Guiding Principles for Exercise

April 10, 2005

The importance of regular and appropriate exercise is so widely known now, that it scarcely bares mention. Choosing the right form, duration, frequency and intensity is less well understood. People without personal trainers or other access to professional physical therapists, should keep the following principles in mind.

1. Everyone needs a physical examination before starting a regimen of physical exercise or a physical sport. The heart, lungs, blood and endocrine system may be unfit without apparent symptoms. These factors have to be corrected at the outset and monitored regularly for one to stay out of harm’s way.
2. Stretching exercises keep the joints mobile and prepare the body for more vigorous action. Yoga is very helpful in this respect, though some poses or ‘asanas’ may be contra-indicated. One must warm-up before and cool-off after strenuous exercise. Sudden build-up or stoppage can cause injuries and pain.
3. Muscle-building, if that be the aim, is more durable with free arm, high repetition routines. Short jerks with heavy weights can cause injuries and will not last though they may flatter with short-term demonstrable results.
4. Walking is an excellent calorie-burner, enjoyable and relatively safe. Jogging is for the young and slim and for those with well developed joints. Stamina in either form should be built up in a phased and gradual manner, and under medical supervision. Water and electrolytes lost through perspiration should be replaced in proportion and as frequently as possible. Walking and jogging duration and intensity can also be tailored to one’s breathing and heart rate, again under expert supervision.
5. It is best to exercise on an empty stomach or after fluid intake, in cool and shaded weather. Exercise soon after a full meal, in direct tropical sun or after illness or with injury is ill-advised.

One person’s exercise can be another’s recipe for ill-health or even an adverse incident. Do not apply professional instructions for one person to any other, or even to the person for whom it was intended, if not implemented immediately and monitored. Physical therapy prescriptions are person and time specific.

E mail drsbanerji@gmail.com for personal information and counsel or see your doctor in person.

Stay fit and mobile!