Dear Mel
Maybe things are slightly different in the United States but, here in the United Kingdom, if I wanted to begin an exercise programme I would only consult a Doctor (General Practitioner) to ensure that I still had my heart and lungs in the correct place and in reasonable working order; that I did not have any gross pathology which might be aggravated by a sudden change in exercise habits and a reassuring pat on the back that I was doing the correct thing in trying to ensure a more healthy life style. As the average GP allows about 5 minutes per patient and has a pile of notes on his desk about patients who may be genuinely ill, anyone asking for a 'clean bill of health' is likely to receive fairly short shrift. I think it would be unreasonable to expect detailed advice about the correct performance of a particular exercise or activity: that is not his job. Ensuring that there is no bar to undertaking an exercise programme must be part of his job.
You just have to make sure that you do not fall into the hands of a philosophical detirminist: I had the misfortune to meet such a guy once who honestly believed that our hearts are programmed at birth to beat X times.... and then you died! Any effort to raise the pulse rate was, in his view, tantamount to suicide. I think he was serious; he would keep quoting Henry Ford who famously said "Exercise is bunk. If you are well you dont need it and if you are ill you shouldn't do it"
Mel: when do we get your next paradox? My Saturday nights with a Gin and Tonic and a Mellism are almost a distant memory! Keep asking awkward questions.
Regards, Tony Windsor
