don's report archive

by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.

Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

Medical leaders recently decided that exercise is medicine, and passed a resolution to that effect. Exercise IS medicine, in one sense, but it is not, in another. Thus, the ACSM is half right to make such a claim -- and 100 percent correct in "doing the right thing," namely, legitimizing and prodding the notion that primary care doctors should assess and promote exercise as part of medical encounters.

The value of exercise for physical and mental well being is "inestimable," declared Jane E. Brody in a NY Times essay. ("You Name It And Exercise Helps It," Personal Health, April 29, 2008.) "Exercise comes close to a magic bullet" in terms of universal benefits, states a Harvard School of Public Health official quoted in the same article. 

I maintain that exercise comes close to being a panacea, a dues-ex-machina (or improbable contrivance) and a fine alternative to prayer! I added the last point because exercise works every time, whereas there is no evidence that prayer ever got results, even one time. Considering that prayer is more popular than exercise by a factor of about a gazillion quadrillion, this disparity seems an odd quirk of human nature. But, this point shall remain a topic for another day -- let's focus on exercise and a new book about it that I think is unique, effective and worthy of your consideration.

Your Performing Edge: The Complete Mind-Body Guide for Excellence in Sports, Health and Life, is a remarkable work by noted sports-psychologist, educator, athlete and entertainer JoAnn Dahlkoetter. While nearly everyone knows that regular vigorous exercise reduces the risk of every imaginable chronic disease (including but not limited to heart attack, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, dementia, osteoporosis, gallstones, diverticulitis, erectile dysfunction, peripheral vascular disease, twelve different cancers and the risks of falling down!), it seems most don't care! The support for this statement comes from the obvious fact that exercise is NOT practiced by the vast majority of Americans. Most people are overweight or obese and sedentary. Such a paradox: Everyone knows exercise and proactive lifestyle habits are associated with positive outcomes and healthier states; yet, few live accordingly.

Your Performing Edge deals with REAL wellness, for the whole point of enhancing mental disciplines is to "gain the greatest prize of all - the ability to live a higher quality of life."

Conclusion: If information led to good choices, America would be the healthiest nation on Earth. But, it does not. Herein lies the key to the special nature of Your Performing Edge.  It's a book a reader experiences, a page-turning, almost novel-like tour of winning as a state of mind. With wonderful stories and interviews (I loved Dahlkoetter's interview of gold medal swimmer Misty Dawn Hyman), photographs, guidelines, 50 plus mental training exercises and much more, the author creates conditions for learning, getting energized, crafting goals aligned with a vision and building a satisfying lifestyle. You'll be led through an interesting process for focusing your efforts and gaining confidence along the way. In short, Dahlkoetter's book on mental and other tools of the exercise trade entertains, thrills and dazzles while reinforcing basic concepts supportive of enduring actions.

For more on Dr. JoAnn Dahlkoetter, author, visit Your Performing Edge, for complimentary articles and mini eCourse for personal excellence. 

Be well. Look on the bright side of life.

(Note: This essay will be filed in the archives in the PHYSICAL DOMAIN under the skill area of exercise and fitness. Additional articles related to this theme may be found there.)

(Ed. Note: Views expressed in this and other columns are those of the author and not necessarily those of the SeekWellness Editorial Board.)

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