Dangers of Exercise

The one aspect of life in which moving in "slow motion" makes
sense

It seems like you can't WALK down a city street anymore.

Not because of all the criminals and panhandlers, but because of all
the joggers and bicyclists! Heck, I get more of a workout on an
average walk in the park from bobbing and weaving trying to
dodge these fools than they get from just tooling along. It's like
football practice or something.

If only the mainstream would wake up and smell the bacon
(literally), they'd realize what joint-murdering, heart-stressing
lunacy this kind of exercise really is.

Now, before you call me lazy, jealous, or out of shape, let me just
explain a little about what I mean. Statistics show that in an
average year, millions of exercise fanatics ended up in the ER -
to the tune of more than $20 billion. That's more than the U.S.
spent to transport, house, clean, clothe, arm, supply, feed, and
protect our 300,000 or so troops in
the first full month of the Iraq war! That's a lot of green…

And a lot of these "walking wounded" here at home are 50- and
60-something baby boomers trying to keep up with their kids -
and hopelessly brainwashed into believing they have to pound the
pavement every minute of their lives to stay healthy!

But at last there's some hope for these folks. It's a new trend in
ultra-low impact exercise that promises to be safe, injury-proof,
and quite effective from the looks of it. It's called "slow rep" or
"slow-burn" exercise. Basically, it entails typical strength-training
resistance exercises (bench press, leg press, arm curls, etc.)
performed at an ultra-slow pace - like 20-30 seconds per
repetition. Done in single sets to exhaustion, complete workouts
take only half an hour or so. And once or twice a week is enough
to maintain - and even boost - your muscle power and fat-
burning ability.

So take my advice: If working out is your thing, ditch the running
shoes and the bicycle pants - and look into slow-rep exercise.
There are books and online information available that will tell you
how to get started…

And save your knees for a rainy day.
 
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The trouble with "tubbing"

You've heard of "black lung," right?

It's the deadly disease miners get from years of inhaling coal dust
- and it's one of many such illnesses we can get from inhaling
things we shouldn't. Now, we can add a new one
to this list - but it doesn't come from mining, iron smelting,
asbestos removal, or any of the typical sources one would expect a
respiratory disease would stem from…

No, this one's called HOT TUB LUNG!

That's right - all you hardcore party-ers are in grave danger,
according to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal. Described
in the piece as the country's newest "lifestyle ailment," Hot Tub
Lung debuts as potentially the most serious such malady in a list
that includes Tennis Elbow, Turf Toe, and Swimmer's Ear.

Doctors believe the condition is caused by a troublesome, resilient
microbe called Microbacterium avium carried in the water-vapor
mists that swirl and rise above hot tubs - especially when the
water jets are turned on. Indoor hot tubs appear to be the main
culprits!

Among the most adept at diagnosing this growing malady are the
Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. They liken the disease to
Humidifier Lung, Pigeon-keeper's Lung, Mushroom-picker's
disease, and Maple-bark Stripper's Lung (all real diseases, I
swear!).

I'm not the least bit surprised to learn of this condition. I've been
warning people for years about the dangers of inhaled toxins and
bacteria from just a daily hot shower with municipal tap water!

Of course, treatment for Hot Tub Lung involves an aggressive
program of prescription steroids and antibiotics.

You can drain and sterilize the tub, and NEVER use it again. But
you don't have to be that drastic, and you can use hot tubs safely.
There's not room here, but check out the July 2003 issue of my
newsletter for instructions on how to avoid this problem.