When most people decide to have fun and relaxation, they go out and do just that. It may be a ride through the countryside, a square dance, or an enjoyable evening at the theatre.

 

Preparation for such recreation is usually on the spur of the moment and, fortunately, not really necessary. With ordinary clothing, a dependable automobile, and a little extra change, we’re off. This type of extracurricular merriment is an essential balm for taut, weary, tense nerves and muscles which seldom seem to unloosen during drab-a-day, routine activities. But these activities cannot be squeezed under the label which encompasses fitness and exercise.

 

Other forms of sporting endeavour require such a vast amount of scientific and painstaking preparation that they qualify as full-fledged projects. This is the other end of the pendulum’s sweep.

 

The thrilling assault and conquest of Mount Everest is one. A noble three-year-old’s capture of the Triple Derby is another. Such high excitement falls outside the scope of this treatise. The necessary years of study, the fat and peeling bankrolls, and the months-long recesses from daily chores and family responsibilities make these adventures beyond the reach of most.

 

For us, sleeping in a hammock or orbiting to the moon are not immediate objects. Somewhere between these two extremes lies the area we are exploring.

 

Planning Your Exercise

 

Exercise for recreation does require planning. Any activity demanding something in excess of ordinary exertion demands careful thought. A prime consideration is an assessment of what can be asked or expected of that rather amorphous coating of skin and muscle which until now has served you mainly as a barrier to mingling too freely with your external environment. If this puffy layer has served only as insulation against the cold, it may be subject to injury with sudden and increased activity.

 

Moreover, if the vital organs encased in this comfortable padding are in a somewhat pathetic state of desuetude, they too may be unable to respond to increased demands. The heart and coronary blood vessels are of especial concern.

 

The Necessity For A Medical Check Up

 

The first step toward becoming a participating sportsman is to consult a physician. A complete and thorough physical examination can evaluate one’s qualifications and limitations. Just because a person feels healthy means nothing.

 

A recent study was performed on a group of business executives, young and old. Half of the executives were not examined, but merely questioned. Only 10 percent knew of any physical defect. The other half underwent a rigorous physical examination. A diagnosable medical defect was discovered in every man.

 

This study made a significant  impression on me. So I, a “healthy specimen,” was examined. An hour later I too walked out of a physician’s office—replete

 

with two or three diagnoses. Fortunately, none has limited my activities, but I am glad to know of them and to take them into account for the future!

 

Whether you do or do not have known limitations, you must see your doctor. Although you may well feel perfectly healthy, do not take this for granted. You take the unnecessary risk of a jaywalker with somnambulism if you neglect this cardinal prerequisite. Even if you decide not to continue with your program of fun and fitness, you still need periodic examinations.

 

If restrictions must be imposed, be grateful. First, you have been made aware of a potentially hazardous condition. Remember the venerable medical saw, “If you want to live to a ripe old age, develop a chronic illness and take care of it.” And second, regardless of necessary limitations, a safe and constructive program of recreation and exercise can always be devised to your satisfaction and happiness within this medically sound framework.

 

A “check-up” means various things to various people. The usual check-ups are designed for specific purposes—to discover incipient and unrecognized illness, to qualify for certain jobs on a good risk basis, to be free enough of defects to be eligible for a life insurance policy, to obtain clearance for travel, licenses, and permits, to give evidence of lack of contagiousness, and so on. Such examinations may reveal medical situations of no immediate or emergency importance but which, if corrected, may prevent future inconvenience, pain, or loss of life. The gamut is extremely wide—small hernias, defective vision, protruding internal haemorrhoids, abnormal cardiac rhythms, “spots on the lung,” and scores more.