Irakurketa gomendioa: The Miracle Pill

Uda garai aproposa omen da liburuak irakurtzeko, eta hau irakurketa atsegina izan daiteke.

Aurreko sarreretan zientzialariek idatzitako liburu batzuk iradoki ditut, dibulgazio-erregistro batekin argitaratuak.

Oraingo honetan ez da zientzialaria, Peter Walker baizik, The Guardian egunkarian gaurkotasun politikoko kazetaria. Nire ustez, ezaugarri horrek bereizten du liburu hau, zientzian erabili ohi den foku itxia saihesten baitu, gai jakin batean aditua den ezagutza duena, eta ikuspegi zabala eskaintzen du, nazioarteko elkarrizketa ugariren, dokumentuen berrikuspen zabalaren eta bizipen pertsonalen testigantzen bidez.

Egileak klase politikoarekin duen harreman profesionalak sentiberatasun berezia sortzen du botere publikoek jarduera fisikoaren sustapenean esku hartzeko beharrarekiko, gure osasun-sistemek iraunkorrak izaten jarrai dezaten nahi badugu: ("This is very much a question of when, not if"), etorkizuneko ikuspegi ez oso itxaropentsuarekin:

“The academics calculated that on current trends, by 2030 the average American will, over an average week, expend only about 15 per cent more total bodily energy than someone who spent the entire seven days in bed. If that sounds worrying, it should be.”

Liburuak bizitza sedentariora eraman gaituen industrializazio- eta urbanizazio-prozesuaren errepaso historiko interesgarria egiten du, kirola sustatzea arazoaren konponbidetzat hartuta, guztiontzat irtenbidea ez izanik. Gizarte aktibo bat sortu nahi badugu, ohiko jarduera fisikoan jarduteko beharra nabarmentzen du (beti zalantzan jartzen dut "incidental" nola itzuli):

 “This is the central point: if you really want physical movement to embed in someone’s life, it has to be in the form of another beloved public health term – ‘incidental activity’. This is, at its simplest, activity which takes place almost as an afterthought, because it forms part of your regular day. It is what happened in the past when people did farm chores, or carried in wood for the fire, or walked to school. This was just life. In contrast, sport and exercise generally happen in discretionary time, which is one of the main reasons they are so unsuited to replacing regular exertion as a population-wide driver of better health.”

“There is deep concern among many public health professionals that the focus on sport rather than more regular movement allows governments to pretend they are tackling inactivity, and ignore the wider problems.”

Eta ohiko jarduera fisiko honetan, bat nator egilearekin joan-etorri aktiboak sustatzeko premian:

“Imagine if you were a medical researcher and you discovered a drug which would improve people’s health outcomes on the scale of cycle commuting. A Nobel Prize would be more or less guaranteed, as would a knighthood or damehood.”

Gobernuek osasun publikoko gaietan gehiegi esku hartzeagatik gizartean dagoen kezka behin eta berriz agertzen da testuan, baina egokia da egileak COVID-19rekin gertatutakoarekin egiten duen alderaketa:

“If voters can accept their government effectively locking them in their homes for two months to save lives, perhaps far less intrusive measures to create more everyday activity, for the same reason, are less likely to attract the traditional opposing cry of, ‘Nanny state!’.”

Liburuak bere eguneroko ohiturei buruz pentsarazi nahi die irakurleei, eta atal bakoitzaren amaieran gogoeta praktiko batzuk iradokitzen ditu:

“Next steps: Think about your routine, and how and when you are physical. Is it just through exercise – and if so, can it be hard to find the time? Then think about how you might be able to incorporate any sort of exertion into everyday life – everything from climbing one flight of stairs to parking 200 metres further away than normal – instead.”

Haurrei zuzendutako atalean, jakina, Finlandian eta Eslovenian egindako lana nabarmentzen da, bi gizarte desberdin alderatuz:

“If Finland 's approach is a typically Nordic, social democrat – Type, Slovenia' s programme for young people and schools feels almost communist – And, in fact, did originate in Yugoslav times.”

Esloveniaren kasuan, antolatu genuen saio honetan parte hartu zuen Gregor Starc da bere egoera azaltzen duena. 

Azken batean, jarduera fisikoaren puzzle konplexua osatzeko gai den liburua da. Arlo honetako profesionalei gomendatzen diet irakurtzea, baita eguneroko jarduera fisikoa areagotzeko bultzada behar dutenei ere; izan ere, irakurketak ondorioak izango baitu.

Azkenik, egungo unea aintzat hartuta, izenburuak ez al luke "The Miracle Vaccine" izan behar?