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Exercise & Men
Health Benefits of Regular Exercise for Men
Staying active throughout your life is the single most powerful way to remain healthy and live long enough to enjoy your family and all the things you’ve worked for.
Following the recommendations from WebMD’s Exercise and Fitness Tips to Improve Your Health offers so many far-ranging health benefits that you may decide a gym membership might be the most important investment you can make for your health.
Consider the following health benefits you can get from even a moderate regular workout:
- Benefit #1 - Lower Cholesterol: As most men get older, cholesterol numbers begin to move in the wrong direction. Levels of so-called bad cholesterol — low-density lipoprotein (LDL) — gradually increase. Levels of good cholesterol, called high-density lipoprotein (HDL), tend to fall. Unfortunately, that combination of high LDL and low HDL is one of the leading risk factors for heart disease.
- Benefit #2 - Lower Triglycerides: Triglycerides are a form of fat found in the blood. Rising triglyceride levels are associated with increased risk of heart disease.
- Benefit #3 - Lower Risk of High Blood Pressure: As blood pressure climbs, the risk of heart disease and stroke accelerates. Unfortunately, blood pressure levels typically climb as men get older.
- Benefit #4 – Reduced Inflammation: Regular exercise has been shown to reduce levels of C-reactive protein, a measure of inflammation. That matters because cholesterol-laden plaques on the lining of arteries are most likely to break off and cause heart attacks when they become inflamed.
- Benefit #5 – Lower Risk of Diabetes: Adult onset diabetes — fueled mostly by too much body fat — is one of the biggest health worries on the horizon. Staying active can help you keep the weight off. The Diabetes Prevention Program found that an exercise and weight loss program lowered the risk of type 2 diabetes by a whopping 58% over a three-year period.
- Benefit #6 – Lower Risk of Colon Cancer: Colon cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death in men. Approximately 80% of cases of this grim disease could be prevented, experts say. A healthier diet (with more fiber and whole grains) is part of the prescription. But exercise turns out to be just as important as diet. Studies have shown that physical activity may reduce colon cancer risk by as much as 30 to 40%.
- Benefit #7 – Weight Loss: A lifetime of regular physical activity — even activities as simple as walking half an hour most days — can help keep that belly from bulging over your belt.
- Benefit #8 – A Longer Life: Add it all up and an active life also means a longer and healthier life. In a 2004 study at Finland’s University of Kuopio, researchers followed 15,853 men aged 30 to 59. Over a 20-year period, men who engaged in physically active leisure activities — jogging, skiing, swimming, playing ball or doing serious gardening — were up to 21% less likely to develop cardiovascular disease or to die of any cause during the study period.
The answer to how much exercise you need depends partly on what you’re after. Burning about 1,000 extra calories a week in activities is likely to extend your life. Walking half an hour most days of the week is all you need to significantly lower your risk of colon cancer and diabetes. But the more physical activities you can weave into your daily life, the healthier you’ll be.
To access the full article on exercises that can improve men’s overall health, click here.
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