NOTeD Asks: Is There Such a Thing As Too Much Exercise? Dr. Chip Lavie Explains

Tom Rifai, MD, FACP

I love all of our interviews I have been honored to have with such incredible leaders in nutrition, lifestyle medicine and cardiometabolic health, but this one holds a special place in my heart (no pun intended – cardiology humor!). Dr. Carl “Chip” Lavie is a Louisianan through and through, in the most wonderful ways. It was a pleasure to speak with him on the question: is there such thing as too much exercise?

A Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, Dr. Lavie is Director of Cardiac Rehabilitation Services for the Ochsner Health system and has been on staff there since 1989. His expertise includes non-invasive imaging, echocardiography, nuclear cardiology and, critical to our discussion here, preventive cardiology, cardiac rehabilitation as well as exercise physiology.

Dr. Lavie is an active researcher and has written more than 1,000 medical articles and book chapters for scientific medical publications and cardiology textbooks. All of that, plus he embodies a unique blend of credibility and kindness.

In this interview we go beyond the question of whether there is such a thing as too much exercise and pull it all together in practical, actionable terms for the viewer that are inspired by the True Health Initiative’s recognition that evidence from Blue Zones is consistent with the power of natural movement.

But how much natural daily movement is reasonably possible? How much can we learn from Blue Zones, while still applying the type of modern exercise science that Dr. Lavie translates into practical terms for us? Spoiler alert: Quite a lot!

I guarantee that anyone, from the avid exerciser to the “still sedentary but wondering what to do about it” viewer will learn and enjoy from this interview.

One thing is for sure, right after we were done, I got out of my chair and dictated this introduction while I was pacing around my office! Of course, that was after my morning workout (a mix of aerobic and resistance training for which Dr. Lavie approved) which by no means is a time budget breaker.

So enjoy and see for yourself it helps you find where your reality meets science!

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest