Exercise: A Personal History (Opinion)

One day before my 36th birthday, Bentonville neurosurgeon Dr. Richard Kyle gave me two early presents — a hemilaminectomy and discectomy.

Several weeks earlier, I had developed some pretty severe lower back pain, later revealed to be a herniated disc.

I was referred to Dr. Kyle to discuss what to do about it, and fortunately the pain was tolerable while I waited for a resolution. Unfortunately, the disc eventually ruptured, and Dr. Kyle performed those procedures to repair it.

One thing to note about that experience: In the 24 hours leading up to that surgery, I could have been hit across the face with a boat oar and the pain wouldn’t have been any worse than what I was experiencing in my lower back and left leg.

But the surgery was a success and the recovery was great, because of my young age and being in good shape, Dr. Kyle said. Who am I to argue? And after several months, I was able to return to a regular routine of exercise.

All of that is said to make this point: No matter the barriers — past injuries, not enough hours in the day, etc. — regular exercise of some kind is worth your time.

I was reminded of that while talking to several business executives for a story in this issue on the popularity of CrossFit in Northwest Arkansas.

Rob Gehring, president of Global Walmart/Sam’s Club Group for Coca-Cola Refreshments, travels frequently because of his job. He’s also had surgeries on both knees.

But regular exercise is an essential part of his day, even going so far as using body-weight workouts in a hotel room while traveling.

And as much as anything, Gehring believes rigorous exercise is a great way to enhance cognitive abilities.

“As a business person, it’s an integral part of my life,” he said.

Two years after back surgery, I can say the same thing. Celebrating a birthday in a hospital room is no fun. But starting and continuing some sort of physical activity will hopefully help add a few more birthdays to the tally.