" Fitness, not low body fat, key to a long life "

W

Wrangell

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Various media articles covered an interesting study this month, which suggests that fitness may possibly be more important than ' fatness ' when it comes to living longer.

Specifically......


" Older obese adults who are in good cardiovascular shape have a lower risk of death than those who are of normal weight but are out of shape, finds a new study.

The research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, finds that adults over age 60 who have higher levels of cardiovascular fitness live longer than unfit adults, regardless of their body fat levels....

....Interestingly, the researchers also found that body fat alone had no effect on the likelihood of an early death "
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.......the moral of the story ?

To lose fat, dieting alone isn't optimal. Keep doing that weight training & cardio folks !;)
 
That's what I had thought and my cardiologist thought all along. Glad to see evidence of this. Thanks for posting this, Wrangell.
 
g8r80 said:
That's what I had thought and my cardiologist thought all along. Glad to see evidence of this. Thanks for posting this, Wrangell.
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No problem.

The study sort of confirms the validity of the philosophy I take towards training at this point in my life. I'm much less concerned about making things like low body fat % and packing on inches of muscles - i.e how I look in terms of my physique - as my primary goals like they were when I was much younger. Back then, I was driven by ' vanity ' more than anything else I'm afraid. :eek:

Nowadays, my main focus is using athletic performance as my main tool toward reaching my primary goal - the goal of simply staying healthy. It just so happens my athletic pursuits like playing hockey, ball hockey, running ( i.e 10ks ) and some of my home training like rowing - and to lessor extent weight training - have a strong cardiovascular fitness component to them.

In my view, if you eat right and maintain above average level of cardiovascular fitness, things like blood pressure, blood sugars, triglycerides, HDL / LDL etc. etc. pretty much take care of themselves. Staying healthy is much more important to me than how I look ' physique wise ' - but that's just me.:)
 
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Let's face it though, most people who end up with a high bf are not exactly any good at cardio and they are obese BECAUSE they ignore cardio.
 
Chillen said:
That is not a true statement.
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I said MOST obese people. If what I'm saying isn't true, there wouldn't be as many obese people as there. Of course theres always the exception of people who have a few extra pounds but have good endurance, just eat like crap.
 
Phate89 said:
Let's face it though, most people who end up with a high bf are not exactly any good at cardio and

they are obese BECAUSE they ignore cardio.
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Perhaps.

But I think one of the main points to be taken away from the article / research cited - at least in my point of view - is that one's body fat % shouldn't be something we should all get too hung up on in terms of relying on it as primary indicator of fitness / health.

As we've all been told many times, you can obviously be fit and healthy BUT you can also be fit and unhealthy ( i.e Google Jim Fixx to see what I mean ). And after all, you can have a thin body type and be ' overfat ' just as you can have a large stocky frame and be ' underfat '.

That said, I think the many causes, factors, influences etc. that have been associated with obesity are varied and complex enough in nature to suggest to me that the notion that " they are obese BECAUSE they ignore cardio " is a gross oversimplification of origins / nature of obesity.
 
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Phate89 said:
Let's face it though, most people who end up with a high bf are not exactly any good at cardio and they are obese BECAUSE they ignore cardio.
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I agree with this generalization. Most people are indeed obese because they eat too much and exercise too little. But, don't tell that to the Clydesdales (200#+ riders) in my Saturday fast group who could drop you like third period French :D
 
g8r80 said:
I agree with this generalization. Most people

are indeed obese because they eat too much and exercise too little.

But, don't tell that to the Clydesdales (200#+ riders) in my Saturday fast group who could drop you like third period French :D
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For what it's worth..................


" What Are Some Common Myths and Facts Associated with Obesity ?

Myth #1: People only become obese and overweight because they do not engage in weight loss efforts including physical activity and have unhealthy eating habits.

Fact: It is important to remember that obesity is not always a behavioral issue. Although physical activity and eating habits are major contributors to obesity, there are other elements to consider in evaluating causes of obesity. In many instances, weight loss and management efforts require a balanced combination of behavioral change, medical/scientific evaluation and intervention. In addition, hormone disorders (metabolic syndrome, hypothyroidism, thyroid disease) – such as those related to the thyroid, adrenal glands, ovaries and pituitary – can contribute to obesity.
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...food ( excuse the pun :)) for thought.
 
Phate89 said:
Ahh
" Im not fat, i just have a thyroid problem"
"Im not fat, i just have a slow metabolism"

oooh the excuses overweight people use...all bull****
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Some, in fact do have thyroid problems. This disctinction needs to be separated from those that "may' fall under your quote. An open mind with the contents of the discussion is better served, than a blanket party. :)




Chillen
 
Chillen said:
Some, in fact do have thyroid problems. This disctinction needs to be separated from those that "may' fall under your quote. An open mind with the contents of the discussion is better served, than a blanket party. :)




Chillen
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Your right, there are a FEW that do suffer from thyroid or some genetic problem, but MOST of the people i hear making excuses like that are just lazy to change their lifestyle.
 
Phate89 said:
Ahh
" Im not fat, i just have a thyroid problem"

"Im not fat, i just have a slow metabolism"

oooh the excuses overweight people use...all bull****
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First of all, I'm sure most people who are actually obese aren't suggesting anything like " Im not fat " .....so I'm not sure where that comment is coming from.

In fact, I suspect, it's quite the contrary. My guess is, that most obese people are acutely aware of the fact that they have ' above average ' levels of fat.

Secondly, no one is suggesting obese people are obese simply as a result of making - as you so eloquently ( :rolleyes: ) put it - " bull**** " excuses.
 
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Phate89 said:
Your right, there are a FEW that do suffer from thyroid or some genetic problem, but MOST of the people i hear making excuses like that are just lazy to change their lifestyle.
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I think it would be more accurate to say ' some are ' lazy - ' some aren't ' lazy.

But to suggest that " most " people who are obese are also " lazy " is not only a rather sweeping generalization, but trivializes the issue of obesity somewhat IMO.
 
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Wrangell said:
Various media articles covered an interesting study this month, which suggests that fitness may possibly be more important than ' fatness ' when it comes to living longer.
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Note, however, that this study was focused on adults over the age of 60. But the article also says:

Science Daily article said:
Previous studies have provided evidence that obesity and physical inactivity each can produce a higher risk of death in middle-aged adults.
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Meaning that fatness for young and middle aged people is still likely to be a risk factor on its own, although unfitness may still be as strong or stronger a risk factor.

But fitness through exercise does tend to work against fatness anyway, so gaining fitness is not in conflict with reducing body fat anyway.
 
Wrangell said:
I think it would be more accurate to say ' some are ' lazy - ' some aren't ' lazy.

But to suggest that " most " people who are obese are also " lazy " is not only a rather sweeping generalization, but trivializes the issue of obesity somewhat IMO.
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So your saying most people who are overweight are overweight because of a genetic problem or thyroid issue and not the fact that they have horrible eating habits and lack of exercise in their life?

sorry, but i still stick to my claim.
 
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