Relax To Stay Healthy

In our desire to be healthy and fit, we often forget other obvious factors which are just as important, even so: these are relaxation and avoidance of mental stress and tension which can weaken the body – and even shorten lives.

Dr. Hans Selye, Nobel Laureate and holder of 57 honorary awards and 21 doctorates, say that everyone has his own stress level and when this is exceeded, the body suffers damage of various kinds.  One of these seems to be a lowering of immunity to disease.  That they can be a contributing cause of stomach disorders such as ulcers is a long-established fact.

If exercise is to provide any relief from the conditions, specialists warn, it should be fun, not work.  When it becomes a job that the participant feels forced to do, it should be avoided, or the harmful emotional effects will outweigh any possible benefit.  A man who plays golf or tennis with his boss or a prospective customer, if he is a salesman, exposes himself to tensions which at least neutralize the physical benefits.

Another inherently hazardous situation occurs when a man over 40 plays tennis, golf, or jogs and bikes with his son, other youngsters or expert athletes.  In a subconscious attempt to regain the vigor of his teens he might press himself to an all-out and potentially dangerous effort.

The fountain of fitness, it seems, still flows best when based on the same old rules that have been around for decades, especially for those over 40: exercise, controlled according to individual physical ability, weight within normal limits, and a body unpunished by cigarettes and alcohol.

Almost all medical authorities agree that any exercise program depends entirely upon the individual:  one’s age, weight, freedom from physical defects, history of physical conditioning, demands of career and life style, etc.  They agree, too, that most peoples require more exercise in varying quantities – but not in excess.

The Committee on Aging of the American Medical Association has endorsed regular exercise as a potent defense against “deterioration” or aging, and physicians prescribe a regular program of exercise as the best medicine around.  But a regular program is not playing 36 holes of golf once a week or jogging 10 miles twice a week.  Obviously, the frequency should be more, such as three to six times a week of moderate jogging and other forms of aerobic and isotonic exercises.

Definitely a variety of exercises and a share of determination plus a pinch of motivation could ward off slackening of interest.  A better idea: involve the family in your daily exercises and it will pay dividends in terms of health and fitness for the wife and children!