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Fitness Does More Than Weight Loss for Health and Longevity

Numbers are easier. That may be why a person’s weight — and the desire of millions of people to lose weight — is the first topic under discussion when it comes to health and longevity. Not long after you walk into your doctor’s exam room, for example, you’ll step on a scale. It’s usually the first measurement they take, ahead of vital signs like blood pressure and heart rate.

This makes sense. It’s a number, which means it’s easy to see if your weight has changed in either direction since the last time they weighed you.

silhouette of three women running on grey concrete road
Fitness

But there’s an unintended result: You come away thinking that your weight is every bit as important as how well your heart and blood vessels are working, and that losing a few pounds will improve your health in tangible, long-lasting ways.