Items Tagged With Fitness

Citations

1. Barlow CE, et al. (1995). Physical fitness, mortality, and obesity. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 19(Suppl 4): S41–S44.

2. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2002). Physical activity fundamental to preventing disease. Available online: http://www.aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/physicalactivity.

3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2004). Strength training among adults aged 65 or older. MMWR, 53(2): 25–28.

4. Pratt M (2004). Physical activity. In L Goldman, D Ausiello, eds., Cecil Textbook of Medicine, 22nd ed., vol. 1, pp. 54–57. Philadelphia: Saunders.

5. Chakravarthy MV, et al. (2002). An obligation for primary care physicians to prescribe physical activity to sedentary patients to reduce the risk of chronic health conditions. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 77(2): 165–173.

6. Simon HB (2003). Diet and exercise. In DC Dale, DD Federman, eds., Scientific American Medicine, Clinical Essentials, chap. 4. New York: WebMD.

7. Haskell WL, et al. (2007). Physical activity and public health: Updated recommendation for adults from the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association. Circulation, 116(9): 1081–1093.

8. Almond CSD, et al. (2005). Hyponatremia among runners in the Boston Marathon. New England Journal of Medicine, 352(15): 1550–1556.

Other Works Consulted

• American College of Sports Medicine (1998). The recommended quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness, and flexibility in healthy adults. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 30(6): 975–991.

• National Institute on Aging (2004). Exercise: A Guide From the National Institute on Aging. Available online: http://www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications/ExerciseGuide.

• Achilles Tendon Problems
• Asthma in Teens and Adults
• Bursitis
• Healthy Eating
• Healthy Weight
• Low Back Pain
• Mental Health Problems and Mind-Body Wellness
• Patellar Tracking Disorder
• Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome
• Plantar Fasciitis
• Rotator Cuff Disorders
• Stress Management
• Tendon Injury (Tendinopathy)
• Tennis Elbow

The overall benefit of being active and fit is an improved quality of life-being able to do things you enjoy for longer periods of time (for example, playing with the kids, gardening, dancing, or walking).

Research repeatedly shows that fitness is a strong measure of health. In a study of more than 25,000 volunteers, researchers at the Cooper Institute found that a person's fitness level was more important than body weight. Men in the study who were overweight or obese but who were physically fit had a lower risk of death than men who were a healthy weight but were not physically fit.¹

Being fit improves your overall health and reduces your risk of disease.

Short-term benefits include:²

• A healthier heart. Physical activity makes demands on your heart that make it stronger and better able to function.
• Healthy muscles, bones, and joints. Resistance training such as weight lifting improves muscular strength and endurance and increases bone density, which is especially important for older adults to prevent falls and injuries.³
• Increased burning of calories. Physical activity burns calories and helps you achieve a healthy balance between the calories you take in from food and those you expend. (To find out how many calories are burned during different activities, use this Interactive Tool: How Many Calories Did You Burn?) When you exercise regularly, your body burns more calories, both during activity and at rest. Being fit may also lower your percentage of body fat and increase muscle strength and tone. Your percentage of body fat depends on genetics, lifestyle, and physical activities.

No matter what your size or shape, physical activity has important health benefits. These may include:

• Improved ability to fall asleep and sleep well.
• Increased energy.
• Increased mental acuity-sharper and faster thinking.
• Better mental health and ability to cope with stress. People who are fit have less anxiety, depression, and stress than people who aren't active.⁴

Long-term benefits include reduced risk of:^{2, 5}

• Dying early.
• Developing coronary artery disease. Men who are not active have about twice the risk of developing heart disease as men who are regularly physically active.⁴
• Having a second heart attack. Also, people who get regular physical activity as part of a cardiac rehabilitation program have a lower risk of dying from a heart attack.⁴
• Developing high blood pressure. Regular physical activity can also lower blood pressure in those who have high blood pressure.⁶
• Developing type 2 diabetes. Physical activity may prevent type 2 diabetes through its effect on insulin, how the body processes sugar, and maintenance of body weight.
• Developing colon cancer or other cancers.
• Becoming obese.

Note: Most people should talk to a health professional first before beginning a regular exercise program, especially those who have conditions such as coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, heart valve disease, or diabetes. If you are at risk for or have some of these conditions, your health professional may want to help you build a plan matched to your needs. He or she may want to do tests before you start a plan or want you to be more careful and watch for injuries or other problems.