We hear about the benefits of an active lifestyle every day. But it is not customary to talk about the possible consequences of physical exertion. Although each of us can easily remember friends who were injured during classes. This is not about professional sports and not about amateur, but traumatic boxing and hockey, no. Running, cycling, yoga and other “harmless” sports interest Stephen Barrer above all. He describes the injuries he himself faced as a neurosurgeon and suggests looking for a middle ground between a sedentary lifestyle and sports fanaticism. Each of us has our own middle ground. “The popular maxim “No pain, no gain” (in the original No pain, no gain) is the most stupid thing I have ever heard,” the doctor writes. Never exercise by force. As soon as you feel pain or discomfort, stop.” In addition, Barrer urges not to neglect elementary safety measures: wear a helmet when riding a bicycle; run only in special sneakers and on soft paths made of springy material; avoid yoga cobra and shoulder stand, especially if you practice them at home. These asanas disrupt the blood supply to the brain, which can lead (and – alas – more than once) to a stroke.
Alpina Publisher, 230 p., 2015