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Q1. Why do you feel your book is needed?
A1. I lived on a farm during my teen years, which was great for my body, but terrible for my social life. After I started college, my great fitness gradually drifted away from me. I took up running at the Y, but dropped that after graduation. In short, I let myself believe that exercise was something I did not have time for. I have since learned that moderate exercise is essential for health, that it need not be very time consuming, and certainly not expensive. My book is the advice I wish someone had given me decades ago.
Q2. Are you a fitness nut?
A2. No way. I believe a healthy body, male or female of any age, can be beautiful. I enjoy watching Olympic and other similar athletic events, but I'm not much for watching most spectator sports. It's not the competition, but the performance, that interests me, whoever wins. I like my own body to be more like swimmers and runners than like weight lifters and wrestlers. I greatly respect gymnasts, but can't justify all that continual work for myself. Quite frankly, heavy exercise can damage the joints and muscles.
Q3. How do you feel about diet?
A3. It was long believed that you could eat anything, so long as you burned off the calories. As the average life span has gotten longer, we have found that just is not so. Fats, sugars, and high alcohol consumption have blocked the arteries of professional athletes, and even soldiers in combat. You might have read about Bill Clinton undergoing heart bypass surgery, even though he appeared in good condition, but he was a long time fast foods and desserts addict.
Q4. What about gym memberships and scheduling?
A4. If special equipment or exercising with others helps motivate you, that's okay. However, adequate exercise does not require special equipment of any kind. Why buy a stepping machine when stairs are in most buildings? My book shows calisthenics and tension exercises which can be done against gravity, against furniture, muscle against muscle, with or without a piece of rope. Set your own schedule and place to exercise. Walking, swimming, bicycling can be very pleasant, but they are not the only exercises that work. Be inventive.
Q5. Can you comment on Repetitive Stress Syndrome?
A5. Joints, tendons, muscles can certainly be irritated by repetitive motions. I even thought I had permanent damage to my right arm from hand writing, entering many thousands of numbers at keypad, and so forth. Fortunately, I was taught some "stretchers". Now I take frequent breaks from desk work to rotate my wrists and shoulders, flex my back and pelvis, and so forth. My exercise book has a section on "stretchers and clenchers" for the workplace. Wrist and shoulder stretches can be done during brisk walks.
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