The authors raise several reasons why they think people today need exercise. Do you agree with them? Justify your answer,

In the article, the authors state that exercise is a form of prevention from diseases caused by the lifestyle that we lead- that is, the consumption of junk food, practising unhealthy habits such as smoking and spending too much time doing things that do our health no good. Exercise is seen as a form of counter attack for diseases.

I agree with the authors that exercise is indeed a form of prevention against health problems. Studies have shown that an estimated 250,000 deaths each year occur due to lack of regular physical activity. When one exercises, he or she actually burns fats and thus reduces the risk of obesity. This will lower one’s chances of dying due to health related problems.

I also think that the authors’ point on over reliance on medicine is relevant. People in modern society are, more often than not, too reliable on advancements in medicine in terms of governing their lives. In the past, the only way to keep slim is to exercise. However, presently, we have slimming centres all over the globe. People thus make up of this advancement in the medical area to cut down on their weight. A large number of people also believe that medicine will cure all their problems. What they do not realise that one’s chances of getting cured is subjective, and not everyone who takes the medication will definitely get better; medicine does fail us at times.

Although all of the authors’ points are relevant, I think they are flawed in certain views. For instance, the authors focus largely on the claim that increasing exercise will lower one’s chance of getting ill. Exercise can indeed lower one’s chances of getting illnesses related to obesity, but there are many other illnesses in the world that may not be prevented through physical fitness. These include hereditary diseases such as heart problems and asthma. In this case, perhaps prolonged attempts to keep fit will worsen one’s condition.

Also, besides keeping one fit, exercise may also be used as a form of stress relief. In modern society, so many of us are caught up with our work that we have ‘stress build up’ within ourselves. This may be ‘released’ through the form of exercise. Research has shown that exercise does calm and relax one’s mind. This is essential in the corporate world to prevent mental breakdowns of high fliers who perhaps face a considerable amount of stress at work.

Therefore, I agree with most of the authors’ views on why we should exercise.