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Fitness encompasses cardiovascular endurance, strength training, and mobility/flexibility. These are non-negotiables for continuing to live throughout your later years with your independence and ability to move and socialize still intact.
Instead of thinking simply about living longer, let’s use the start of a new year to focus on getting healthier, so we live better. More than any other time each year, the New Year is a popular time to focus on a “fresh start.” Temporal landmarks like New Year’s Day, Mondays, birthdays and the change of seasons are standard starting lines for many of us when we have a goal to work toward and bad habits to break.
Science Says Fitness Matters (Even More than Weight)
A recent study published in the British Journal of Medicine, Cardiorespiratory Fitness, BMI, and Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, shows that, regardless of body weight (obese, overweight or normal), fitness matters more for all-cause mortality. They measured the weight, BMI and fitness of six groups: normal weight-fit; normal weight-unfit; overweight-fit; overweight-unfit; obese-fit; and obese-unfit.
The analyses revealed that individuals classified as fit, regardless of their BMI, did not have a statistically significantly higher risk of cardiovascular disease or all-cause mortality compared to normal weight-fit people. At the same time, all unfit groups across different BMI categories exhibited a two- to threefold higher risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality compared to their regular weight-fit counterparts.
About Body Mass Index (BMI)
Now, you may be saying, “But BMI is flawed!” Sure. BMI is not the best indicator for distinguishing normal weight, overweight and obesity because it is simply a height-to-weight ratio that does not account for differences in body fat/muscle composition, age, sex or other factors. Before you discredit this entire study because of the BMI issue, remember that it measured fitness levels among people of different sizes. Some had more muscle and were considered fit in the overweight/obese group, while others were deemed unfit in the normal weight group. Still, BMI helps place people of differing sizes (height and weight groups) and focuses on measuring each group’s fitness. In the end, fitness matters more than BMI, so the goal is to exercise, get in shape, build muscle and lose fat.
Set Your Training Goals to Be Long-Term
It is fine to have short-term, specific training goals, such as strength gains and endurance times, or weight gain or weight loss. However, start this year with a 10-year fitness focus, as what you do in your 40s-50s will determine how you live in your 60s-70s. Always think 10 years ahead, no matter what your age, because what you gain today and maintain tomorrow is needed to continue to live independently for a few more generations in your family’s lineage. You can focus on longevity and optimal performance for your fitness and health goals at the same time by maintaining a consistent activity level and healthful nutrition, sleep and recovery.
Try This Goal: Make Annual Physical and Blood Screening Appointments
If you have not been to a doctor in a while, set an appointment in January, and get into the habit of annual health and wellness screenings. Treat annual physicals with the doctor as opportunities to PR (personal record) common blood work results, such as cholesterol, triglycerides, blood sugar, body weight and blood pressure. These are just the basics to help you assess how to adjust your sleep, nutrition, physical activity and stress management. These meetings are also quite satisfying when you achieve solid results that show health and wellness.
Don’t Give Up
While a large portion of us (nearly half of Americans) will create a New Year’s resolution, only about 9%-10% will achieve their goals. After a stressful holiday season, we are typically burned out in January. This may not be the best time to start a lifestyle change, complete with quitting bad habits (over-eating, smoking, drinking) and starting new healthy habits (gym membership, diet, etc.).
Instead, use the first few weeks of January to focus on stress mitigation and recovery. This should include building easy habits of walking every day, stretching, taking deep breaths and simply not overeating. This is a great way to move into a new fitness focus. Then, when feeling back to normal, focus a little harder, with more intensity, duration of training, and specificity to your fitness and health goals.
There are many ways to expand your “health-span.” Check out these options and get consistent with any or all of them:
Final Advice
If you want to get started on a focused health and wellness goal of being able to do physical activities, stay social and be independent, start with the basics of walking and stretching daily for a month. The following month, add calisthenics such as squats, lunges, push-ups and the plank pose. The following month, add weights such as dumbbells or kettlebells, or suspension trainers such as the TRX.
This steady progression helps you ease into fitness habits gently and adds a new component each month to keep it interesting. To achieve results with lifelong wellness goals, you need to keep endurance, strength and mobility/flexibility as primary focuses. Stability, durability, balance, speed and agility can also be developed once you have built the foundation. This is the beauty of long-term goals. Focus on doing something each day, being disciplined about eating and drinking healthfully, and learning stress-mitigation techniques such as breathing to take into your next decade on this planet.
There are dozens of these types of articles at the Military.com Fitness Section. Check them out for ideas on specific ways to train.
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15 Comments
The idea of thinking 10 years ahead, no matter what your age, is a useful perspective for approaching health and fitness, as it encourages long-term planning and sustainability.
The fact that unfit groups across different BMI categories exhibited a two- to threefold higher risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality is alarming and underscores the need for regular exercise and fitness training.
This is particularly concerning for individuals who are overweight or obese, as the study shows that fitness can mitigate some of the risks associated with these conditions.
The emphasis on building muscle and losing fat as a key aspect of fitness is well-taken, as it can help improve overall health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases.
The finding that fit individuals, regardless of their BMI, did not have a statistically significantly higher risk of cardiovascular disease or all-cause mortality compared to normal weight-fit people is a powerful argument for the importance of fitness.
The idea of setting long-term training goals, such as a 10-year fitness focus, is a great way to approach health and fitness, as it allows for sustained progress and maintenance over time.
This approach also takes into account the importance of consistency and patience in achieving fitness goals, rather than trying to rush into short-term fixes.
The article’s emphasis on the importance of cardiovascular endurance, strength training, and mobility/flexibility as non-negotiables for maintaining independence and mobility in later years is well-taken.
I appreciate the article’s distinction between living longer and living better, and how focusing on health and fitness can help achieve the latter.
I’m intrigued by the concept of ‘health-span’ and how it differs from lifespan, as the article highlights the importance of focusing on both health and fitness to live better.
I’m skeptical about the use of BMI as a measure of health, given its limitations in accounting for differences in body fat and muscle composition, but the study’s findings on fitness levels among people of different sizes are still noteworthy.
The article’s discussion of the limitations of BMI as a measure of health is important, as it highlights the need for a more nuanced understanding of health and fitness that takes into account individual differences.
This is particularly relevant for individuals who may not fit neatly into traditional BMI categories, such as athletes or those with muscular builds.
The study published in the British Journal of Medicine found that fitness matters more than weight for all-cause mortality, which is a significant finding that challenges traditional views on health and fitness.
The use of temporal landmarks like New Year’s Day, Mondays, and birthdays as starting lines for fitness goals is a useful strategy for many people, as it provides a clear starting point and motivation.