Army Bob: Don’t overlook general health in Covid war

by Robert M. Traxler

COVID-19 and exercise; ever listen to the health experts tell us to do what amounts to sit in our basements and binge watch Netflix? Is something wrong with getting out and exercising?

Gyms and workout locations are closed or limited by order of the king or queen, czar, or potentate, the dear leaders and commissars of our society who work overtime telling us what we can’t do but almost no time telling us how to keep our general physical and mental health. Stay six feet apart, wear a mask, binge watching ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’ while eating bags of potato chips, drinking beer and doing a bushel basket of weed is the order of the day.

Any wonder we have an epidemic of suicides, spousal and child abuse? Type two diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke among others are also on the rise. If you die from COVID-19 because of having the other ailments, it only matters that you died from COVID; no one much cares about the other contributing factors to a death exacerbated by the laws dictating isolation.

Perhaps it is time for the leaders of our society to work as hard on our general health as they do on COVID-19. Nah, our mental and general health is not a political hot potato like COVID-19. It is anecdotal evidence, but not one, none, zero members of our walking group have come down with the virus.

We have people who are in the health care industry along with family members, folks who work with the homeless, folks who are active in church, schools and civic projects, folks who work with the public, but none, zero, have gotten the virus. Again, this is probably evidence of nothing, but it may be exercise helps stave off the infection.

Even if it does not, it will help with general mental and physical health. Humans are herd creatures; we need human interaction, along with fresh air and exercise. Suicide, abuse, physical and mental health are not a great concern; excessive use of beer, tobacco, ice cream, weed and bourbon are great just as long as we are not becoming COVID-19 statistics. Folks you can’t make this stuff up.

So just why do the anointed ones, the elite political class, the barons of the water, winter wonderland work overtime telling us what not to do?  Children do not have physical education if out of school, gyms and playgrounds are closed or use is discouraged, and our mental and physical health is not even an afterthought of the elite political class.

Would it hurt the state public health officials to address the benefits of exercise and intellectual stimululation? It must be painful for the deities in the government to urge us to eat healthy, not smoke weed or tobacco, drink alcohol, and turn off the tube, put down the computer/phone get off our asses and exercise; it is the only reason I can think of.

Our State motto is Si Quaeis Peninsulam Amoenam Circumspice, “If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look around you.” It is not stay inside, stare at the four walls, smoke, drink, eat and abuse family members. Time for our leaders to look to our overall health, not just COVID-19.

When folks pass away from more traditional ailments, the leaders in our society are relieved it was not COVID-19 related. Perhaps, just perhaps, with better general health and social distancing/masking up we will slow this pandemic. Make no mistake — COVID-19, as H1N1, will be with us for generations.

The mumps vaccine was developed at light speed, only four short years start to finish and has been in use for more than 40 years, and we still have mumps. H1N1 vaccine is in the annual flu shot and was developed 11 years ago, and we still have tens of thousands of diagnosed cases per year and a much larger number of undiagnosed cases.

Sad, but true, the COVID-19 virus will be with us for generations; time we all looked to our general health for the long term.