15 May 09 EXERCISE RISK
The idea that participation is better than watching seems to have taken hold in Australia as well as other developed countries and the Western world is on a fitness kick.
Not only the young, but the middle-aged and even the elderly are walking, jogging, swimming and playing tennis and squash.
We have been told that it is all good for our health and likely to reduce the risk of having a heart attack.
When a jogger drops dead, this receives great publicity and can make those of us who are pushing our ageing bodies harder than we have for many years, just a little anxious about whether we are doing the right thing.
People still have heart attacks and some die while sleeping or making love. That shouldn’t keep us awake or make us choose celibacy.
Regular sustained physical exercise, tailored to the needs of age, present fitness and state of health is good for one and may protect from the development of a heart attack. Nothing is absolute in medicine.
The trend back to active exercise for many can only be good for the majority even if, for a few, their exertions are foolhardy or even dangerous.
While exercise may not increase the quantity of life it does seem to increase its quality. Those who take up exercise usually take other steps to improve health such as stopping smoking and improving their diet.
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