Other Health Benefits of Fitness

For more medical expertise, let's ask the Doctor-In-Chief. These are the first four Major Conclusions from the Surgeon General's Physical Activity and Health report.
  1. People of all ages, both male and female, benefit from regular physical activity.
  2. Significant health benefits can be obtained by including a moderate amount of physical activity (e.g., 30 minutes of brisk walking or raking leaves, 15 minutes of running, or 45 minutes of playing volleyball) on most, if not all, days of the week. Through a modest increase in daily activity, most Americans can improve their health and quality of life.
  3. Additional health benefits can be gained through greater amounts of physical activity. People who can maintain a regular regimen of activity that is of longer duration or of more vigorous intensity are likely to derive greater benefit.
  4. Physical activity reduces the risk of premature mortality in general, and of coronary heart disease, hypertension, colon cancer, and diabetes mellitus in particular. Physical activity also improves mental health and is important for the health of muscles, bones, and joints.

Physical Activity and Health, A Report of the Surgeon General;Chapter 1; Introduction

The other four Major Conclusions are all about how we, as a nation, are apallingly sedentary. You can read the whole report at the Centers for Disease Control.

Here are a few brief summaries of the effects of fitness on specific diseases, along with links to the medical experts.

Arthritis

The Arthritis Foundation says this:
Well, there’s no way around it. If you are going to change your life, you are going to have to move your body. Arthritis is no longer an excuse for not doing some form of physical activity. In fact, your arthritis means you have even more reasons to get fit.

Diabetes

Type I diabetes is a rare condition in which the victim's pancreas is defective from birth. Type II diabetes is an all-too-common disease in which the victim's pancreas becomes damaged due to bad diet (too much sugar) and lack of exercise. Type II diabetes used to be called "adult-onset diabetes" but that designation has been dropped as it is becoming common in younger and younger children.

To learn more, visit the American Diabetes Association. They say that people "can prevent the development of type 2 diabetes by making changes in their diet and increasing their level of physical activity." Let me repeat the word they use: "prevent"!

Osteoporosis

As we age we can lose bone mass. Our bones can become brittle and eventually break. The fitness connection is simple. Bones respond to weight-bearing exercise by increasing in density and strength. So ask any of our trainers about doing squats (or grab a backpack and go for a hike). Racquet sports are excellent forms of weight-bearing exercise. To learn more, visit the National Osteoporosis Fuondation.

Even the Flu?

More health benefits from exercise are being reported almost daily. Out of curiousity I tried Google for "flu" and "exercise" and came up with this story, CBS News, Oct. 7, 2004:
Worried about not being able to get a flu vaccine this year? Exercise may be the flu remedy you’ve been looking for.

Moderate exercise helped mice survive the flu in a recent lab test done by researchers at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. They presented their findings at the 2004 American Physiological Society Intersociety Meeting in Austin, Texas.

Actually, there is some evidence that exercise is good for the immune system. If we are able to replace "some evidence" with conclusive studies, then we'll definitely be able to say that fitness helps you avoid colds and the flu. On your own, try Google for:

 exercise +"immune system"

I get lots of hits, all pointing in the direction of a serious benefit, but nothing like a definitive, large-scale study and certainly nothing in the category of conclusive statements from authoritative sources such as those above. (You get those conclusive statements when the doctors have multiple large-scale studies in hand.) Time will tell. I'm betting on fitness.

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