Flying and Health — Page 104, Lesson 156

I want to walk you through the Flying and Health section, starting with some important basics about posture and then moving into obesity and exercise. First, let's talk about your seating position in the cockpit. As aircrew, you need to be aware of the importance of a good sitting position in flight, and that includes correctly setting the seat's lumbar support. Many problems that arise from prolonged sitting can be helped with in-flight exercise, and most can be cured with physiotherapy treatment. Now, let's look at obesity. Obesity is the term for an excess of fatty tissue in the body, and it tends to be genetic. If an individual is obese, they become susceptible to a long list of serious conditions. Let me go through them carefully. First, there's heart attack. Then hypertension, which is high blood pressure, and with that comes a higher risk of a stroke. An obese person is also at risk of hypoxia at lower altitudes than normal, meaning they would suffer from oxygen deficiency at altitudes where a non-obese person would be fine. There are general circulation problems. Gout, which is a painful inflammation of the joints caused by an excess of uric acid. Osteoarthritis, which is wear and tear on the joints. Diabetes. G-forces become a problem. There are problems with joints and limbs due to the weight itself. Decompression sickness, or DCS. Heavy sweating. Chest infections. Varicose veins. And finally, a reduced life expectancy. If someone is overweight or obese, there are obvious advantages to losing weight. But I want to be clear: there is no magic formula or secret dietary method to reduce weight. The principle is simple — any food taken in has to be balanced by the energy output. Any excess is stored in the body as fat. So the only practical way to lose weight is to eat less from a balanced diet that contains the right mix of carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Now, a very important warning: the use of crash diets must be avoided. They are normally ineffective in the long term and may cause dangerous physical and emotional symptoms. The overall objective must be to introduce new habits of eating, with a change in the frequency, size, and content of meals. And on no account should appetite suppressants be taken unless under the direct supervision of an aviation medical specialist. Let's move on to exercise. Exercise promotes both mental and physical fitness and a sense of well-being. However, I need to give you a realistic picture: the amount of exercise required to burn off excess weight is so high that it is not a practical solution to obesity. That said, those who do take regular exercise can cope with fatigue much better, and their resistance to stress is improved. Since pilots are required to sit for long periods of time, regular exercise is of particular importance. To be effective in reducing coronary artery disease, exercise must be regular and sufficient to raise the resting pulse rate by 100% for at least 20 minutes, three times a week. So if your resting heart rate is, say, 70 beats per minute, you need to get it up to 140 beats per minute for at least 20 minutes, and you need to do that three times a week. What counts as good exercise? Playing squash or tennis, swimming, jogging, and cycling all provide good exercise. But playing a round of golf or walking the dog, while pleasant, provide insufficient exercise to benefit the individual physically.