Text Box: Volume 4, Issue 1 Text Box: Page #

 

 

 

 
Text Box: Tuning in to your favorite TV show may be adding pounds to your waist and taking years off your life. According to a recent study, people who watch two or more hours of television a day are 23 percent more likely to become obese than those who watch less or none at all.

The reason is only partially related to inactivity because, according to the study, sitting while at work carries less risk. If you know a couch potato or two, help them get back on their feet . They will thank you!

 

 

 
Text Box: Weight Watchers Don’t You shouldn’t either! Text Box: exercise, you should have an electrocardiogram, exercise stress test, and an echocardiogram to rule out heart and artery problems. This is especially important for those older than 40. Strenuous exercise always causes some muscle damage (accounting for the aches and pains that follow sports activities). It also releases chemicals into the bloodstream that favor blood clotting. If you have arterial narrowing (which is commonly due to atherosclerosis); clotting becomes a much greater threat, since it is more likely to cause complete blockage of an artery at a place where it has already become narrowed. Muscle injury also elicits a hormonal response that triggers water retention, and even life-threatening hyponatremia (a condition in which excess water dilutes the sodium blood level, and makes it fall too low). To avoid this, drink only when thirsty, and not every time water is offered to you during a race. Lastly, strenuous (but not moderate) Text Box: exercise, may impair immunity, possibly making us prone to infections and, long term, even to cancer. Exercise fanatics share an unshakable belief that strenuous exercise's benefits far outweigh its risks. It does lower blood pressure, build muscles, improve one's appearance and self-image, and raise one's spirits. However, this is only one side of the coin, and most non-professional athletes will live longer, healthier lives if they exercise regularly but not strenuously. Moderation in all things. Source: WALL STREET JOURNAL (Oct. 11,'04, page R-7). Text Box: In 2002, over a period of seven months, 3 doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital died while exercising. The oldest was 51, and all three had exercised regularly and were careful about their diet. What went wrong? Experts believe the deaths were most likely due to exercise that was excessive rather than moderate. In the USA, vigorous exercise may be responsible for triggering up to 17% of sudden cardiac deaths. Each year, tens of thousands of people die needlessly while trying to keep fit. Factors prompting people to exercise excessively (such as running in marathons) include the challenge and the widely-held belief that the more you exercise the healthier you will be. Exercise, however, should be looked at in the same light as taking medicine. No doctor prescribes 4 times the usual dose of a drug on the assumption that more is better. Though moderate exercise improves health, extreme exercise harms it. Furthermore, before starting a program of strenuous Text Box: Excessive Exercise Can Kill.