Includes bibliographical references and index.

Section one : the background to exercise -- A brief historical context for exercise -- The muscles and types of exercise -- Oxygen as the fuel of aerobic exercise -- Section two: quantifying exercise -- Exercise dose -- Physical fitness : the best measure of exercise capacity -- The components of overall exercise volume -- Population activity levels -- How fit is the general population? -- Evidence : interpreting the science -- Section three : exercise, fitness and disease -- Obesity -- High blood pressure -- Dyslipidaemia -- Diabetes -- The metabolic syndrome -- Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) -- Peripheral vascular disease -- Stroke -- Parkinson's disease -- Psychological ill health -- Dementia and cognition -- Lung disease -- Cancer -- Osteoporosis -- Other conditions --Section four : other issues with exercise -- Frailty -- Longevity -- Social and economic cost of inactivity -- Encouraging exercise -- Sedentary behavior -- Complications of exercise -- Excuses to avoid exercise.

"This book is about exercise - what it is, what it does to the individual, how it is measured and most of all what benefits it brings. It reviews interactions between exercise and specific diseases, such as diabetes, coronary heart disease, cancer and many more, before considering exercise in a wider public health context"--