Inactivity and Health Problems

For years health researchers had noticed that inactive people had more health problems than active people. Some of their studies compared the cardiovascular systems of people who did active work (such as carpentry or delivering mail) with those of people who sat in one place most of the day. In every study the active people suffered less heart diseases. And in every age group their death rates were lower than the death rates of inactive people.

These are some of the health problems connected with inadequate physical activity:

· obesity

· heart disease

· high blood pressure

· injuries to muscles, ligaments, tendons

· injuries and pain in bones and joints

· respiratory diseases

· stress

· depression and anxiety

The connection between this gloomy list and lack of exercise is simple. The body is like a finely tuned, complicated machine. If it is cared for, the different parts keep working well. If it is neglected, those parts get creaky and rusty. They are broken or injured more easily.

Have you ever broken an arm or a leg? If so, you know what happened when the cast came off. Your muscles had begun to atrophy. That is, the muscles had begun to waste away from lack of use. Bones and joints, too, had gotten weaker because of disuse. That's what happens to people who do not exercise. Parts of their bodies begin to grow weak. Because their muscles and bones are weak, such individuals are more prone to injury than fit people. Their bodies also tend to age faster. Many people who don't exercise are also overweight. That's because the human body has a system for storing fat. In times when food was scarce, the fat storage mechanism helped people to survive. But in these days of overeating and underexercising, the same mechanism threatens our health and survival.

Exercise 1

Find in the text the English equivalents of the following words and expressions:

сердечно-сосудистая система; уровень смертности; высокое кровяное давление; повреждение мышц, связок, сухожилий; боль в суставах; респираторные заболевания; пренебрегать, игнорировать; атрофироваться; чахнуть, истощаться; стареть, угрожать здоровью и жизни.