Fall is an exciting time of the year for hunters. Deer season especially sends spirits soaring. Blood pressures mount, partially from excitement and partially from exertion. The modern lifestyle hunter may have more to dread than not filling his tagged, or getting tagged by a careless hunter. Before we get out the lead, we should get the lead out. The sedentary lifestyle of the business office and the less strenuous jobs on automated lines leave many of us subject to pulmonary and cardiovascular problems. I admire the walkers and runners that pass my house keeping fit; unfortunately, Im not one of them. I dont have a regular exercise program, so when I trek out to the woods, lets see what extra hazards I face because of poor physical conditioning. Age, weight, heredity, conditioning and bad habits are factors which influence general health and especially cardiovascular health. Age and heredity are beyond our control, so we just have to do the best we can to manage the other three. According to State Medical Association information, increases in age increase the risk of cardiac incident or, if you will, heart attack. This doesnt mean that you have to be old to suffer a heart attack but with advancing age the risk goes up. A history of heart ailments in the family can also indicate an increased risk. Knowing this should motivate us to more seriously consider eliminating some of the other risks. The risk in being overweight comes from the extra load that your heart has to carry. There are miles of extra blood vessels to be served with every degree of being overweight. There is more oxygen and nutrients that must be pumped through the body as weight increases. All this is extra strain and extra risk that could be controlled. Poor conditioning is also a risk. Without exercise, muscle tone and the bodys ability to respond to physical demands disappears. We actually weaken muscles and connecting tissue through disuse. If you dont use it, you lose it. Its that simple. Poor conditioning also weakens the major muscle, the heart, so that the sudden exertion that fall hunting brings on may be a shock to the heart, as well as the rest of the body. Bad habits also increase the chance for health problems. Smoking decreases the function of both lungs and heart. Drugs and alcohol likewise diminish the effectiveness of the cardiovascular system. Another risk factor is unmanaged stress. I call it a unmanaged because it can be dealt with to lessen its importance as a risk factor. Physical activity and proper rest go a long way in reducing the negative effects of stress. This factor overlaps because part of the concern is also the cure. By the fact that you are going hunting, you are planning to get rid of some stress. Exercising doubles the benefit of time away from work or being out of your stressful situation. Doctors and physical conditioning trainers recommend walking as a beginning to preseason conditioning. If your lifestyle has slowed down too far, you simply must walk before you run. Outdoors runs on Sundays in the Daily News.