South African men are challenged by a pharmaceutical company specialising in men’s health this November to get more active as not doing so could mean succumbing to debilitating diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes and even cancer.
Nicole Jennings, spokesperson for Pharma Dynamics said while there were men in Mzansi who make exercise a part of their daily lives, almost a third don’t.
“The typical modern lifestyle that many men lead, which involves spending eight hours in front of a computer, another two to three hours in traffic and a few more hours in front of the television, is proving fatal. Life expectancy drops significantly, and some researchers have even claimed it being worse than smoking and other risk factors combined,” Jennings explained.
“Many studies have shown that exercise improves the muscle strength, balance, cardio fitness, metabolism, glucose tolerance and psychological health of the elderly, even those in their 80s. Men who are more active have lower rates of prostate cancer, type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease and stroke, and are less likely to experience high blood pressure, depression and erection problems. In addition, exercise could also decrease the risk of dementia.”
Jennings added that it was best to combine a variety of cardiovascular exercises, such as brisk walking, running or cycling with strength-training using either weights or your own body weight. Other ways men can reduce the time they spend being sedentary include:
- standing rather than sitting when taking public transport;
- walking to work or the shops when needing a few groceries;
- going for a walk during lunch breaks;
- standing up every half an hour when working at a desk;
- spending more time doing chores around the house, instead of watching TV – your significant other will love you for it
- Taking the stairs instead of the lift or escalator
- walking around while taking phone calls on your cell phone. Jennings said cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer affected hundreds of thousands of men in the country and remained among the most expensive diseases to treat.
“Daily movement is a key component to good health. There is no better time to start than the present,” encouraged Jennings.
