The following example demonstrates why sensible exercise is so important. While helping to take care of a friend, I accompanied him as he ventured into our overloaded medical system. He had fallen and hurt his leg. If anything, he exercises too much for someone his age.
First, he tried to get an appointment with his doctor. His leg was painful, and he could hardly walk on it. His doctor, however, had no immediate openings.
Thus, we made an appointment with a walk-in clinic several hours in advance. The doctor there said he should get a scan at the emergency room.
I was surprised to see the emergency room almost 100 percent filled. Little children were crying out in fright and pain, and it was not a pleasant place to be.
My friend had some sort of priority in the referral, so we waited only about an hour. During that hour, a medical attendant checked his blood pressure and pulse. My wife once had to stay 14 hours in the waiting room.
They finally had time to give my friend his scan, Then, we had to wait about two hours for his results to be uploaded into the system.
Once it was uploaded, we waited about another hour for a doctor to come and interpret the results to him. Finally, we waited about another hour for the doctor to give him two prescriptions and a printed description of his injury.
Next, we went to a drug store to pick up his two prescriptions. All these activities took most of the day. He missed work and exercise workouts.
Overtraining becomes more likely as you age. Some people mistakenly believe they can make up for an excessive diet of junk food with enough exercise. The right amount of exercise at the right time in your life is the “sweet spot” you want to achieve.
As Jim Rohn said, “Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.”
