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Physical Inactivity: The Biggest Health Problem of the 21st Century
An article written by fitness expert Professor Steven N. Blair published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine states that a low level of "cardio-respiratory fitness" (CRF) is a greater risk factor for death than ANY of the other cardiovascular risk factors that our medical establishment routinely measure. In other words:
Low CRF is a greater risk factor for death than hypertension, obesity, elevated cholesterol, diabetes, or smoking.
For several years now, Professor Blair has pointed out that obesity is less of a health risk than a sedentary lifestyle. In fact, he states that "obese men who were moderately/highly fit had less than half the risk of dying than normal-weight men who were unfit."
But, what really surprised me when reading this paper was that being sedentary was a bigger risk factor than even smoking! Here are the risk factors, listed from highest to lowest:
- low cardiorespiratory fitness
- hypertension
- smoking
- obesity
- diabetes/high cholesterol
The research evidence continues to grow: Regular exercise, particularly, aerobic exercise, is a powerful health-enhancing factor in your life. If you're not doing some kind of physical activity on at least 5 days out of each week, well, it's time for you to get moving!
Stan Reents, PharmD
Editor In Chief
Member, ACSM
ACSM-Certified Health Fitness Specialist
May 2012
(ref: Blair SN. Br J Sports Med 2009;43(1):1-2.)
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