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Are there risks to being
active?
"All of life is the management of risk, not elimination." —Walter Wriston |
Cardiovascular
Risks
Occasionally, we learn about an athlete who died suddenly
while jogging or exercising strenuously. These athletes
typically had underlying cardiovascular disease that, when
coupled with extremely strenuous activity, resulted in
their death. Such events can plant doubts and fears in the
minds of people who are thinking about leading a more
active lifestyle. "Me? Exercise and end up having a heart
attack? No way!" However, sudden deaths due to underlying
cardiovascular disease are extremely rare, particularly
among individuals participating in moderate-intensity
physical activity (Pratt, 1995).
Persons with known cardiovascular disease or persons who
have already experienced a major cardiovascular event, such
as a heart attack, stroke, or heart surgery, should have a
physical evaluation by their physician before engaging in
even a moderate physical activity program. But other than
in those cases, most adults do not need to consult their
physicians before engaging in moderate-intensity physical
activity. If, however, they are planning to engage in
vigorous-intensity physical activity, experts recommend
that men over age 40 and women over age 50 should also
consult a physician first.
Other Risks
The most common risk associated with physical activity is
injury to the musculoskeletal system-the bones, joints,
tendons, and muscles. These injuries are usually not
serious, often require no treatment other than a few days
of rest, and can be minimized by taking sensible
precautions. Most of these types of injuries related to
physical activity may be prevented by gradually working up
to the desired level of activity and by avoiding excessive
amounts of activity at one time.
Therefore, to avoid soreness and injury, people who have
not been regularly active and are thinking about increasing
their levels of physical activity should start out slowly,
incorporating even a few minutes of increased activity into
their day, gradually building up to the desired amount of
activity, and giving their bodies time to adjust (Pate et
al., 1995).