The predictive value of cardiorespiratory fitness.

More than 2000 years ago our cultural roots point to a rather active role of the school system in promoting greater activity in play and competition. The old Greek gymnasium considered exercise and physical activity to be at least as important as intellectual education. Today the myth of everlasting youth, beauty, happiness and freedom of disease is, more than ever, a part of the lifestyle and identity of the western world. Fitness is one of its artificial parts, being achieved mainly by training, through sportive indoor and outdoor activity and resembling the exercise capacity that was formerly acquired by activities necessary to cope with everyday life. Fitness training has become a well-established part of wellness and providing outfits for training is a growing industry. Thus, the importance of fitness in health and disease is also an important issue in our health system. The role of exercise for health has been investigated in numerous studies and surveys and the association of coronary artery disease and sedentary lifestyle has stimulated recommendations from many societies including the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, the centres for disease control and the NIH to recommend regular aerobic exercise. Without doubt, a more sedentary lifestyle is related to classical coronary risk factors, like elevated low density and reduced high density lipoprotein, cigarette smoking,