NEWS: Shocking News: Staying Fit is Important!

CULTURE: Shocking News: Staying Fit is Important!

Hey, girls. Do you think that just because you aren't heavy, you don't need to exercise?

Think again.

A new study shows that, despite your weight, staying fit prevents heart attacks moreso than keeping your weight under control.

There is no argument that obesity contributes to diabetes, so it is optimal to keep weight at a minimum and maintain a fitness regimen, but doctors are urging people to get off the couch no matter how comfortable they are with their size.

900 women, with a mean age of 58, were studied over the course of four years. 66% of the women were overweight at the beginning of the study.

The study determined that, in the long run, maintaining physical activity is highly beneficial, as far as cardiovascular conditions are concerned.

Thirty minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per day isn't difficult. This can include walking to class with a full backpack, using the stairs instead of elevators, walking a dog at a brisk pace, dancing, pilates, and -- the best one -- sexual intercourse.

wow...using your heart muscles actually strengthens your heart???? Who coulda thunk it???? hehe...well yeah, stay active everyone.

I'm going for a run this morning...I'm disgusted with my tiny beer belly (yes, I'm a guy, and yes, I'm super lame). I hope I don't puke.

Sorcha, that's kind of a snarky headline for this story, isn't it?

This study does provide very useful information in a culture that's more obsessed with weight than fitness. (Witness the Atkins diet, where people eat tons of animal fat but don't worry about it because their weight goes down.)

It would be that it's counterintuitive to most people that fitness is a more important risk factor for heart disease, or even that the two concepts could be addressed independently.

I object to the "scientists find out another totally obvious thing" stance unless it's really called for.

The News section is full of snarky, unrelated headlines. This is tame compared to some we've had in the past, considering it IS related to the story. One out of two isn't bad.

Maintaining health by staying fit SHOULD be blatantly obvious to most people, but it isn't, so doctors keep pounding out these studies. I was simply playing on the obvious and trying to grab attention to the story. I figured if people read it, they might -- finally -- take it seriously. I often post stories related to health and weight loss. This is one of several.

I take these studies very seriously. I often urge people to exercise. I, myself, am trying to lose weight. I swim every morning and do aerobic dancing. As a former owner of the Plus Sized Women group, I tried to get as many people as possible to join a Memorial Day to Labor Day weight loss program with me. The title may have come across as sarcastic, but it was simply an attention-getter so that those who think they're fine sitting on the couch all day just because they're thin would rethink their approach to fitness.

[Edited on Sep 10, 2004 by Sorcha]

I get it now. No big deal.

there's a guy in texas whose name i can't remember who has done interesting work showing that overweight but active people have fewer health risks than thin sedentary people.

[Edited on Sep 10, 2004 by saucy_son]

true dat.

i'd rather see a heavy person at the gym than a thin person lounging around eating pizza and watching TV all day. the heavy person...even though they're heavy... seems healthier to me.

the problem is that there are still things that obesity causes like diabetes so sorcha has a point that EVERYONE should be active no matter what their weight. thin people might be blessed wtih a high metabolism but they still have to exercise to keep their heart healthy. not everyone realizes that.

i need to get off my ass more.

Cool.

Another study to add to the list of pointless sceietific break throughs...other such studies, "Why do I die when a coconut falls on my head" and "Why does the shower curtain get sucked into a shower when the water is really hot?"

Exercise.

Everyone.



Even you.

Hmm. Not sure this study is at that level.