Fat And Fit People Have Half The Death Rate Of Thin Unfit People

Obese people who are fit have half the death rate of those who are trim but don't exercise. Early studies linking obesity and death from heart disease and other major killers have missed the importat influence of exercise, said Steven Blair, director of research at the Cooper Institute in Dallas at a meeting of the Association for the Study of Obesity in London (reported in 7/1 USAToday).

"There is a misdirected obsession with weight and weight loss," he said. "The focus is all wrong, it's fitness that is the key."

The US leads the world in population of overweighten and women. The CDC (Center for Disease Control) estimates that 61% of Americans are overweight.

Blair said 30 minutes of moderate walking every day, at 3 or 4 miles an hour, would make mst obese people fit. Other fitness experts recommend 60 minutes a day of exercise for health. "I don't mean it eliminates the risk of everything, but you can stay overweight if you are fit and be jst as healthy, in terms of mortality risk, as a lean fit person," Blair said.

The Bottom Line:

While we can all agree that thin and fit is better that fat and fit, the point hereis that being fit is important no matter what your weight happens to be. How does one get fit? You get fit by making a lifestyle decision to engage in a regular program of exercise.

You getfit by living a healthy lifestyle. You get fit by having a nervous system free of interference so it can properly control all bodily functions.