职称英语卫生类阅读文章7

Whether or not exercise adds to the length of life, it is common experience that a certain amount of regular exercise improves the health and contributes a feeling of well-being. Furthermore, exercise which involves play and recreation, and relieves nervous tension and mental fatigue in so doing, is not only pleasant but beneficial.

How much and what kind of exercise one should take merits careful consideration. The growing child and the normal young man and young woman thrill with the exhilaration of strenuous sports. They fatigue to the point of exhaustion but recover promptly with a period of rest. But not so with those _of middle age and beyond. For them moderation is of vital importance. Just how much exercise a person of a given age can safely take is question hard _to answer. Individual variability is too great to permit of generalization. A game of tennis may be perfectly safe for one person of forty but folly for another. The sage limit for exercise depends on the condition of the heart, the condition of the muscles, the type of exercise, and the regularity with which it is taken. Two general suggestions, however, will serve as sound advice for anyone. The first is that the condition of the heart and general health should be determined periodically by careful, thorough physical examinations. The other is that exercise should be kept below the point of physical exhaustion.

What type of exercise one should choose _depends upon one’s physical condition. Young people can safely enjoy vigorous competitive sports, but most older persons do better to limit themselves to less strenuous activities. Walking, swimming, skating are among the sports that one can enjoy and safely participate in throughout life. Regularity is important if one is to get the most enjoyment and benefit out of exercise.