ first as an athlete and later as a coachโฆ while also living this lifestyle myself, studying fitness in Australia, coaching people from very different walks of life, travelling extensively while observing cultures, and staying up to date with health researchโฆ I wanted to give a balanced take.
๐ Some of these ideas are genuinely positive.
The free gym scheme for youths has clearly worked. Anyone who has trained in Malta for a long time can see that more young people are walking into gyms today compared to 10 or 20 years ago. Thatโs a good thing. Expanding that scheme to people with certain health conditions can also help.
My concern is that our system often waits until people become unhealthy before stepping in financiallyโฆ while those who have consistently invested their own money, time and discipline into staying healthy quietly keep paying the bill through taxes.
Prevention deserves more recognition than it currently gets.
The smartwatch proposal falls into a similar category for me. I donโt dislike itโฆ but it feels like a nice extra rather than a priority.
A watch can track steps. It canโt teach discipline. It canโt teach someone how calories work. It canโt teach good habits at home.
The free GLP-1 proposal is where I have bigger concerns. These medications absolutely have their place when prescribed responsibly. But they should support lifestyle changeโฆ not replace it.
Without fixing someoneโs habits, relationship with food and understanding of health, we risk creating a revolving door:
- lose weight through appetite suppressionโฆ lose muscle alongside fatโฆ stop the medicationโฆ return to old habitsโฆ regain the weight, primarily as body fat.
That leaves people in a worse position long term. Itโs useless masking the problem without solving the root.
And againโฆ it raises a fair question for people who have spent years making difficult but responsible choices without shortcuts.
๐ If politicians truly want a healthier Malta, I think weโre missing easier wins that would create deeper long-term impact. The following initiatives are what I consider lower-hanging fruit:
1๏ธโฃ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ก๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ง ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฌ
Teach children nutrition fundamentals, resistance and cardio exercise basics, the importance of daily movement, sleep, consequences of unhealthy habits, discipline and delayed gratification.
We teach topics that many children may never use in adulthoodโฆ why are we not teaching children how to look after the one body theyโll live in forever? That makes little sense.
Why is it that many adults in Malta have no idea of what proteins, carbs and fats are? These things are as fundamental and basic as the ABC.
2๏ธโฃ ๐๐๐ค๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐๐ซ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐
Subsidise healthier food options and tax heavily processed junk foods. Right now unhealthy options are often cheaper and more accessible.
That makes no sense if weโre serious about reducing obesity.
3๏ธโฃ ๐๐๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
People who actively invest in preventive health should receive some form of tax credit, insurance benefit or annual wellness incentive.
We always talk about paying for treatment but we rarely talk about rewarding prevention.
4๏ธโฃ ๐๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ฐ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฑ๐๐ซ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐
Many parents want to train but struggle because of childcare responsibilities.
Create childcare corners in registered gymsโฆ or help subsidise basic home equipment for parents with very young children.
๐ My post is not about criticising every proposal being announced. As I mentioned some are good.
But Maltaโs health crisis wonโt be solved by flashy campaign headlines.
The real solution is making healthy living easier to understand, easier to access and more deeply embedded into our culture from a young age.
Thatโs how you create healthier adultsโฆ and eventually healthier future generations ๐ช๐ผ๐
Wishing you a happy & healthy long weekend! ๐๐ผ
