DO YOU NEED EXERCISE?
The chances are that, like most of us, you are getting too
little daily exercise. If you need specific clues to the fact that you can
benefit from more activity, here are some: heart pounding or hard breathing
after relatively slight exertion; a long time required for your heartbeat to
return to normal after heavy exertion (you can measure the heart rate by the
wrist pulse); stiffening of legs and thighs after climbing stairs; aching
muscles after such activities as gardening or furniture moving; waking up from
sleep as tired as before; frequent restlessness.
Your physician, as part of his
preventive medicine program for you, will be glad to determine with you, on the
basis of your specific present condition, daily activities, and other personal
factors, whether you need more exercise, how much time you need to devote to
it, what kinds of activities would be best suited for you.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACTIVITY
Undoubtedly you will benefit from a soundly planned regular
exercise schedule, even if it occupies no more than just a few minutes a day-
and more on this shortly. Along with such a schedule, you can, and should, find
other opportunities for increasing your activity. For one thing, it is possible
to find opportunities for physical recreation that can supplement scheduled
exercises and provide enjoyment. The list is almost endless: fishing trips,
family outings, evenings of dancing, bowling in an office or neighborhood
league, walking, etc.
For another thing, there are opportunities for stepping
up daily activities-and little bits of action add up in their good effects. It's
a matter of attitude, of recognizing that it is good to use the body As much as
possible and of seeking chances to do so.
Walk up a flight Physical Activity in 85 or more of stairs
instead of relying entirely upon the elevator; walk part III much or sometimes
all the way to the market, to the office. Interrupt sedentary work with little
bursts of activity, even if no more than getting lip out of the chair and
bending, stretching, moving about, flexing the squatting, imitating a few golf swings.
