In my July TLT column I mentioned the advantages of leading a balanced life for optimum performance in our jobs and a fulfilling family and personal life.

We still have August and September where most areas in the U.S. can enjoy outdoor activities. Sports are fun, bring family and friends together and give us good exercise without even realizing it is a workout. Hiking in nature, walking by our favorite sights, or if we would like air conditioning, then cycling, and even gardening are all great exercises and check all the advantages.

Our bodies are the only machines that renew themselves when we move—of course, if we have not injured our bodies in some way that makes moving difficult, especially in our later years when we really need that movement. I see people struggling with injuries that happened during their younger years, often before 20 years old, while engaged in competitive sports. I have a daughter and a son, and I was especially worried when they were playing competitive sports. Some of the activities they were asked to do were very dangerous. The goal was to win! The salaries of the coaches depended on winning. The schools were run as businesses, so making a name for the school was critical to attract new students.

When my son joined wrestling, I was happy because it is an ancestral sport. It works the whole body and brings a lot of benefits. But I was horrified when I heard that three weeks into starting wrestling in middle school, they were practicing throwing their opponent over their shoulders! This is a very dangerous move and needs many years of practice. Damaging shoulders and neck are very possible. I sat my son aside and explained that one wrong move could cause a debilitating injury for the rest of his very long life. He listened, and after his best friend tore his shoulder muscles and another broke his elbow, literally a week after, he stopped wrestling. He has played volleyball and other sports and is fine today.

My daughter loved fencing, and I trained her, so she had a good set of skills. When she wanted to join the fencing team at the University of Pennsylvania, they would not allow her to fence because they only accepted established top fencers so they could make a name for the university. So, she was not able to enjoy fencing like I had. A friend got her into playing rugby—another sport where the competition and winning were the only thing, and she got the message and switched to volleyball. It was still competitive to the point where she hated the concept of “crushing the enemy,” but no one was diving into her knees. I feel so bad for all those kids going into the sports they love and getting injured for life.

I was lucky enough to have access to fencing and water polo when I grew up, and I enjoyed both immensely. We had competitions and they were very exciting, but we always trained and competed with the overarching understanding that sports were to develop our bodies, enjoy ourselves and develop our minds and our skills. The goals were all personal. We did not compete to make our clubs richer, and we did not expect nor were we encouraged to make any money out of sports. This made it very easy to always keep safety first. When I was playing water polo, I was a goalkeeper. When the attack comes from an angle the shooter has very few options and usually aims at the face of the goalie. If the goalie ducks, it is a goal. I needed my head, so I always ducked, and no one questioned it. The coach would laugh. He did not lose his job. The club kept on sponsoring many young players. We all had a great time and enjoyed the benefits. I never saw or heard anyone getting injured in water polo, which can be a very rough sport, or in fencing.

I also did not attach my personality to any sports. In later years I had access to racquetball at a university in Michigan. I enjoyed it very much. I never had time to get very good at it, but the beers we had afterward soothed my bruised ego. The advantages stayed with me. While I was in Peoria, Ill., I was rowing since they had a rowing club. In Chicago the fencing club was too far away for a good family life, so I played tennis, and we cycled.

Now, being close to 70 years old, I look back and see the vanity of trying to be the best swimmer of the season or the best fencer of the year. Some years I was the best in Türkiye, but in a few years, there were new winners, so it obviously was not something to aim for. But the friends I made and the fun we had are still with me. I can function without aches or pains or limps. That is a lifelong win and a pleasure no amount of money can buy!

I suggest we do some physical activity every day, with a little push, but never go too far where it starts to hurt. We take great care of our machines at work, our cars and our equipment. The best, most useful machine we have is our body, and we should make it a priority so we can enjoy a useful and enjoyable life. I wish everyone a happy summer and a happy life.

Dr. Selim Erhan is president of Erbur Solutions in Trout Valley, Ill. You can reach him at selim.erhan@outlook.com.