Exercise

I have recently gained temporary custody of our family’s two little dogs, and have joined the smug league of Healthy People who wake up before sunrise and go outside to Exercise. The exercise is mandatory so that the dogs don’t get bored and dismantle my house. I’m pretty sure the air of smugness comes automatically.

A pot-bellied young man came to the clinic the other day complaining of back pain after lifting something at work (not part of his usual repertoire). I did a full musculoskeletal examination – it took a while to find his muscles but he had a legitimate muscle strain – and then the Doctor came in and helped me with the Workcover certificate.

We advised him not to do any heavy lifting this week, so as not to aggravate his back injury. He paused, and said “well I was going to do my laundry today, but that will have to be postponed”.

The Doctor and I looked at this soft boy and mentally conceded that lifting a wet towel might have actually finished him off. I wanted to tell him that when his back was better, maybe he should do some bloody exercise so he wouldn’t hurt himself lifting next time ... but instead I wished him a speedy recovery and smiled as he walked out the door. Now what’s the point of being a smug Exerciser if you can’t lecture people about it?