Running Through My Mind: Thoughts on Sport and Fitness

Ronald R. Wallingford is a professor in the School of Human Movement at
Laurentian University.

This assemblage of writings, distilled from 200 previously published
articles, poignantly pricks the conscience of any unfit reader. It does
so by describing the wealth of satisfaction derived by an individual
perfecting different types of self-propelled motion. The Grade 9 boy
organizing his one-man track meet, the international competitor, and the
seeker of excitement through unexplored methods of active motion are,
like the dog with the front gate left open, all obeying a deep urge to
flex constrained muscles.

Stewart believes that the emphasis in our society should be on
deterring cardiovascular degeneration rather than elaborating on its
care. In an ideal world, he claims, there would be fewer hospital beds
and more bicycles, fewer coronary-care units and more canoes, fewer
oxygen tents and more outdoor ones. He would exempt selected sports and
recreational equipment from tax and institute “well leave” to reward
those who are healthy, fit, and away from work less often. Showers,
lockers, and covered bicycle parking would be mandatory in all office
buildings if he had his way.

Stewart laments how active children lose their lust for activity under
slovenly school programs. The block system, for example, provides
concentrated physical education one term and eliminates it the
next—about as sensible as saving time by eating the week’s five
lunches on Monday.

The author’s synthesis of the many delicate facets of fitness moves
receptive readers a step nearer to understanding the plethora of
misinformation on this topic as well as providing insight into the
reader’s own needs.