ProLog: Being unfit almost as bad as smoking?

As we mentioned in our last ProLog, regular exercise makes can make you more resilient to mental fatigue. The benefits of regular exercise are numerous. More and more studies are finding the benefits of exercise and the negative consequences of a sedentary lifestyle. In fact, many people are recognizing that "sitting is the new smoking" as far as it relates to your health.

A recent article from the New York Times discussed a recent study on how being unfit is almost as bad as smoking. The study followed a group of men for 50 years. They found, "not surprisingly, smoking had the greatest impact on lifespan. It substantially shortened lives. But low aerobic capacity wasn't far behind. The men in the group with the lowest VO2 max had a 21 percent higher risk of dying prematurely than those with middling aerobic capacity, and about 42 percent higher risk of early death than the men who were the most fit. Poor fitness turned out to be unhealthier even than high blood pressure or poor cholesterol profiles, the researchers found. Highly fit men with elevated blood pressure or relatively unhealthy cholesterol profiles tended to live longer than out-of-shape men with good blood pressure and cholesterol levels."

As if we needed another reason to exercise, right? Check out the New York Times article for more information.