Exercise and Health

Physical fitness and your health

In a study by Steven Blair of the Cooper Institute increasing levels of physical fitness as measured by a treadmill test lowered the risk of mortality.¹ Specifically least fit men had mortality rates 3.44 times higher than most fit men. For women the mortality rate was 4.65 times higher. Maximal fitness benefits with lower risks of mortality were attainable by individuals who engage regularly in moderate exercise (equivalent to a brisk walk of 30-60 minutes each day).

In 1995 the Centers for Disease Control and the American College of Sports Medicine advised American adults to accumulate 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, preferably all, days of the week.² Examples of moderate activities cited included brisk walking (3-4 mph), cycling less than 10 mph, swimming, moderate effort, conditioning exercise, racket sports, home care and general cleaning and mowing the lawn. Remember that these recommendations are to improve fitness and are not related to weight loss maintenance where greater levels of activity are required.

Fitness benefits for those overweight

It’s no surprise that obesity can be dangerous to your health. Studies from the Cooper Clinic demonstrate that overweight individuals have a 3 times higher cardiovascular death rate and double the overall mortality rate when compared to normal weight men.³

However when cardiovascular fitness was considered, fit obese individuals had lower mortality rates equivalent to fit lean men!⁴ Or put another way, unfit lean men had twice the risk of mortality of fit obese men. Clearly fitness offers equivalent protective health benefits for overweight individuals as compared with lean individuals.

1. Physical Fitness and All-Cause Mortality. JAMA 1989;262:2395-2401

2. Physical Activity and Public Health. A Recommendation From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine. JAMA 1995;273:402-407

3. Relationship Between Low Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Mortality in Normal-Weight, Overweight, and Obese Men JAMA;282:1547-1553

4. Cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition, and all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality in men. AM J Clin Nutr 1999;69:373-80