Thin vs. Fit - where does your focus lie?Brace yourself for some good news, we finally have scientific proof that you can have your cake and eat it too - just as long as you run to the shop for it! Groundbreaking research from the Cooper Institute in Dallas, Texas, has completely changed the way we look at the health benefits of exercise. For many years we have known that people who exercise live longer, than people who don’t. However it was thought that the reason for the life preserving effect of exercise was due to the fact that it kept you slim and therefore protected you from various life threatening diseases associated with being overweight (heart disease, diabetes, cancer, to name a few). However this study from Texas has shown that in terms of living longer, it is more important to be fit than to be thin. Yes you heard right, it is more important to be fit than thin! Your fitness level has a significant impact on your chances of dying, irrespective of how much excess body fat you’re carrying. Specifically the study showed that individuals who had the lowest fitness levels were 4.6 times more likely to die at any point than individuals with the best fitness levels. Hence, an overweight person who exercises regularly will live longer than a thin person who is unfit.
One of the main reasons why this finding is so exciting is that in the past we judged the success of an exercise program by how much weight we lost. Many of us would start exercising and if we hadn’t lost weight after two weeks we would think, what is the point? Well there is a point!
“These findings have placed a new perspective on the benefits of exercise for those persons who are overweight or obese,” says Ryan Ellmoos, an Exercise Physiologist. “This research provides an excellent source of motivation for people who are exercising but may not be experiencing significant reductions in weight, they can exercise knowing that they are receiving huge health benefits even if they are not getting any lighter.”
This new perspective is also having an effect on the medical community, which is becoming aware of the benefits of improved fitness levels. “In the past medical practitioners have merely used exercise as a tool for weight loss. However, these new findings, show that improved cardio-respiratory fitness from exercise has health benefits irrespective of whether the person shows any weight loss,” says Dr John Cummins owner of Sydney’s Executive Medicine Centre.
So how fit do you have to get to see any benefit? The answer is not very. The group with the lowest fitness levels who graduated into the moderate fitness level showed the largest benefits. To get into the moderate fitness level group you only needed to do 30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity every day. What is moderate physical activity I hear you ask, it is any exercise that elevates your heart rate so that you are breathing heavier. A perfect example would be a brisk walk where you can still hold a conversation.
Winston Churchill once said, “every time I get the desire to exercise I lie down and it goes away”. Unfortunately almost 60% of Australians share his view and do not perform any regular physical activity. As a society we are becoming incredibly sedentary. There have been studies to show that our average physical activity levels have dropped dramatically since the late nineteenth century, or the industrial revolution. Basically, the average person today uses a lot less energy, about the equivalent of walking 17 kilometers each day (yes, that’s 17 kilometers!) less than our relatives did only 120 years ago. This dramatic change in activity is catching up with us and leading to a large increase in the incidence of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, syndrome X, osteoporosis, depression, cancer and obesity. Yet with just 30 minutes of exercise each day we can dramatically reduce our chances of getting the above diseases. Physical activity has been shown to reduce the chances of developing breast cancer by 40%, the chances of developing diabetes by 50%, it strengthens our bones protects our heart and even makes us happier, thus reducing our chances of depression. Gee not a bad return on investment for just 30 minutes a day. If there was only one thing you could do to improve your health regular physical activity should be it.
Here are some tips to help you be more physically active:
• If you are just beginning to exercise start off slowly and don’t try to do too much too soon. Don’t aim for 30 minutes straight off, start with 15 minutes, three times per week and build up from there.
• Start off gently. Don’t exercise too hard at the beginning of an exercise program, choose a level that is easy and slowly increase the intensity over time.
• Choose an activity that you enjoy, boring forms of exercises like using an exercise bike or treadmill while staring at the wall will do little for you enjoyment and mood. Try different things like outdoor activities, dancing and team sports.
• Involve other people: enlist friends and family to exercise with you. In this busy world why not kill two birds with the one stone; exercise is a great opportunity to spend time with others.
The old adage of ‘moderation is the key’ still rings true. You don’t need a six-pack to be healthy, just get out there, do some exercise each day and there’ll be no reason to feel guilty about reaching for that extra piece of cake.
Posted by Christine Armarego 12/1/09
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