Newest health craze – mailbox walking
Published on Thu, Mar 11, 2010 by John PierreRead More The Constant Curmudgeon
Okay! So we all need more exercise. Nobody wants to be labeled a "couch potato," but is all this exercise mania really good for us? I don't have a clue but I do have an opinion on the matter.
Whether at home or down at one of Edmonds' fine and nearly-world-famous waterfront parks, I see dozens of people out there running their bottoms off.
I can't help but believe that when that foot comes down, and hits the pavement with all the force associate with it, it must be doing some damage to the ankle, knee and hip joints.
I can't help but wonder if, as these runners/joggers reach a later age, they will have joint problems that will make getting around much more difficult. I borrowed the following from an article I found on the Internet. "The forces generated at heel strike are dissipated through the musculoskeletal system. Harder surfaces result in increased pounding and subsequent deleterious effects." It's a good thing I borrowed it because I would never have guessed what "deleterious" and "musculoskeletal system" meant. I still don't but it sounds impressive, doesn't it?
Some doctors think that walking at a brisk pace is equally, and possibly more, beneficial than jogging. Since walking is an exercise I thoroughly enjoy, I prefer to believe their opinion.
I could ... ahem ... walk clear out to the mailbox without any deleterious or musculoskeletal effects (dang ... I love those words) on my well-toned body (that's "tone" not "ton").
My less-than-intelligent neighbors, in the meantime, are wasting their energy and using up their allotted number of lifetime heart beats jogging three or four miles. What a waste.
Am I a "couch potato?" Who? Moi? Perish the thought. I only see the couch in the evening, at which time I never watch more than 3 or 9 previously recorded movies (mostly from the '40s and '50s when real movie stars were involved). The rest of my daily routine involves just a few, insignificant hours in front of the computer where I'm anchored as I write this amazingly interesting and informative piece. Heh heh heh.
Nope. Running ain't for me. I'll stick to my daily health-beneficial walk to the mailbox. And pffft on those joggers.
Whether at home or down at one of Edmonds' fine and nearly-world-famous waterfront parks, I see dozens of people out there running their bottoms off.
I can't help but believe that when that foot comes down, and hits the pavement with all the force associate with it, it must be doing some damage to the ankle, knee and hip joints.
I can't help but wonder if, as these runners/joggers reach a later age, they will have joint problems that will make getting around much more difficult. I borrowed the following from an article I found on the Internet. "The forces generated at heel strike are dissipated through the musculoskeletal system. Harder surfaces result in increased pounding and subsequent deleterious effects." It's a good thing I borrowed it because I would never have guessed what "deleterious" and "musculoskeletal system" meant. I still don't but it sounds impressive, doesn't it?
Some doctors think that walking at a brisk pace is equally, and possibly more, beneficial than jogging. Since walking is an exercise I thoroughly enjoy, I prefer to believe their opinion.
I could ... ahem ... walk clear out to the mailbox without any deleterious or musculoskeletal effects (dang ... I love those words) on my well-toned body (that's "tone" not "ton").
My less-than-intelligent neighbors, in the meantime, are wasting their energy and using up their allotted number of lifetime heart beats jogging three or four miles. What a waste.
Am I a "couch potato?" Who? Moi? Perish the thought. I only see the couch in the evening, at which time I never watch more than 3 or 9 previously recorded movies (mostly from the '40s and '50s when real movie stars were involved). The rest of my daily routine involves just a few, insignificant hours in front of the computer where I'm anchored as I write this amazingly interesting and informative piece. Heh heh heh.
Nope. Running ain't for me. I'll stick to my daily health-beneficial walk to the mailbox. And pffft on those joggers.