Being Active is More Important than Diet

MONTREAL - With more than 500 research papers under his belt, several of which have been cited in excess of 1,000 times, Steven Blair is to fitness what the Beatles were to rock music. A certified industry pioneer, he changed the way we view exercise, being the first to discover that even little bits of physical activity improve health.

Previously, exercise was thought to be of benefit only if done at an intensity or duration most people avoided. But Blair, in his 1989 landmark study of 10,224 men and 3,120 women, found that even a modest level of physical activity provided substantial health benefits to those who were more familiar with their couch than the local gym.

Suddenly walking, not just running, was considered exercise enough, making it easier for the average Joe and Jill to reap the benefits of being physically active. And if that weren’t enough to make him a rock god among those who have a chronic fear of Lycra, marathons and sweat-drenched exercise, he also pioneered the notion that it’s possible to be fit and fat, another praise-winning bit of research that earned him worldwide recognition.