Over a week in now and we're all nicely settled into the World Cup. Dark horses are rising by the day and plenty of fancied picks are struggling to get going. England are even preparing to pack their bags already. However, as many of you may have found out, it's not all fun and games. Maybe you've had a few days where you nipped into the pub for the 5 o'clock kick off and haven't made it out as early as you planned. Well have no fear, the Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection are here with a few helpful tips to stay in tip-top shape during the tournament.
Worried that Hongkongers might find the pace of it all a little bit tough, the Government felt the need to give citizens a bit of pre-World Cup advice. Quite simply, some of it is bat-shit crazy. A particular favourite of ours, listed under the section entitled: 'Stay away from tobacco and alcohol', advises fans, "when you feel like smoking, wash your face, do stretching exercises, try deep breathing and drink water to divert your attention from the urge." The entire tobacco industry will be ruined if too many people get wind of that one.
Other little gems include:
Avoid alcoholic beverages.
Have three regular meals a day and do not substitute them by snacking.
Drink plenty of water or prepare a delicious and refreshing drink at home (such as home-made lemonade by mixing the lime and soda water together) instead of beer and soft drinks if you do not want extra calories.
Finally, for those of you who have been phoning in a few too many sick days there's the ever important: "strike a balance between watching matches and fulfilling your social commitments."
We here at Balls would love to see the reaction should Dr. James Reilly and the Department of Health latch on to this and give us an Irish version.
Picture credit: Ray McManus / SPORTSFILE
