Posted on 10/23/2018 10:40:51 AM PDT by RoosterRedux
Too much of a good thing can be definitely bad for us. But a new study published Friday in JAMA Network Open suggests that exercise is a clear exception. It found that any level of cardiovascular fitness—including the kind you’d see from elite athletes—is linked to staying alive longer.
*snip*
That exercise is universally great for our health sounds like a no-brainer, sure. But in recent years, there’s actually been evidence that elite athletes and other heavy exercisers might paradoxically be at greater risk of some heart conditions than the average person...
*snip*
Much of this earlier research has relied on self-reported data, though, or only looked at short-term health outcomes, the authors behind the current study say.
*snip*
So for their research, they decided to analyze long-term data from their own medical center, the Cleveland Clinic.
*snip*
And across the board, the authors found, the more fit a person was, the less likely they were to be sent to an early grave. And while the life-saving effects of exercise did start to taper off, with elite athletes only being slightly more death-proof than merely highly active people, the researchers found there was “no observed upper limit of benefit.”
(Excerpt) Read more at gizmodo.com ...
Here's another article and excerpt from Cardiovascular Business...
Study: There’s no such thing as ‘too fit’
"Elite performers were 80 percent less likely to die than low performers over the median follow-up of 8.4 years. They were even 23 percent more likely to survive than high performers, an important finding considering recent evidence has suggested extreme amounts of exercise might actually be harmful. In this study, there appeared to be no upper limit for the benefit of increased CRF."
*snip*
"The researchers noted their study is also different from many previous reports because it uses an objective measure of physical fitness rather than self-reported activity levels. Also, genetic factors and other lifestyle habits may contribute to both aerobic fitness and improved survival, they wrote."
Jim Fixx.
Sorry for all the *snips* but, because this study is such a sea change on the subject of fitness, I wanted to capture the bottom line and cut out the fluff.
Jim Fixx might disagree....................
My dad had to have both his knees replaced due to too much jogging. My brother was an exercise addict and screwed up his feet badly. Now he needs to take painkillers just to be able to walk normally, and he’s only 61. So yes, there is such a thing as too much exercise.
Was told recently by a physician’s assistant that hard outdoor work (e.g., gardening, building barns, etc) does not count, but only repetitive exercise. Too bad, because I don’t have time to run on some treadmill. I have stuff to build.
Interesting you mention Fixx. There are at least two studies that indicate all forms of exercise but one tend to lead to a longer life span. The exception is marathon exercise. The studies showed that marathon runners, people who regularly run and train for long distance had shorter lifespans. I’m pretty sure that Fixx was a distance runner/trainer.
Bad genetics killed him, not exercise.
I think it's a good idea to get checked out by your doctor before starting an exercise program.
I disagree.
I love exercise, however, the ultramarathoners who really wear out their joints, that may qualify as too much. Otherwise, I’d agree.
That said, there are many weightlifting exercises I wish I hadn’t done in my early years...my shoulders would agree.
I never exercise and am still kic
Given Jim Fixx’ family history, running got him a few extra years.
The study said that genetics does play a part and as such Jim Fixx heart attack may (probably) been a genetic predisposed condition
From Wiki:
Fixx died on July 20, 1984 at age 52 of a fulminant heart attack, after his daily run on Vermont Route 15 in Hardwick. The autopsy revealed that atherosclerosis had blocked one coronary artery 95%, a second 85%, and a third 70%.
In 1986 exercise physiologist Kenneth Cooper published an inventory of the risk factors that might have contributed to Fixx’s death. Granted access to his medical records and autopsy, and after interviewing his friends and family, Cooper concluded that Fixx was genetically predisposed - his father died of a heart attack at 43 after a previous one at 35, and Fixx himself had a congenitally enlarged heart - and had an unhealthy life: Fixx was a heavy smoker before beginning running at age 36, had a stressful occupation, had undergone a second divorce, and his weight before he took up running had ballooned to 214 pounds (97 kg). Medical opinion continues to uphold the link between moderate exercise and longevity.
Tell that too my artificial right shoulder, my soon-to-be artifical left shoulder, my worn-out knee and messed-up right foot.
They’re naming a wing after me at the ortho place...a broken wing, wouldn’t you know.
Still I’m going elk hunting this week if I have to crawl.
you are right.
Jim Fixx is my standard answer when these studies come out.
same re: eating - it’s Euell Gibbons - even though he died from a genetic disorder. Next time - i use the sarcasm tag
That's BS. I wear a heart rate monitor when I bike, row, run...and when I work in the woods and yard.
I can get just as steady a workout from yard work and cutting brush as biking, running, etc. I will say that while I get my heart rate way up in yard work and cutting stuff in the woods, I can get a much heart rate biking or running. When I do want to kick my HR up in yard work, I throw in some pushups, straddle hops, and burpees.
That said, when I want to do high intensity intervals, it is better to run or bike. I lose my form on the rowing machine when doing intervals and that leads to back problems.
As a side note, my yard work comes from pushing a mower and cutting brush with loppers and dragging it to the street. I don't think sitting in the garden and gently pulling weeds would be as effective...but I have never tried that.
I’ve spent too much time on the internet today, time for a much needed nap..........
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