Athlo Blog

I came across an interesting article in the New York Times titled better to be fat and fit than skinny and unfit.  Throwing obese (B.M.I. > 35) individuals out the window, The Journal of the American Medical Association’s study shows that death rates of ‘overweight’ (30 > B.M.I. > 25) 60 year olds were slightly lower than ‘normal’ (25 > B.M.I.) 60 year olds during a 12 year study.

I’m 28 years old, 6 ft tall and 180 lbs (B.M.I. 24.4 kg/m2) and consider myself at an above average fitness level; being near the overweight line this finding doesn’t surprise me.  What I was intrigued with is that ‘normal’ and ‘overweight’ individuals in this study who failed a simple 5-8 minute treadmill incline and pace increase test were 4 times more likely to die during the course of the study that those who passed.

The underlying premise here is maintaining fitness levels decreases your chances of heart disease as it helps maintain healthy levels of cholesteral, blood pressure, and blood sugars.  Because of this some public health officials are recommending doctors perscribe physical activity over dieting.  What a crazy idea - staying in shape improves life expectancy.

I grew up playing multiple competitive team sports like hockey, soccer, baseball, and golf.  When I got out of college and didn’t have a year round busy sports schedule I started getting frustrated with beer league rec sports.  I wasn’t motivated to make time for the gym to stay in shape because I didn’t have something competitive to train for.

After two years of a mediocre fitness lifestyle I signed up for a marathon.  With a 4 mile longest run under my belt needless to say I was little nervous about 26.2 but I was desperate for athletic motivation.  The first few weeks of training was brutal, more mentally than physically, but eventually I gained a tremendous appreciation for running and more importantly for learning a new sport.  Since the marathon in ‘05 I’ve moved on to a variety of new races like 1/2 ironmans, 197 mi run relays, and adventure races.

Now my weeks are filled with runs, rides, rec league games still, and an occasional swim, circuit weight training, or round of golf.  I’m a cross trainer which has benefited me in staying motivated about fitness in a number of ways.  First and foremost cross training and being open to new sports has made me a constant learner. In a number of instances I’ve used aspects from one sport, like how to best warm up and stretch for a long run, and applied them to others.  Cross training has also kept my entire body in good enough shape to be able to do a sporadic activity like skiing or hiking and not experience extended soreness.  Other benefits of cross training include reducing the risk of injuries, improving overall athletic skills and balance, and being flexible enough to always get some kind of a workout in.

Athlo.com will start supporting more and more activity types so be sure to plan out your workouts on the training calendar, get workout ideas by viewing your friends calendars, and fill your weeks with activities that keep you motivated and exercising your entire body.