Exercise can be a wonderful thing. It can have remarkable benefits for our health, both physical and mental, and can greatly improve our sense of well-being. However, despite all the benefits of regular exercise many Irish men do not take enough exercise to stay healthy. And you know what? Some doctors are no exception here either. Despite all the medical evidence about the health benefits of exercise, some doctors either conveniently ignore this information or live in denial. As the proverb goes, ‘Do as I say and not as I do.’ Personally, I can’t imagine trying to deal with the challenges of modern healthcare without the stress-busting benefits of regular exercise. What’s more, it can be great fun staying in good shape.
Why Don’t We Exercise?
Maybe we think we are too busy. The pace of modern life, combined with often long commutes to and from work, can squeeze our most precious commodity – time. Yet time is always made available for anything urgent that crops up in our lives, while things that are invaluable to our long-term health, such as regular exercise, can often be omitted, forgotten or put on the long finger.
Perhaps we are planning on taking more exercise at some time in the future when we are more organised and less busy. Unfortunately for many of us the reality is that that day never comes. Look at the shocking rates of heart disease and the explosion of obesity-related conditions, such as diabetes, amongst Irish men and you will quickly realise that procrastination won’t get you anywhere. The key to success in life is to take action and just 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily can have substantial health benefits. Men who exercise regularly in general have better health, fewer illnesses and live longer.
Why Is Exercise so Good for My Health?
Regular exercise can have tremendous benefits for our health, both physical and psychological. Regular rigorous exercise is best and walking for 30 to 45 minutes on most days of the week at a moderate pace will do the trick. The key is that to really enjoy the health benefits of exercise it must be regular. You can’t store up the benefits of exercise; so a mad burst of activity once a week just won’t do the trick. Also, it’s never too late to start taking exercise, no matter how unfit you may be. They say every journey begins with a single step – take that first step today and make exercise part of a better, healthier you.
Physical Benefits
- Exercise strengthens the heart muscle, thereby reducing the risk of heart attack. It also helps reduce the risk factors like high blood pressure, being overweight and high cholesterol that can contribute to heart disease. If you already have heart disease then exercise can reduce your chance of having another heart attack.
- Regular exercise lowers blood pressure and reduces the risk of stroke.
- Exercise tends to thin the blood, making it less likely to clot.
- Exercise helps lower cholesterol levels and regular exercise raises the HDL (good) cholesterol level, lowers the LDL (bad) cholesterol level and also helps to lower the blood fat (triglycerides) level by helping your metabolism to burn fat (see Chapter 6).
- Exercise helps to stimulate the metabolism, not just during exercise but also for up to 36 hours afterwards, helping to burn up calories and fat.
- Exercise helps to burn sugar and fat, thereby reducing your weight, which helps to prevent obesity.
- Regular exercise reduces the risk of developing diabetes.
- In people with diabetes, regular exercise significantly reduces the risk of heart disease and some cancers.
- Exercise helps strengthen the muscles, helping to stabilise the body and protect against falls. Weight training is more effective than aerobic exercise for bone strengthening.
- Exercise can reduce the risk of developing bowel cancer.
- Exercise can help prevent fractures caused by thinning of the bones (osteoporosis).
- Exercise can also help your memory and brain functioning. This may protect against memory disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.
- Regular exercise helps protect men against erectile dysfunction.
- Exercise can boost the immune system.
- Exercise also helps protect against the ageing process itself. There can be a huge difference between your age as determined by your date of birth and your biological age.
Psychological Benefits
Regular exercise has been shown to be very good for our mental health. It helps in the production of serotonin, which is a brain chemical necessary for feeling well. Deficiency of serotonin is widely recognised to be associated with symptoms of flatness, anxiety and depression. These symptoms are prevalent in Irish men anyway, especially in the winter months. We can therefore use a regular exercise programme to improve our mood and self-esteem and help to combat anxiety or depression. Indeed, exercise can be a great stress buster and is probably one of nature’s best natural antidepressants.
Regular exercise can help promote good restful sleep. However, it is best to avoid heavy exercise late at night as this can affect sleep quality.
The Overall Package
The health benefits of regular exercise can be dramatic. A stronger heart and a healthier, more finely-tuned body can help prevent heart disease, some cancers and many other conditions. A stronger mind, less stressed and more balanced, is more conducive to optimal mental well-being. The result overall is a healthier life and, on average, a longer one. Not bad for a commitment of only half an hour a day.
Is All Exercise the Same?
There are three main types of exercise and a good exercise programme should include elements of all three:
- Aerobic exercise, such as walking, running and swimming. This form of exercise causes the heart to pump more blood and beat faster. Most of the health benefits from exercise are gained through aerobic exercise.
- Strength training, for example, lifting weights. This type of exercise is particularly good for strengthening the muscles and bones, particularly in middle age. For optimal benefits, some strength training for about 15 minutes twice a week is recommended. This will help to keep the muscles and body strong. However, this type of exercise does not have the same overall health benefits as aerobic exercise.
- Flexibility exercises such as stretching, yoga and Pilates. This type of exercise is very good for relaxation as well as preventing stiffness and injury. Some flexibility exercises should be a part of everyone’s routine.
Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise is exercise that causes the heart to beat faster, improving oxygen consumption in the body. We know that simple walking provides excellent health benefits, even at low intensity. However, the heart is a muscle and a pump that strengthens with more vigorous exercise, especially when the heart rate increases to a target heart rate. At this target heart rate the body is thought to be exercising at its optimum. This target heart rate is generally 70 to 80 per cent of your age-adjusted maximum heart rate, which is calculated by the following formula:
220 - your age (in years) = maximum heart rate
So, for example, a 40-year-old male’s maximum heart rate is calculated accordingly:
Maximum heart rate = 220 - 40 = 180
His target heart rate for aerobic exercise purposes is 70 to 80 per cent of 180, giving a range from 126 to 144.
Checking your heart rate is a good way to ensure that you are exercising at your target heart rate and that you are not overdoing it.
Checking Your Own Pulse
It is very easy to check your own pulse, which can be felt at your wrist beside your thumb or at your neck under the side of your jaw. If you are unsure or not confident about this, your family doctor will be happy to assist you. By counting your pulse for 10 seconds and then multiplying the answer by six you will know what your heart rate is per minute. An average resting heart rate is about seventy beats per minute and men who are fitter have lower rates. Once you are comfortable checking your own pulse, you can then check it during exercise to see if you are at your target heart rate.
Weight or Strength Training
Weight training is very important for keeping our muscles and bones strong and healthy. As we get older, this becomes particularly important for upper body strength, which tends to naturally decline with age. Body-building is not the aim. Two 15-minute sessions spaced out during the week are ideal. Put the emphasis on doing comfortable repetitions of low weights rather than going for broke on the Olympic bar. Press-ups are an excellent exercise for upper body strength. As with other forms of exercise, it is important not to overdo it. Listen to your own body and know the difference between a little bit of exercise-induced stiffness and the soreness that can come from an injury.
Flexibility Exercises
Stretching should be an essential part of any exercise programme, as it helps to keep the body loose and prevent injury. Working on and improving flexibility is also an important part of any rehabilitation programme after an injury. Exercises to strengthen the lower back and stomach muscles, often called core stabilisation exercises, are now recognised as being very important in injury prevention.
Stretching is also a great way to relax and unwind. The best stretching routine is the one that works best for you. Your doctor or physiotherapist can help you plan a specific programme for your needs.
There is a much greater emphasis on incorporating a more holistic approach to healthcare today. This can be seen by the increasing popularity of yoga, Pilates and tai chi. Personally I have been impressed by some elderly patients who practise yoga, especially with regard to their degree of flexibility and suppleness. Don't assume that yoga and Pilates are for women only, men can get the same health benefits from these activities.
How Much Exercise is Enough?
We were born to exercise. Primitive man was a hunter and gatherer and may have run many miles on a daily basis, gathering berries and escaping the clutches of lions and other wild beasts. However, this hunter–gatherer role has diminished as society has modernised, and now modern man can often spend his day sitting at a desk, behind a wheel of a car or slouched in front of a computer or TV screen. Of course this doesn’t describe all of us, but you get the picture. We need to be much more proactive about taking exercise. It is felt that we need at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily or on most days of the week, i.e. 210 minutes per week. This is what is needed to keep our hearts, bodies and minds healthy. Moderate exercise means that you should get warm, but you don’t have to sweat.
Know Your Numbers
- 30 minutes/day on most days (at least 5 times per week) or
- 210 minutes/week of moderate exercise
- 45–60 minutes/day if overweight or at risk of obesity
- 60–90 minutes/day if obese
- 10,000 steps equates to 5 miles/8 kilometres
If you have been inactive then the following tips may apply.
Easy does it. Better to start with a 10- or 15-minute walk daily and build this up over a few weeks as your body gets used to it. Remember, taking exercise each day does not have to involve going to the gym. Simple measures can work to increase your activity levels on a daily basis. These may include:
- Parking your car further away from your office. This can give you a chance to get a 5- or 10-minute walk each way.
- Taking the stairs where possible instead of the elevator
- Going for a walk at lunch time
- Buying a pedometer (step counter). This is an inexpensive and fairly accurate gadget that can measure how many steps you take each day. It works by detecting the motion of the hips and is thought to be accurate to within 5 to 10 per cent. Try to aim for 10,000 steps per day when you are up and at it. This can be a very useful motivational tool to help increase your activity levels.
Keeping an exercise diary can be a useful way of tracking your progress in this area. By using a weekly planner you can schedule in days and times when you plan to take exercise. Reviewing this on a weekly basis can allow you to see how well you did over the previous week, whether you achieved your target and how you can improve in the following week. This weekly diary is a great way to monitor your progress in a wide range of health parameters, especially diet and exercise.
Walking is great exercise for almost everyone. It can be a good way to stay in shape and can also be quite sociable, if you walk with a partner or friend. Remember, life is not a dress rehearsal. Do not put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
The only rule about exercise is that there are no rules. To get the maximum health benefits from exercise this ‘magic health pill’ needs to be taken regularly, ideally on a daily basis, but at least four to five times a week. After that you are free to choose whatever works for you.
Can Exercise Be Harmful?
For most people, most of the time, exercise is very safe and only good for your health. By following the six sensible steps listed below you can minimise the risks of any health-related problems connected with exercise. Sudden death during exercise has received a lot of publicity recently. This is quite rare and more likely to occur when someone takes intense vigorous exercise after a period of inactivity, for example, a vigorous game of squash. Sudden Athletic Death Syndrome (SADS) appears to have become more prevalent in recent times and can tragically result in the loss of young life. The precise cause is unknown and is the subject of ongoing research. Sometimes it is caused by an irregularity of the heartbeat or thickening of the heart muscle (called cardiomyopathy). Screening for these conditions can sometimes lead to the early detection of possible future cardiac problems.
Six Sensible Steps for Safer Exercise:
- Safety first. Have a medical check-up before you begin a moderately vigorous exercise programme. Your doctor can help you tailor your exercise programme to your specific requirements.
- Listen to your body. Don’t exercise if you have a high temperature or feel unwell. If you get short of breath or develop chest pain, dizziness or palpitations during exercise, stop and seek medical attention.
- Start low and go slow. This is particularly important if you haven’t been used to taking exercise. Build up gradually over a few weeks both the intensity and duration of exercise, which gives your body a chance to get used to the new regime and minimises the risk of injury. Wear proper footwear.
- Warm up and stretch before and particularly after exercise – this is very good for flexibility and helps to prevent stiffness and injury.
- Don’t eat for 2 hours before intense exercise.
- Stay hydrated – remember to drink plenty of fluids. Keeping well hydrated before, during and after exercise is very important to prevent cramp and injury as well as helping to optimise performance and improve recovery afterwards. Remember, thirst is a very poor indicator of hydration and by the time you feel thirsty you may already be quite dehydrated.
Steps To Staying Hydrated
- Ensure your urine is clear in colour – urine that is yellowish or dark in colour suggests dehydration.
- Drink about a pint of water in the hour or so before exercise, especially if the exercise activity will last an hour or more.
- Drink about 150–200 mls every 15 minutes during demanding exercise, especially in hot weather.
- Afterwards, drink plenty of fluids, including those containing some salt and carbohydrate (isotonic sports drinks). Avoid alcohol prior to exercise and remember to rehydrate with water or sports drinks afterwards and before taking alcohol.
How Fit Are You?
The following questionnaire can give you a good idea of how active you already are and how much further you need to go to get into the ‘zone’ of better health.
Conclusion
The health benefits of exercise are now widely recognised and some doctors prescribe exercise to their patients instead of pills. It could be said that exercise is probably the closest thing there is to an anti-aging pill. This is the one pill you can prescribe for yourself every day with long-lasting health benefits. Try it for yourself. Every journey begins with that first step.
Exercise Diary
Total exercise per week = 210 minutes
- Keeping a record of your exercise habits can help you see how much (or how little) exercise you are really taking over a week.
- It can help you to plan exercise as an important part of your schedule.
- By looking at your time in chunks of a week at a time, you can plan more effectively.
- An exercise diary can be a great motivational tool.
Key Points
- Regular exercise is essential for good long-term physical and mental well-being.
- No matter how unfit you are, it’s never too late to start taking exercise and to start enjoying the health benefits.
- Make an exercise programme a priority for your better well-being.
- Set realistic, achievable goals.
- Stay positive.
