Hulk Hogan’s Death Highlights the Critical Link Between Exercise and Longevity
On July 24, 2025, the world of professional wrestling mourned the loss of Hulk Hogan, born Terry Bollea, who passed away at the age of 71 from an acute myocardial infarction – commonly known as a heart attack. Hogan, a cultural icon of the 1980s, battled chronic lymphocytic leukemia and a history of atrial fibrillation, a condition characterized by irregular and often rapid heartbeats. His death serves as a stark reminder that even those seemingly embodying peak physical fitness are not immune to the risks of heart disease, and underscores the vital importance of prioritizing heart health through consistent exercise.
The Paradox of Fitness and Heart Health
Hogan maintained a highly active lifestyle throughout his career, undergoing 25 surgeries in a decade, including a recent neck procedure in May. However, as one sports cardiology director at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus notes, the perception that bodybuilders represent the pinnacle of health can be misleading. “Too much muscle can increase strain on the heart and may actually be harmful,” they explain, highlighting the irony that extreme exercise can sometimes mask underlying health vulnerabilities.
Exercise: A Vital Sign for Overall Well-being
Traditionally, vital signs have included heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, breathing rate, and blood oxygen levels. However, the American Heart Association now recognizes fitness as an equally crucial indicator of overall health and risk for heart disease, cancer, and even death. The most accurate way to measure fitness is through peak oxygen uptake, or VO2 max, assessed via a cardiopulmonary exercise test available at many medical facilities.
Exercise isn’t simply about adding years to your life; it’s about adding life to your years – improving health span, the duration of time spent in good health. Research from the Cleveland Clinic demonstrates that a low level of fitness poses a greater mortality risk than commonly cited factors like smoking, diabetes, coronary artery disease, and severe kidney disease.
Beyond the Heart: Exercise’s Broad Health Benefits
The benefits of regular physical activity extend far beyond cardiovascular health. The American Stroke Association’s 2024 guidelines emphasize exercise and reduced sedentary behavior as key components of stroke prevention, noting that increased screen time – particularly four or more hours of television daily – elevates risk.
Furthermore, exercise significantly impacts cognitive function. The Alzheimer’s Society reports that regular exercise reduces the risk of dementia by nearly 20%, with individuals who exercise the least facing double the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
The protective effects of exercise also extend to cancer prevention. Evidence suggests a reduced risk of colon, breast, and endometrial cancers through several mechanisms. Exercise helps maintain a healthy weight, combats obesity – a risk factor for up to 13 types of cancer and responsible for approximately 7% of all cancer deaths – and regulates hormone levels that can fuel cancer cell growth. It also boosts the immune system and reduces chronic inflammation, both critical in preventing cancer development.
As Hogan himself famously quipped in 2023, “I’m 69 years old, but I feel like I’m 39,” a sentiment reflecting the potential for exercise to enhance quality of life at any age.
Finding Your Optimal Exercise Dose
Leading health organizations – including the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, and Department of Health and Human Services – recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise per week. Moderate exercises include brisk walking (2.5 to 4 miles per hour), doubles tennis, and yard work, while vigorous exercises encompass jogging, running, and shoveling snow.
A simple way to gauge exercise intensity is the “talk test”: you should be able to talk, but not sing, during moderate activity, and only utter a few words before needing to pause for breath during vigorous activity. A 30-year analysis of nearly 48,000 people revealed a 20% lower risk of death from any cause among those adhering to these physical activity guidelines.
Even for those with busy schedules, incorporating exercise is achievable. “Weekend warriors” – individuals who concentrate their exercise into one or two days – still reap significant benefits. Recent analysis published in The Lancet reveals that walking 7,000 steps per day – just over 3 miles – is associated with a 47% lower risk of death from any cause, a 25% lower risk of heart disease, a 50% lower risk of death from heart disease, a 38% lower risk of dementia, a 37% lower risk of dying from cancer, a 22% lower risk of depression, and a 28% lower risk of falls, compared to walking only 2,000 steps. This challenges the long-held belief that 10,000 steps are necessary to achieve substantial health gains.
It’s Never Too Late to Start
A common question posed to physicians is whether it’s ever too late to begin an exercise regimen. The answer, according to growing evidence, is a resounding no. Sedentary aging leads to stiffening of the heart and blood vessels, increasing the risk of heart attack, stroke, and heart failure. However, a study of previously sedentary adults with an average age of 53 demonstrated that two years of regular exercise reversed age-related heart stiffening.
It’s crucial to remember that achieving these benefits doesn’t require aspiring to be a bodybuilder or fitness guru. Almost three-quarters of the total health benefits gained from exercise can be achieved simply by following established guidelines.
