New study findings should give "couch potatoes" one more reason to get moving -- being in good physical shape appears to reduce middle-aged men's risk of dying not only from cardiovascular disease, but from cancer and other causes as well.
In fact, Finnish researchers report that poor cardio-respiratory fitness increases the risk of premature death as much as well-known risk factors such as smoking, high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes.
Physically unfit men, who had the lowest oxygen uptake, were almost three times more likely to die from any cause, even after the researchers accounted for factors that could have influenced the results, such as age, smoking and alcohol use. The risk of death was similar in men who could only complete a short exercise test.
Even though being physically fit is usually thought to help the heart most of all, the benefits of staying in shape appeared to be wide-ranging. Men with high oxygen uptake and long exercise tests were less likely to die not only from cardiovascular disease, but from all causes, including cancer, according to the study.
While the effects of exercise on cardiovascular health are well known, the link between good physical fitness and a reduced risk of death from other causes is not well understood, the report indicates.
Archives of Internal Medicine 2001;161:825-831
Many of us forget that exercise can be used as a drug. It is one of the absolute best treatments for insomnia, weight control, and reducing insulin resistance. It is also a wonderful aid in the treatment of depression.
When using exercise as a drug it will be important to have as a goal at least one hour per day, every day. Obviously, depending on one's current condition, one needs to work slowly up to this level. My experience is that weight-bearing exercises, such as walking, jogging, running, Nordic Track, Health Rider are better than cycling and swimming.
If you have access to a health club, my favorite piece of equipment there is the elliptical machine.
Cycling and swimming take far longer to produce the same benefit and each have their own problems. If you are cycling outdoors you run the risk of being killed or injured by a motor vehicle. Swimming is usually done in chlorinated pools, which has its own problems. However if you are able to swim in the ocean, the salt water provides an incredible synergism that far exceeds the value of the exercise. Also, if you have your own swimming pool, I would highly suggest using a hydrogen peroxide based system, rather than chlorine.
The practical problem with using exercise in depression is that the desire to pursue any activity, let alone exercise, is not very high. The converse though also needs to be considered. Just because one exercises, that does not mean you cannot become depressed. Exercise makes it easier to treat depression, but it certainly does not cure it in everyone.
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