What Exercise Can Do for You

A LANDMARK study of 17,000 Harvard alumni, described in The New England Journal of Medicine four years ago, showed that physical exercise could counter an inherited tendency toward early death. “You’re healthy because you’re active,” concluded Dr. Ralph S. Paffenbarger, Jr., director of the study.

In June 1989 The Journal of the American Medical Association said: “Physical activity has been associated with the prevention and control of numerous medical conditions, such as coronary heart disease (CHD), hypertension [high blood pressure], . . . and mental health problems.” It added: “CHD is 1.9 times more likely to develop in a physically inactive person than a physically active person. This association is impressive.”

In November 1989 this same medical journal published a study involving 13,344 subjects, and it further showed the value of exercise. The comprehensive study revealed that even minimal exercise​—such as a brisk half-hour walk once a day—​results in significant protection from death from a wide range of causes.

Dr. Norman M. Kaplan, with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas, who is an authority on hypertension, says that he has changed his mind on the value of exercise in treating high blood pressure. “As I have seen the evidence accumulate in the last three or four years I have become more encouraging to people about exercise.”

Dr. Kaplan now prescribes aerobic exercise for patients with high blood pressure. “I tell my patients to get their pulse rate up,” he explains. “I tell people to start slowly. Don’t jump into it. Begin with walking and slow running and build up. If you encounter any problems, back off.” To be a real health benefit, exercise must be practiced regularly, preferably three or four times a week for a period of 20 to 30 minutes or more each time.