Click photo to enlarge
Prof Steven Blair keeps the grim reaper at bay by taking a
walk around Dunedin's Northern Cemetery. Photo by Peter
McIntosh.
A controversial exercise scientist from the United States
is running rings around the age-old "myth" that if you are
overweight you are unhealthy.
University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health
Professor Steven Blair is one of six leading keynote speakers
on the subject at the University of Otago School of Physical
Education Symposium "The Big Fat Truth: What are we weighting
for?"His research focuses on lifestyle and health, especially
on exercise, physical fitness, body composition, and chronic
disease.
Prof Blair has undertaken dozens of studies on thin and
overweight people in the United States and found a normal
weight person who is unfit is twice as likely to die in the
next decade as a person who is overweight and fit.
"I am controversial if you talk to members of the obesity
mafia.
"I've been studying the cause of death in a select group of
people for over 30 years and I've found that a sedentary
lifestyle accounted for more deaths than anything else."
Prof Blair said he, himself, was overweight, but maintained
he was healthy because he was fit.
Not only have his views caused a stir in the United States
media, they were also challenged by several delegates at his
keynote lecture at the University of Otago College of
Education auditorium yesterday.
Prof Blair said there were many misconceptions about how much
activity was required to meet these objectives.
"Walking for 150 minutes each week would make a person fit
and produce a protective level of fitness.
"You don't have to go to the gym to be fit."
Prof Blair will give a public lecture today at 5.30pm in the
College of Education auditorium titled "Physical Inactivity:
The biggest public health problem of the 21st Century".
