Fitness and Health: Correlation or Causation?

While it appears entirely obvious that fitness and health are two peas in the very same pod, it seems like Americans are becoming increasingly lost on the concept.

If you’ve ever sat through a college statistics course, it’s very likely that you heard the professor drone on and on about how two events may seem as though they cause one another to occur, when in reality, they are not directly linked. The term used to describe these concurrent observations is correlation. On the other hand, any professor worth their pay undoubtedly also bored you and your classmates with a similar discussion on how some events directly trigger others to occur – causation.

Why the trip down memory lane? No, it’s not because the readers of this article will have a particular affinity for statistics. Rather, this reminder of college courses long ago is intended to provide a refresher as we move forward with the main argument of this piece.

The Correlative Argument for Fitness and Health

If you talk to your friends about the issues of fitness and health, it should not be all that uncommon to hear statements such as, “I don’t ever exercise, and I’m perfectly healthy,” or, “My father ran every day of his life, and he still developed heart disease.” Statements such as these serve to undermine the relationship that exists between exercise and fitness.

While, at first glance, it may appear that your friends are on to something – that it doesn’t matter what you do, if you’re going to develop health problems, there’s nothing you can do about it – they could not be more wrong.

So, what are the facts? Many people incorrectly cite two, or more, correlative examples of the breakdown of the linkage between fitness and health, and then claim that all assertions to the contrary are invalid based upon their personal experiences. Because these people view the pursuit of fitness as failing to deliver on the promise of good health, it’s easy to put down any notion that says otherwise.

Don’t Be One of Those People

In the last 30 years, Americans have outpaced the world in almost every category upon which a nation can be judged – including body weight. According to the CDC, roughly 33.8 percent of all American adults are considered obese. Can you guess where this argument is going? It is helpful to remember that fitness and health are linked – a fit body is not an obese body.

Given our recent body mass explosion, it is not surprising to learn that during this same time period, the incident rates for type-two diabetes have nearly doubled. Multiple studies and polls of the United States’ adult population confirm this. Admittedly, and due to limitations on length, this short article’s argument for causation is relatively weak. So why even make the argument?

The Common Sense Conclusion

For those who are willing to see it, the evidence points overwhelmingly, at a minimum, to a direct linkage between fitness and health. Only those individuals seeking to escape personal responsibility for their health can logically argue otherwise.

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