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Towards safe exercise
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If you are above 70 and planning to exercise, a health check-up is a must
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Exercise is safe and healthful for most people, even for those with chronic ailments like heart disease, arthritis and diabetes. Nothing cheers up doctors more than knowing that someone who has high blood pressure, diabetes, coronary artery disease or arthritis plans to lead a more active life, but most would advocate a health check-up first. If you are above 70 years, get a check-up first regardless of how fit you think you are. If you are below 70 and haven't exercised in a while, there are a bunch of questions you need to answer honestly before beginning exercising. The questionnaire applies even to 20-something couch potatoes.
1. Has your doctor ever told you have a heart problem that warrants restriction of activity? People with severe heart disease, recovering heart attack survivors, and those suffering from congestive heart failure fall into this category.
2. Are you on medication for hypertension or a heart problem?
3. Does exercise cause chest pain? Do you have chest pain at rest?
5. Do you have balance problems and have you ever become dizzy or unconscious?
6. Do you have joint or bone problems that feel worse with exercise?
7. Do you know of any reason why you should not exercise?
If you answered "yes" to any of the above question, give your doctor a ring and talk about your exercise plans for the future. The doctor may reassure you that no exercise restrictions apply to you, or he may restrict some activities and modify your existing prescription. The important thing is to find out which exercises are unsafe for you, but it is also important to identify exercises that are likely to be particularly beneficial for your condition. For example, swimming pool exercises are especially beneficial for those with arthritis because the buoyancy takes the weight off weight-bearing joints. If you answered "no" to all the questions, you can take up any exercise of your choice. Begin at a gentle pace and build up intensity and duration over weeks.
And get a basic health check-up done at your own convenience. Hypertension has few warning symptoms in the initial stages, and the only way to find out if you have it is by measuring blood pressure with a sphygmomanometer.
RAJIV. M
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