The Center for Human Nutrition has entered into a major collaborative project with the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research. We are working closely with Dr. Cooper and Dr. Steve Blair to understand better the interaction of nutrition and exercise. The metabolic consequences of physical inactivity are exactly the same as the consequences of being overweight. Dr. Cooper has demonstrated this very clearly. Cardiovascular fitness improves the cardiovascular system through exercise.
Metabolic fitness improves total metabolism through exercise.
Metabolic fitness improves the way you dispose of carbohydrates and fat, helps control cholesterol and blood pressure, and prevents diabetes. Not only is exercise important to your cardiovascular system, but it also has these lingering effects on your metabolism. At age 20, you have about two-thirds more muscle than fat. At 40, the muscle is decreasing, and fat is increasing. By the age of 60, most people have half muscle and half fat.