Over the last decades different life style factors have been established as risk factors for various diseases. The obesity pandemic displays a good example of a disease where great effort is undertaken to characterize risk factors associated with obesity (1). Smoking is another life style risk factor established since several decades, and where primary prevention has been increasingly successful (2, 3). Cardiovascular epidemiologic research at the University of Gothenburg recognized PA as a factor of importance early on and thus included PA related questions in the work up of studies with large cohorts (4-6). A 4-level scale was introduced in the late 1960:s by Saltin and Grimby (7) and has been used extensively since then. With this background it is of interest to record physical activity one year and one month prior to certain types of elective surgery and to study the relationship of PA to surgical complications and recovery is of interest.