Except for possibly Dr. Kenneth Cooper of the famed Cooper Clinic
in Dallas, it's fair to say that Jim Fixx, through both his book The
Complete Book of Running and the legacy he left after his death, did
more to popularize jogging, running and exercise than any other person
in history.
Through his work and literally dozens, if not hundreds, of other similar books advocating the benefits of exercise, we have decades of research findings dating back more than 50 years that clearly shows that habitual physical activity or moderate to vigorous exercise not only helps the quality of life but prevents death and disease. Independent of other important factors or habits such as age, body weight, race, gender or cigarette smoking and the like, we know that regular exercise has a favorable effect on decreasing one's risk of developing heart disease, colon cancer, diabetes, and prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women. In fact, the risk of death due to any cause is 20 percent to 30 percent lower in people who are regularly active or exercise regularly versus people who are inactive or sedentary. And while America is suffering a dramatic increase in the number of people now being diagnosed with diabetes, it is important to know that the chances of developing this potentially debilitating disorder are 10 percent to 30 percent lower in active people versus inactive people.
Regular exercise also helps people already diagnosed with a health problem. For example, engaging in regular exercise after suffering a heart attack decreases one's three-year risk of suffering a subsequent, fatal heart attack by 25 percent. An effect size that is quite similar to the benefits derived from aspirin or beta-blocker therapy, two important drug treatments that are almost always prescribed in these heart patients because they have been shown to be so effective. And just as you might guess, the benefits due to exercise in people with a health problem are not limited to heart patients alone. Regular exercise helps reduce high blood pressure people with hypertension, dramatically improves the body's handling of glucose in patients with diabetes, and re-instills confidence and lessens fatigue in the patient recovering from or being treated for cancer.
Without question the exercise craze or fad that Fixx helped launch 30 years ago led to millions of Americans to experience improved health and well-being. However, despite all the benefits now known associated with regular exercise, it is prudent to remind ourselves that exercise is not a panacea. In that in no way does it guarantee immunity from disease. In fact, in an ironic sort of way, it is the legacy left by Jim Fixx himself that helps us appreciate this important fact.
An avid runner, Fixx died at age 52 due to coronary heart disease, a condition that his regular exercise habits likely helped slow or delay but could not fully prevent, given that his father died prematurely at age 45. Instead, Fixx may have simply ignored the facts – all because he was able to do so much exercise. Fixx's total cholesterol is said to have been more than 250 (which is very high based on today's target goal of less than 200. Being male and older than 45, and the son of a father who died prematurely of heart disease, should have clued him into being more attentive to his risk and undergoing proper screening that that could have saved his life.
So the message Fixx now spreads may be one of prudence and common sense. Certainly regular exercise does much to prevent an initial health problem, as well as help those who have a health problem recover and live longer and happier lives. But all by itself exercise holds no over-riding curative powers. Instead, regular exercise is but one piece of the equation that we all try to balance, with the other, equally important, pieces being not smoking, limiting the drinking of alcohol to moderation, achieving a healthy body weight, eating a healthy diet, and adopting a comprehensive approach to taking care of oneself.
Through his work and literally dozens, if not hundreds, of other similar books advocating the benefits of exercise, we have decades of research findings dating back more than 50 years that clearly shows that habitual physical activity or moderate to vigorous exercise not only helps the quality of life but prevents death and disease. Independent of other important factors or habits such as age, body weight, race, gender or cigarette smoking and the like, we know that regular exercise has a favorable effect on decreasing one's risk of developing heart disease, colon cancer, diabetes, and prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women. In fact, the risk of death due to any cause is 20 percent to 30 percent lower in people who are regularly active or exercise regularly versus people who are inactive or sedentary. And while America is suffering a dramatic increase in the number of people now being diagnosed with diabetes, it is important to know that the chances of developing this potentially debilitating disorder are 10 percent to 30 percent lower in active people versus inactive people.
Regular exercise also helps people already diagnosed with a health problem. For example, engaging in regular exercise after suffering a heart attack decreases one's three-year risk of suffering a subsequent, fatal heart attack by 25 percent. An effect size that is quite similar to the benefits derived from aspirin or beta-blocker therapy, two important drug treatments that are almost always prescribed in these heart patients because they have been shown to be so effective. And just as you might guess, the benefits due to exercise in people with a health problem are not limited to heart patients alone. Regular exercise helps reduce high blood pressure people with hypertension, dramatically improves the body's handling of glucose in patients with diabetes, and re-instills confidence and lessens fatigue in the patient recovering from or being treated for cancer.
Without question the exercise craze or fad that Fixx helped launch 30 years ago led to millions of Americans to experience improved health and well-being. However, despite all the benefits now known associated with regular exercise, it is prudent to remind ourselves that exercise is not a panacea. In that in no way does it guarantee immunity from disease. In fact, in an ironic sort of way, it is the legacy left by Jim Fixx himself that helps us appreciate this important fact.
An avid runner, Fixx died at age 52 due to coronary heart disease, a condition that his regular exercise habits likely helped slow or delay but could not fully prevent, given that his father died prematurely at age 45. Instead, Fixx may have simply ignored the facts – all because he was able to do so much exercise. Fixx's total cholesterol is said to have been more than 250 (which is very high based on today's target goal of less than 200. Being male and older than 45, and the son of a father who died prematurely of heart disease, should have clued him into being more attentive to his risk and undergoing proper screening that that could have saved his life.
So the message Fixx now spreads may be one of prudence and common sense. Certainly regular exercise does much to prevent an initial health problem, as well as help those who have a health problem recover and live longer and happier lives. But all by itself exercise holds no over-riding curative powers. Instead, regular exercise is but one piece of the equation that we all try to balance, with the other, equally important, pieces being not smoking, limiting the drinking of alcohol to moderation, achieving a healthy body weight, eating a healthy diet, and adopting a comprehensive approach to taking care of oneself.
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