Be Fit and Live

[Music] are you feeling okay mr. Nelson I'm not really overweight child I just have a large spring runs in our family yes I know mrs. job is she kidding maybe we're all kidding ourselves about the shape we're in in fact the President's Council on physical fitness found that six out of ten use flunked the simplest tests of fitness while most adults suffer from creeping overweight and are quickly exhausted by any abnormal burst of activity what if mr. Nelson had to run for his life he'd never make it the motor in his body doesn't work like it used to the trusty mechanism is run down a clock from disuse and neglect this is a true measure of aging it doesn't matter how many or how few birthdays you've had when your arteries look like this you are old or to look at it another way most of us have middle-aged bodies before our time [Music] what's the problem it's simply that we don't put out physically like our ancestors did and we don't get enough exercise to make up for it [Music] for the first time we find ourselves so technically advanced that we no longer need to be physically active on the job or in the home [Music] we let machines do the work telephone instead of visit use the automobile instead of walking and let television substitute for outside activity or entertainment what's all this wrought about this physical exercise and activity what whatever you say Gramps but I would still prescribe a little exercise to take the kinks out of your back [Music] Faton flab disease and death that's a pretty heavy way to begin a story that can have a happy ending hi I'm your host Don Drysdale and what the good doctor said a few minutes ago is absolutely true but can be avoided by a sensible diet to control your weight and a program of physical activity to get you in top condition well it sounds simple doesn't it but how can you do it well first of all why don't you let the ordinary things you do every day work for you must you jump in a car to go a few blocks walk instead saves gasoline to try parking a distance from work or school and walking the rest of the way do you always have to use an elevator take a short break when you're working stretch lift up and down on your toes do a few knee bends to get the circulation going [Music] if you're self-conscious do it where nobody is looking or do some of the chores other people and machines do for you [Music] on a date go dancing instead of to a movie remember when you get off your Duff and do something you're beginning to exercise then there are the games and sports you like to watch will do them instead I happen to have played baseball but you can enjoy any one of them yourself even if you're not an expert [Music] in fact being a weekend athlete can be a lot of fun and make you feel better and look better but all too often it consists of short periods of violent activity followed by long periods of inactivity a poor substitute for regular exercise what you need is a planned exercise program now let's let dr. Laurence Morehouse head of the human performance laboratory at the University of California at Los Angeles explain we've been testing people to find out what exercise can actually do for them we now know there are several things a good fitness program can do for you and your body an obvious benefit of regular exercise is the firming of flabby muscles in order to develop muscular strength the muscles must work progressively against the load which is slightly heavier than the load you previously lifted then there's the improvement in endurance the ability of muscles to perform for long and repeated contractions and the ability of the circulatory and respiratory system to sustain this continuous muscular work [Music] there's also the benefits of increased suppleness and coordination with the resulting improvement in posture figure and grace of movement [Music] all of these activities strengthen the heart and increase its output and efficiency reducing the risk of heart attacks and increasing your chance of survival and the case you should have a heart attack because frequent and regular exercise increases the number of coronary arteries which provides a backup system and protects the heart during an attack evidence is overwhelming that individuals who take regular and frequent exercise maintain their correct weight smoke less and use less drugs they have a better job performance record they have fewer degenerative diseases and by slowing the aging process regular exercise increases your number of active years well very good but what about that point on weight you know there are many people who say that exercise can't reduce weight much less maintain it and you know you're supposed to walk 11 miles to lose a pound or write a bike for seven hours and all that now are they wrong no in fact they're quite right there are 3500 calories in a pound of human fat this means in order to lose a pound a week you have to burn off 500 calories a day now the best way to do this is by combining exercise and diet burn off 300 calories by an hour of physical activity cut out 200 calories from your diet by eliminating the frills such as gravies and sauces and dessert but if you become more active won't you just eat more the strange thing is they won't careful studies show that those who sit around eat more those who are active eat less Kettleman know this they pinned their cattle with plenty of food around and the cattle gained weight range cattle roam around eat less and stay lean then you're saying that if you're more active you'll eat less exactly and vigorous exercise dulls the appetite well then if I wanted to reduce I should go on a recommended diet and combine it with an exercise program preferably before the big meal of the day but if I wanted to maintain my weight a program of physical activity would be sufficient right there's no doubt in my mind that inactivity is the most important factor in explaining the frequency of creeping overweight in our society and proper exercise is the best way to fight it proper exercise that's the key and your choice of an exercise and how you go about exercising is of prime importance in achieving your goal and what is your goal well for some gets gaining a trim figure or at least not going to fight for others it's the feeling of health and vigour from being in top condition and staying there many are overweight and want to reduce or avoid creeping over weight while for a lot of us it's simply recreation the pleasure of a group activity that you know is good for you so pick an activity you liked it's consistent with your particular goal and one that fits your age and physical condition but make it something that is available the whole year and one that you can afford it can be indoors or outdoors or both where weather is a factor it should be one in which you can measure yourself against available standards and exercise the whole body often a combination of exercises is the best bet to fit your individual needs [Music] hey Dad I like that scene about building muscles what do you need nothing for you've got plenty between your ears already like I was saying maybe I could take up weightlifting at school why not sounds okay to me well I for one don't need any more muscles that's sure wish I had a nice speak you like situations right on the dancer now it's my turn let's see Jackie seems the best bet for me how about you Mary I know what you're thinking and you're probably right there's some conditioning exercises would do the trick I forget Marge and we could Bob who needs that exercise jock not me and what did the doctor say well maybe he had a point there I could take some long walks and loosen up a bit well good so you know what you want to do and now you want to know how to go about it right up first you should see your doctor for a checkup if you're in school or young and feel in good health there should be no problem take some tests at a nearby health facility to determine your present condition and capacity for exercise or check yourself against some established simple test but the older you are the more thorough it should be especially if you're over 40 a treadmill test is an even better way to determine how healthy your heart is these will help you determine how much you should exercise at first both fitness tests and exercise programs are available in numerous books and government publications at a store or library pick anytime in place that suits your schedule and your needs the important thing is to make it a regular routine divide your exercise period into a warming up period say stretching for instance bend the work out of your choice a cooling down period perhaps some more easy walking and stretching [Music] work up to your goal graduate without competing against yourself or others for that matter avoid setting unrealistic goal learn you're exercised on the amount you can do with discomfort or excessive fatigue one way to find out is to take your pulse countered at the wrists like this or at the throat if you find it easier count the beats for 15 seconds and multiply by 4 as a general rule for fitness and he'll he should never have to raise your pulse rate above 200 minus your age however your choice of exercise should allow you to get your pulse rate above 120 for short periods gradually extending them to 10 minutes for the non athlete that's the point where he is breathing noticeably or perspiring freely learn to pace yourself alternating periods of high activity with less activity sit down and rest if your breathing becomes labored with tightness or pain in the chest or if you're dizzy weak or nauseous you're overdoing it also if you feel weak two hours afterwards you can't sleep that night or unduly tire the next day once you're in good condition you can cut back to a maintenance program maybe only an hour so a week in three or four session that will be enough for you but maintain your exercise program and make it a habit and stay with it join a group exercise along with your favorite TV program do your calisthenics - an exercise show exercise yourself and the dog I don't need to do join up with a spouse or a friend let others know how good you feel with regular exercise and do it now and believe me you'll never feel sorry not today nor through a lot of healthy tomorrow and this is your host Don Drysdale wishing you good exercise [Music]