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Physical Activity, Cardiorespiratory Fitness, and Health: A Historical Perspective

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Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Cardiometabolic Diseases

Abstract

The connection between physical activity, fitness, and health has been recognized since antiquity. However, a scientific evaluation of this concept began in the middle of the twentieth century. This chapter presents a historical account of the evolution of the fitness health concept with emphasis on important events and individuals that shaped our current understanding of the impact of physical activity and fitness on human health and disease.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Department of Cardiology, Washington, DC, USA

    Peter Kokkinos

  2. Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA

    Peter Kokkinos

  3. Department of Kinesiology and Health, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

    Peter Kokkinos

  4. George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC, USA

    Peter Kokkinos

  5. University of South Carolina, Department of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, Columbia, SC, USA

    Peter Kokkinos

  6. Department of Cardiology, VA Palo Alto Health Care System/Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA

    Jonathan Myers

  7. Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

    Jonathan Myers

Authors
  1. Peter Kokkinos
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Correspondence to Peter Kokkinos .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Rutgers University Department of Kinesiology and Health, University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC, USA

    Peter Kokkinos

  2. Clinical Research Institute of Northern Virginia, Burke, VA, USA

    Puneet Narayan

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Kokkinos, P., Myers, J. (2019). Physical Activity, Cardiorespiratory Fitness, and Health: A Historical Perspective. In: Kokkinos, P., Narayan, P. (eds) Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Cardiometabolic Diseases. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04816-7_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04816-7_1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-04815-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-04816-7

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