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“Next to last place” isn’t usually a phrase we associate with achievement. In fact, very few things in life, it seems, count much at all if you don’t “hit a grand slam.”  Well, it would seem that this may not be an absolute when it comes to longevity. As a chiropractor in a chiropractic clinic that has many middle-aged patients and one that is also fully dedicated to encouraging our patients to exercise at every age level, I was very curious about the following study.

Researchers found that of the “least-fit” versus the “slightly more fit” of the nearly 4,400 healthy U.S. adults in their recent study, roughly 20 percent with the lowest physical fitness levels were twice as likely to die over the nine years of the study as the 20 percent with the next-lowest fitness levels. (In other words, those 20 percent who were close to the lowest fitness levels.) This is the time-honored “bad news/good news” situation. It is obviously bad news if you are a confirmed sofa spud. But, it is definitely good news for those who haven’t quite hit rock bottom in the sedentary lifestyle department but are not, by definition, very active. Apparently, those men and women who remain even moderately fit as they age may have a longer lifespan than those who are entirely out-of-shape, the study suggests.

The study included 4,384 middle-aged and senior men and women whose fitness levels were determined during exercise treadmill tests sometime between 1986 and 2006. For an average of nine years thereafter, the researchers observed the study groups progress. Such factors as obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure were considered in the study. This, in and of itself, accentuates the importance of physical fitness itself. In an email to Reuters Health, Dr. Sandra Mandic, of the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, and lead researcher of the study stated: “Our findings suggest that a sedentary lifestyle, rather than differences in cardiovascular risk factors or age, may explain the two-fold higher mortality rates in the least-fit versus slightly more fit individuals.”

Nearly two-thirds of the least-fit study participants were not getting the minimum recommended amount of exercise, which is at least 30 minutes of moderate activity (like brisk walking) five or more days a week. “These results emphasize the importance of improving and maintaining high fitness levels by engaging in regular physical activity,” Mandic said, “particularly in poorly-fit individuals.”

After separating the study group participants by fitness levels, the researchers determined that 13 percent of those who were in slightly better shape had died during the study period. But, 25 percent of the least-fit participants had died during the same period. Only 6 percent of the most-fit group (i.e., the ones who “hit a grand slam,” so to speak) had died during the follow-up period.

The five fitness-level groups presented little dissimilarity, overall, in their reported exercise habits during most of their adult lives, but significantly, they differed in activity levels only in recent years. “Since it is recent physical activity that offers protection,” Mandic said, “it is important to maintain regular physical activity throughout life.”

Since fitness is overtly connected to longevity (and, in this study, despite weight and health issues like high blood pressure and high cholesterol), And, of course, imagine the health benefits we could all derive if we worked towards the higher levels of fitness.

SOURCE: Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, August 2009.

Technorati Tags: exercise, longevity, middle age, physical fitness

I wake up every morning at 8 to exercise. Should I eat something before I workout? If so how long should I wait after eating to exercise? I don’t really have time in the morning so Im planning on just waking up and working out on a empty stomach.

Any opinions?

Just water and a piece of fruit should work.

I normally go to a boxing gym to get my exercise in but recently my working patterns are making this very difficult. I live in a very small apartment and can’t really make much noise. I also can’t really go jogging outside because I live in a bit of a rough area and would only be home at night. I can’t afford to go to a gym that would be open during the late nights, How can I get my exercise in? I hate it when I can’t exercise and really need some tips on how to do it indoors.

You can pick up exersize bikes for really cheap, or you can get a mini trapette which is good exersize. If you don’t want to spend any money at all, do you have a step in your apartment, this is a very good workout, just stepping up and down. How about a skipping rope? that is fantastic exersize and builds your fitness level up quite rapidly (I expect you used to do this at the boxing gym). Good luck and I hope you find something you enjoy!

I am doing running every day but I want something like sit ups, push ups, something like that to do every day as well that will tone my legs and my stomach together. Is there any such exercise? What is the best exercise and how long will it take for me to see results, when I pair the exercise with daily running?

I use this routine everyday after my cardio.

It’s a video on youtube where she shows you pilate like crunches.

it hurts at first but after awhile you’ll see results.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hq2-Krn0K6c