ONLY REGULAR EXERCISE IS BENEFICIAL-DO IT EVERY DAY!

Press, 26 May 1977, Page 25

ONLY REGULAR EXERCISE IS BENEFICIAL-DO IT EVERY DAY!

It is now so easy to go ski-ing, no more walking to the field with your gear on your back. Until only a few years ago you had to be very much fitter to get up there. Now your car takes you right to the ski area, everyone goes skiing and all ranges in fitness are evident. “’Don’t play a sport to get fit but get fit first to play a sport,” says Dr Don Johnson, a renowned sports medic and orthopaedic specialist from the University of Ottawa with extensive experience in ski-ing. Some Canterbury University students who will get only two weeks skiing in their August holidays start training in March with the result that they have a very low injury rate and an incredible lot of enjoyment from long, hard days of ski-ing. They are young, fit people and yet M per cent of people going ski-ing are

basically from a sedentary environment and do no training. The muscular weakness of modem man is a direct result of his restrictive environment. The exercise plan printed on this page is not aimed at the top racers but is a daily home exercise programme especially designed for the inactive sedentary person. It makes use of scientific principles and technical knowledge relating to an exercise physiology. This programme has been thoroughly tested and has been found suitable in meeting most people’s needs. This personal fitness programme is designed to assist everyone in the maintenance of good health, weight control and pre-ski-ing training. It requires no aparatus and takes no more than 10-15 min to perform, depending on working level and age. It allows for easy and planned progress and is suitable for both men and women. The first exercise is repeated after each exercise (eight times altogether) and should repeatedly

raise the heart rate and induce deep breathing. The fitter you become, the more vigorous you can make this exercise. Do each exercise only a few times at first, carefully following the instructions until you are familiar with them. Then begin at the START level and try to continue without pause through the eight repetitions of Exercise One and the other seven exercises. If you have no physical recreation, consider yourself to be unfit, or are over 35 then it is important to start at a low lex el and progress slowly, adding only about one extra repetition a week. Overenthusiasm at the beginning will cause muscle soreness and most likely destroy your good intentions. not too late for this ski season. Most women up to 40 years of age should be able to reach the medium level in two to three months while men up to 40 should have little difficulty in reaching the high level in about the same time. The final working level, however, wifi depend on individual needs and good sense. Exercise must be regular to be beneficial. This means every day, or nearly every day. You have to work for fitness. On some days you may be able to substitute other activities — such as walking or sport — but these should be counted is enjoyable extras. Those who undertake a regular exercise programme will have more energy, sleep better, control weight increases, generally enjoy better health and have a lot more pleasure from their ski-ing. Have a medical check and ’start today — it is not too late for this ski season.