Exercise and safety                                                    

It’s worth it to devote an hour or so most days of the week to moderately intense physical activity. It’s not that you will live longer although that’s quite possible. One of the great values of staying physically active at any age is that it will defer the chronic diseases that make the last decade or two miserable. Arthritic aches and pains, shortness of breath, constant fatigue, depression, back pain, decreased libido and poor sleep are just a few of the conditions that are falsely attributed to aging. All can be delayed or avoided entirely if we stay active.

            There is no best exercise but there are a few that carry more risk than benefit. Walking is excellent and so is running but the latter, besides being more likely to result in injury, is not that much better in providing health benefits. You should walk at a speed at which talking is comfortable. If you can sing you’re moving too slowly; if you gasp between sentences you’re going too fast. If you’re walking alone, carry a cell phone, especially after dark.

            Resistance exercise is that which involves weights or machines. The latter are safer but dumbbells and barbells recruit more muscle groups and help to improve balance. Resistance exercises provide something that walking and running do not: protection of the upper skeleton from osteoporosis.

            Ten or fifteen dollars worth of light dumbbells (5 pounds or less) are ideal if you haven’t exercised for years. Starting with light weights will make it less likely that you’ll develop sore muscles the next day, a major reason why people quit exercising. Beginners should not only avoid heavy weights but they should take advantage of the often free introductory sessions that most fitness centers provide.

            Be especially careful with exercises that put strain on the knees, shoulders and back. Examples are deep knee bends, lifting weights overhead and backward bends. The benefits of these exercises are minimal compared with the risk of injury.

            A pre-exercise warm-up (a slow-paced walk or a few minutes on a treadmill) pays large dividends. The same is true for stretching at the end of a walk or workout.

            Be sure to get your physician’s clearance before adopting this new lifestyle. The early stages of high blood pressure or coronary heart disease have no symptoms. If you collapse at the gym it will spoil the manager’s whole day.