According to a recent World Health Organization (WHO) report, "high blood pressure, tobacco use, high blood glucose, physical inactivity, and obesity (in that order) explain 38% of total global deaths (WHO, 2009)".

The American Heart Association (AHA) stated that, "ideal cardiovascular disease (CVD) health, a newly defined concept, comprises of four health behaviors (non-smoking, body mass index [BMI] <25 kg/m2, physical activity at goal levels, and pursuit of a recommended diet)  (AHA 2012).

According to the Journal of Psychopharmacology, in the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study (ACLS), "compared with the least fit men and women, the most fit men and women had 43% and 53% lower risk for all-cause mortality, and 47% and 70% lower risk of CVD mortality" (Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2010).

Also from the Journal of Psychopharmacology, moderate to high levels of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and improvement in CRF are linked to a lower risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD) in both men and women regardless of age, smoking status, body composition, other risk factors! It is believed that including CRF in clinical examinations along with traditional evaluations such as blood pressure measurement and blood chemistry analyses may contribute to chronic disease prevention and longer life spans for the general population!