Getting “enough” exercise
It’s the eternal argument: How do we get the benefits while minimizing the risks?
For those of us in middle age, I think this article at USNews.com by Helen Hobson brings reason to the debate.
Dr. Arthur Siegel, who is chief of internal medicine at the Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital, has studied non-elite Boston Marathon runners and reports the following.
- While “marathon running is an overdose of a good thing,” moderate exercise is one of the best things you can do for your health.
- “If you’re a middle-aged person at risk for coronary problems, you should probably do the training and skip the race.”
- “While immunity goes up when you work out for less than about 90 minutes, after a marathon, runners are about 6 times as likely to get sick as folks who didn’t race. The long-term consequences of this immune-system suppression aren’t clear.”
OK, but where’s the middle ground?
Dr. Paul Thompson, a cardiologist at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut, has a recommendation for the rest of us.
- “Walk vigorously 30 minutes a day.
- Quadrupling or quintupling Thompson’s daily prescription isn’t going to similarly increase your chances of better health and, if you’re not careful it could increase the risk for other problems.
- “It drastically cuts your chances of heart problems over the long term, not to mention… other health benefits, from staving off obesity to preventing osteoporosis and possibly cancer.”
My recommendation?
- Start by buying a good pair of walking shoes.
5/19/07 15:39 JR