We all know that exercise is important. But which gender benefits more, men or women?
Research
We can already reveal it: women benefit from exercise more quickly than men. This is evident from research by the Smidt Heart Institute in California. The study focused on the effect of exercise on the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, and more than 400,000 adults participated. They kept track of their movements for twenty years, recording not only the type of movements, but also the duration, frequency and intensity.
This information was linked to the number of deaths within the group. This shows that mild exercise, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator or walking the dog, significantly reduced the risk of death. This risk was somewhat lower in women than in men: in women the risk was reduced by 24 percent, while in men it was 15 percent.
Exercise works better for women
Women achieve better results with the same amount of exercise compared to men, but this difference has also been proven with more intensive forms. Women need 2.5 hours of exercise per week to achieve the maximum reduced risk of heart failure, while for men this is 5 hours per week.
Health gap?
According to the researchers, the results of the study are very valuable, although there is no real explanation for the findings. However, more account can be taken of gender differences thanks to this research. According to the study, the health gap between men and women could be reduced in this way.
Tips to exercise more
You don’t have to go to the gym to get enough exercise. Here you will find tips to inspire you:
- Take the stairs more often instead of taking the escalator or elevator.
- Run short distances: when you go to the toilet, get coffee or take a seat for a minute. It may look crazy, but it really works.
- Replace your book or magazine with a podcast or audiobook and go for a walk, cycle or clean. This way you get more exercise than if you just sit in your easy chair.
- Don’t take the car, but walk or cycle to the supermarket. Not only do you get more exercise, carrying the bags also helps with your muscle condition. Would you rather not lift too heavy? Then make several trips to the store.
- Buy a pedometer or smartwatch: this will help you motivate yourself to work on (and achieve) your self-set daily goals.
- Find an active hobby such as gardening, cycling, roller skating or odd jobs.
- Think of new chores: does that cupboard need to be put together again, or is there quite a bit of dust that you can vacuum? Every form of movement counts.
- Do you travel by public transport? Get off the bus, metro or tram one stop earlier and walk the last bit to get some exercise.
- If you have a partner you can also get some exercise out of your nightly adventures, if you know what we mean (wink).
- Do a dance while cooking, in the shower or while starting your day. Dancing not only helps you compared to exercise, it also makes you happy!
