Shaping Up: What You Can Do vs What You Can’t

Yes, it’s better to be fit than unfit, and yes, it’s better to exercise than it is not to exercise, but there are limits to what exercise and healthy living can accomplish, and very often those limits are much less than we imagine. This back-to-reality piece by the New York Times’ Gina Kolata will not exactly delight those who believe they can exercise their way to eternal youth. Kolata quotes health experts who worry that many public health messages promise much more than they can deliver, and that the desire to control our health, a near-obsessive need for many Americans, can only lead to disappointment. In the long run, the piece argues, the best thing we all can do for our health, mental and physical, is get real.