HEALTH
RICHARD BERCUSON GET a move on! Or face some sad, hard truths
Whenever I get the urge to exercise, I lie down until the feeling passes away. - Robert M. Hutchins, former President of the University of Chicago - and deceased
Hard truths - Part One: Strange things
happen to the human body when it stops moving. Joints rust. Muscles dry up. Lungs heave. The heart weakens. The brain dulls (though that can also happen from watching any reality TV show). Focusing on even half a football game becomes twice as difficult, with or without adult beverage replenishment. The metabolism lurches. Fat clings to the
frame in places you didn’t know were places. Blood pressure becomes, well, mercurial. You feel more like a slug than not. Wee little disease particles hunt for a home. Maybe they’re genetically pre-disposed to being there. Or maybe they just pounce wherever there’s a weakened immune system. Hard truths - Part Two: You often won’t
know what’s gone wrong until well into “an event.” Consider, for instance, the case of Wilf
Gilchrist. Exercise might have saved his life a few months ago. No, he did not outrun a hungry coyote in his backyard. Wilf labels himself a runner. He’s
completed 5 and 10 km races and even some longer, less sensible ones. He often trains on his home treadmill and then goes to a gym for a weights workout. He keeps a steady regime. He’s also a prostate cancer survivor. Last December, he became shockingly
8 BOUNDER MAGAZINE
short of breath. One calf swelled to twice its normal size. His family doctor sent him to the hospital forthwith where he was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis, DVT, also known as a blood clot. A chest CAT scan revealed a pulmonary embolism as well.
The specialist, when informed of his
exercise habits, told him his good physical condition likely saved his life. It seems, too, there is a strong correlation between cancer patients and DVT. These days, after treatment and special
blood thinners, Wilf is slowly returning to form. Oh, there’s this: Wilf is 74 years old.
He’s not a fitness fanatic and in no way resembles the recently departed Jack Lalanne who exited at age 96 after a lifetime of hardcore workouts. Most would consider that a good deal. Wilf likes exercising and he knows, especially lately, that while he can’t guarantee a lifespan, he most certainly can guarantee a quality of life span. The benefits of exercise are, of course,
well documented. Frankly, if I read or hear one more commentary about blueberries, red wine, or tofu in conjunction with anything but my next meal, I will screech in a high- pitched shrill. Please spare me the fitness homilies - though this column is probably one.
Yours truly exercises - OK, I run a lot
- because it’s fun. It makes me feel good. It controls my weight. It makes me naturally hungry versus artificially hungry which occurs in the presence of chocolate chip cookies or baked potato chips. Mmm-mm. I meet interesting people although they all seem to be in better shape or run faster than I do. Evidently there’s always someone better or faster. Oh well. Alistair Beauchamp, who owns the
continued on page 16
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