EXERCISE: RISKS AND BENEFITS
Highlights of a lecture by Arthur Segel, M.D.
Director of Internal Medicine, McLean Hospital
Wednesday, September 8, 1999

Dr. Segel's talk emphasized exercise as an all-around life-enhancing activity that can improve both health and longevity. The benefits of regular exercise are felt in numerous areas, including diet, weight, stopping smoking, and even mediating the effects of mood disorders and the medications prescribed to treat them. While the health benefits are numerous, Dr. Segel encouraged us to exercise for fun and focus on the enjoyment aspects.

Dr. Segel likened diet and exercise to balancing a checkbook: eating is like making deposits and burning calories is like making withdrawals. The more we can limit our deposits and boost our withdrawals the better off we will be.

He emphasized that carbohydrate "deposits" are especially detrimental due to the way our bodies process and store them as calories. Carbos such as cakes, pies, ice cream, pasta, pizza, bread, and alcohol turn into sugars that decrease our metabolism. On the other hand, low or no-carbo foods such as fruit, salads, and veggies work the opposite way and boost our metabolisms and ability to burn calories.

Every exercise we do counts as a withdrawal: walking up the stairs versus taking the elevator, taking a walk around the block, or any activity that can burn off calories.

Dr. Segal's recommendation is that we aim to perform 20 to 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three times a week. A good way to start is to first inventory your physical activity to determine your starting point, then start adding slowly over time. Don't exhaust yourself or go so fast you get hurt and stop, and concentrate on low intensity activities.

Dr. Segel made a solid case for adding exercise and stress reduction to our wellness strategies. The physiological aspects of exercise, including its ability to turn on the neuroendocrine switches in our brains that create endorphins, can be particularly beneficial to people with mood disorders and all people suffering from chronic illness. Dr. Segel made an excellent point by stating that how people fare with a chronic illness, like mood disorders, is more a functin of what they do versus what the doctor does. This makes exercise an excellent, often free option for improving wellness.

You can order an audio tape of this lecture by calling 617-855-2795.