The Heart of Exercise

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So, as we look back over the last 30 years and recall all the books and popular figures who have contributed so much to promoting the benefits of exercise, we should remind ourselves of a few hard facts. First, despite the known benefits of exercise and its seemingly wide-spread popularity, nearly three-quarters of all Americans today remain completely sedentary or insufficiently active during leisure time, with Hispanic and African-American women being of special concern since nearly 45 percent of the people in this group are totally inactive. Obviously, great opportunities remain in the U.S. to improve health through regular exercise.

Second, exercise represents a double-edged sword. On one side rests the rare newspaper headline describing the tragic occurrence of someone – like Jim Fixx – dropping dead while out running or playing a sport. To some, this means we should avoid exercise. I say certainly not. Instead, one must appreciate that the benefits derived from regular exercise far, far outweigh the very small and transient risk of someone dying while exercising. Therefore, the message advanced by Fixx some 30 years ago remains:

One simply can not afford to not exercise. The risks are too great. Start now.