Fitness and health: What's your take?

I’m an avid runner and triathlete. For years now, I’ve been preaching the gospel of a healthy lifestyle, constantly telling anyone who will listen that running, jogging, or cycling is the ultimate cure-all for most modern ailments... blah, blah, blah...

Then today, I stumble upon some doctor’s opinion in a reply to a patient—doesn't really matter what the specific question was...

Quote:

People just attribute magical powers to sports, when in reality, it wears the body down. Tell me, which athlete has ever been filmed living into old age? All I see are shepherds who spent their lives walking steadily behind their sheep and drinking kefir. Heroic athletes tend to die young or in middle age. There is such a thing as a biological clock, and if you constantly wind it forward, it reaches its end sooner. This idolization of sports stems from Hitler and the communists; people should start asking themselves if this obsession is actually healthy for the individual, just as it was supposedly "healthy" for the race or the working class.

Curious to hear your thoughts...🤷

one thing is for recreation, the other is for professionals

Look, moderation is everything. If someone goes way overboard—even if they’re a pro athlete—yeah, I get it, you’re going to burn out your body. But that’s a specific scenario. I don't buy the idea that someone just playing sports for fun is going to wreck their health. Honestly, it should do the exact opposite and make them healthier. I know a bunch of guys who grew up doing competitive wrestling, and some of them absolutely trashed their joints by the time they hit 35. But those guys were pushing themselves to the limit in high-stress competitions; they weren't just hitting the gym on the weekends.
I’ve been looking through some studies on this, and the consensus is pretty clear: staying active for recreation can actually make you healthier, more energized, and help you live longer while warding off all kinds of issues. Of course, you have to keep it balanced and use the right form.

I've only got two things to say...
Jim Thorpe!
For those who don't know—Olympic gold in gymnastics, lived to be over 100...