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The Complete Book of Men's Health - Part 3: Nutrition and Lifestyle
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lifestyle factors: obesity, alcohol, smoking, stress |
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Exercise
Increased levels of activity burn up more calories, so losing weight should always be a combination of eating more healthily, eating low-fat foods and increasing your exercise levels.
Recreational exercise such as brisk walking, cycling, swimming or working out at a gym is especially important if you spend most of the day sitting down or standing relatively still on your feet.
Lack of exercise encourages a sluggish metabolism, weight gain, high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol levels, and inhibits the way your body handles glucose.
In comparison, regular physical exercise has positive effects on health. It curbs the appetite, boosts metabolic rate and makes you feel energized, as well as:
• improving strength, stamina and suppleness
• reducing blood cholesterol levels
• reducing high blood pressure
• improving the efficiency of your heart
• strengthening bones
• relieving depression.
Regular exercise can significantly cut the risk of a stroke in middle-aged men. A study of almost 8,000 men aged 4059 showed that in the group of inactive males (who took no exercise at all), 3.1 per 1,000 males suffered a stroke per year. In the group who took occasional gentle exercise such as gardening, 2.3 strokes occurred per 1,000 men per year. For men who took light exercise with regular walks, the figure dropped to 1.7 per 1,000; for those who took moderate exercise, such as cycling or frequent recreation, the rate was 1.4 strokes per 1,000, and for those who regularly played sport once per week, the risk dropped to 1 per 1,000 men per year. In men who exercised intensely three times per week, the risk of a stroke fell to a mere 0.5 per 1,000 men per year.
Further studies have shown that men who exercise vigorously on a regular basis are half as likely to suffer from coronary heart disease than men who take no vigorous exercise at all.
Strength, Stamina and Suppleness
Exercise improves strength by building up muscle bulk, increases stamina by boosting muscle energy stores, and heightens suppleness by enhancing the range of movement in joints and making ligaments and tendons more flexible.
Different sports contribute to strength, stamina and suppleness in different ways:
To achieve fitness you should start off slowly and take regular exercise lasting at least 20 minutes, for a minimum of three times per week. Once you have achieved a reasonable level of fitness, you should do more.
The health benefits of different sports
• = slight effect ••= beneficial effect
••• = very good effect ••••= excellent effect
Non-weight-bearing exercises such as cycling or swimming are excellent for those with joint problems such as mild arthritis, but if you have not taken much exercise during the last six months, start off slowly, perhaps with brisk walks, or with swimming or cycling on the flat. If you are relatively unfit do not launch straight into a jogging programme and do not take up squash.
Squash is one of the most dangerous games for any man over the age of 40, with a high risk of sudden death from heart attack on court. Some cardiac specialists recommend that no man plays squash over the age of 40 years. It is a doubly dangerous game for men who are overweight or unfit.
Always start a new sport gently and work up to higher effort levels using your pulse as a guide. Make sure you warm up before exercising and cool down afterwards.
NB If you suffer from any medical condition (especially a heart problem) or are on any prescribed drugs, always consult your doctor before starting an exercise programme.
Using Your Pulse Rate
Measuring your pulse rate during exercise will ensure you stay within exercise levels that are safe and most efficient for burn- ing fat and gaining fitness. Your pulse can be most easily felt:
• on the inner wrist on the same side as your thumb (radial pulse)
• at the side of the neck, under the jaw (carotid pulse).
Find your pulse and count it after sitting quietly for around 15 minutes. The heart beats approximately 70 times per minute in the averagely fit man.
Resting pulse rate Level of fitness
(beats per minute)
5059 Excellent (trained athletes)
6069 Good
7079 Fair
80 or over Poor
Now, calculate your maximum pulse rate. This equals:
220 Your Age (see chart below)
Activity levels need to increase your heart rate to between 60 and 80 per cent of this estimated maximum, as calculated on the chart below. This will ensure your exercise programme is improving your fitness levels without putting your heart under undue strain. At the end of a 20-minute exercise period you should end up feeling invigorated rather than exhausted. It is easiest to count your pulse over a 10-second period while exercising, so 10-second pulse ranges corresponding to your target pulse rate per minute are also given:
Exercise pulse rates to aim for
If you are unfit, make sure your pulse stays at the lower end of the 10-second pulse training range to begin with; slowly work up to a higher pulse rate over a few weeks. If your pulse rate is higher than it should be, stop exercising and walk around slowly until your pulse rate slows. Then restart your exercise but take things less vigorously. Take your pulse every 10 minutes during your exercise period, and again immediately after you finish. Try taking your pulse one minute after you stop exercising, too. The more rapidly your pulse rate falls, the fitter you are. After 10 minutes rest your heart rate should fall to below 100 beats per minute. If you are very fit your pulse will drop by up to 70 beats in one minute.
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