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How to Use Exercise to Reduce Your Risk of Dying

Do you remember the time when incurable acute illnesses & infectious diseases were the main cause of death? With advancements in medicine & vaccines, & changes in lifestyle, this is no longer the case. Instead, we are now facing an epidemic of

Preventable chronic conditions

such as diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer and, according to the CDC, 70% of deaths today are caused by lifestyle-related chronic diseases. This endless suffering is sweeping our nation and accounts for over 85% of health care costs, and $117 billion each year is due to poor physical activity. In fact, $147 billion alone was attributed to obesity in 2008, which was over $1,400 more than those of normal weight in 2006. The more we spend on health care, the less we get. In 2005, 133 million Americans were living with one or more chronic illnesses and 63 million were sick with numerous chronic disorders. By 2020, those numbers are expected to rise to 157 million and 81 million, respectively. What we are doing is not working. Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) level is a major factor in one’s risk for chronic illness and death, and the gold standard for measurement is VO2max. Exercise is a key intervention that demonstrates a significantly positive impact to combat the rising numbers of chronic illness and corresponding mortality rates. The higher the CRF, the lower the risk. Based on my review of 9 primary research articles and one meta-analysis, the evidence was overwhelming in that 30 minutes or less of HIGH-INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING (HIIT) increases VO2max significantly more than 60 minutes of traditional moderate-intensity continuous exercise, such as walking, running, or biking!

This adds to the science of creating health. When we create health, disease goes away as a side effect. This research is not new. It dates back over 20 years ago. So what are you waiting for? Take your control of your health!

References

Bodenheimer, T., Chen, E., & Bennett, H. D. (2009). Confronting the growing burden of chronic disease: Can the U.S. health care workforce do the job? Health Affairs, 28(1), 64-74.

Burton, A. M., Sautter, J. M., Tulsky, J. A., Lindquist, J. H., Hays, J. C., Olsen, M. K., . . .Steinhauser, K. E. (2012). Burden and Well-Being Among a Diverse Sample of Cancer, Congestive Heart Failure, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Caregivers. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 44(3), 410-420.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016a). Chronic disease overview. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/overview/

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016b). Physical activity and health. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/pa-health/

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016c). Physical activity. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/

Grundy, S. M., Barlow, C. E., Farrell, S. W., Vega, G. L., & Haskell, W. L. (2012).

Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Metabolic Risk. The American Journal of Cardiology, 109(7), 988-993.

Schmid, D., & Leitzmann, M. F. (2014). Cardiorespiratory fitness as predictor of cancer mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Annals of Oncology, 26(2), 272-278.

Stoutenberg, M., Stanzilis, K., & Falcon, A. (2015). Translation of lifestyle modification programs focused on physical activity and dietary habits delivered in community settings. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 22(3), 312-327.

Weston, K. S., Wisloff, U., & Coombes, J. S. (2013). High-intensity interval training inpatients with lifestyle-induced cardiometabolic disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 48(16), 1227-1234.

 
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