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Leisuretimeexercise
Likehisfatherandgrandfatherbeforehim,thetypicalAmericanmanofthe21stcenturyworksforhisliving.Inmostcases,though,heworks
withhismind,nothisbody.
Itwasn'talwaysthatway.Asrecentlyasthe19thcentury,30%ofalltheenergyusedintheAmericanworkplacewasprovidedbyhumanmuscle
power;today,thepercentageisminuscule.Inmostways,thetransitionfromanagriculturaleconomytoanindustrialsocietytotoday's
informationagehasbeenagreatboon.Butsomethinghasalsobeenlost.
Technologyhasfreedmenfromphysicallaborbothatworkandathome.Inaddition,unprecedentede ciency,productivity,anda uencehave
producedshorterworkdays,morevacationtime,andearlierretirement.Italladdsuptomorefreetimeformostmen.
Whatdidyoudowithyourfreetimethisweekanddoesitmattertoyourhealth?

Thenationalpastime
Americahasbecomeanationofspectators.ThelateststatisticsfromtheNationalCentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention(CDC)tellthetale:
29%ofadultsareentirelysedentaryandanother46%don'tgetenoughphysicalactivity.ThatmeansonlyaquarterofallAmericansgetthe
exercisetheyneed.
Therealsituationmaybeevenworse.Mostpeoplewhosaytheyexercisereportwalkingastheironlyregularphysicalactivity,butwhen
researchersfromtheCDCevaluatedmorethan1,500peoplewhosaidtheywerewalkers,theyfoundthatonly6%walkedoftenenough,far
enough,orbrisklyenoughtomeetthecurrentstandardsforhealth.Evenpeoplewhoreportintenseactivityoftenoverstatetheire orts.
ScientistsfromtheUniversityofFloridaaskedpeopletokeepalogoftheirphysicalactivitiesforafullweekwhiletheywerehookedupto
ambulatoryheartmonitors.Some47%ofthesubjectsreportedthattheyhadengagedinmoderateactivity,butonly15%actuallyboostedtheir
heartratesenoughtosustainmoderateactivity.Thegapwasjustasgreatformoreintenseexercise:11%reportedhardactivity,butonly1.5%
boostedtheirheartratestothatlevel.Nobodyachievedaheartrateconsistentwithveryhardactivity,though1.5%madethatclaim.
"Spectator"isakindwordforit;infact,weareanationofcouchpotatoes.

Leisurelypursuits
IfAmericansarenotphysicallyactiveonthejoboro ,whatarewedoing?Justlookaroundyou.Workusuallymeanssittingbehindadesk,in
frontofacomputer,orbehindasteeringwheel.Freetimeinvolvesmoresitting,oftenatthekitchentableorinfrontofaTV.Themostobvious
consequenceisthesteadygrowthofAmerica'swaistline;morethanhalfofallmenareoverweightorobese.Type2diabetes(formerlycalled
adultonsetdiabetes)isanotherresult,andthenumberofcasesisincreasingsteadily.
WhenresearchersatHarvardstudied37,918menbetweentheagesof40and75,theyfoundastronglinkbetweentheamountoftimeaman
spentwatchingTVandhisriskofdiabetes.Noneofthemenhaddiabeteswhenthestudybeganin1986,butoverthenext10yearsthemen
whowatchedthemostTVwerenearlythreetimesmorelikelytodevelopthediseasethanthosewhospenttheleasttimeinfrontofthetube.TV
watchinghasalsobeenlinkedtoobesity,anotherdiabetesriskfactorbutevenwhenthescientiststookobesityintoaccount,theyfoundthat
heavy-dutyTVwatchingincreasedtheriskofdiabetesbynearlytwoandahalftimes.AndanotherHarvardstudyfoundthatmenwhowatchthe
mostTVhavehigherlevelsofLDL("bad")cholesterolandlowerlevelsofHDL("good")cholesterolthanthosewhowatchless.Alongwith
diabetesandobesity,it'saninvitationtocardiovasculardiseaseandtuningintomedicalshowslikeERwon'tlessentheriskatall.
TheaverageAmericanmanspendsmorethan4hoursadaywatchingTV.Ifhedevotedjust30minutesofthattimetoexercise,he'dbemuch
healthier.

Whyexercise?
Regularexercisehasenormousbene ts.Inadditiontoreducingtheriskofobesityanddiabetes,itlowersbloodpressureandcholesterollevels.
Thenetresultisalowerlikelihoodofheartdiseaseandstroke,the rstandthirdleadingcausesofdeathintheUnitedStates.

Physicallyactivemenalsohaveareducedriskofcoloncancer,andtheymaygetsomeprotectionagainstprostatecanceraswell.Exercisewill
helpmenpreservetheirmusclesandbonesastheyage;resistanceexercisedoesthisbest.Exercisealso ghtsdepressionandanxietyand
promoteshealthysleep,improvingthequalityofdailylife.
Andifallthesebene tsdon'tconvinceyoutogeto yourdu ,consideraHarvardstudythatfoundmenwhoinvest30minutesadayinexercise
are40%lesslikelytodeveloperectiledysfunctionthansedentarymen.
Physicalactivitycanhelpmenenjoylongerandmorevigorouslivesbutdoyouhavetobecomeagymratorjocktoearnthebene tsof
exercise?Notatall.
Infact,menwhouseevenamodestfractionoftheirfreetimeforphysicallyactivepursuitswillreapthegainsofexercisewithoutthepainof
competitivesports,muchlessthestrainofphysicallaboratwork.

Exerciseoptions
Manystudiesfromaroundtheworldcon rmthebene tsofleisuretimeexercise.Herearesomeexamples.
Golf.It'saprimeillustrationofthebestandworstofmodernAmericanleisure.Itkeepsmillionsgluedtotheireasychairs,watchingtelevised
tournamentseveryweekend.Italsogetsmillionsoutofthehousetoenjoythepleasureoffreshairandthechallengeandcamaraderieof
gol ng.Companionshipandchallengearegreatbuttheubiquitousgolfcartdeprivesmanyplayersofthehealthbene tofwalkingthe
course.Golferswhodowalkmaybeintheminority,buttheyarethetruewinners,nomatterhowmanystrokestheytake.
Astudyof110menwhowerehealthybutsedentaryshowshowgolferscanscore.Halfthemenwererandomlychosentoplaytwotothree18holeroundsofgolfaweek,alwaysonfoot,whiletheothersremainedinactive.Injust20weeks,thegolferslostabout3poundsandnearlyan
inchfromtheirwaists;evenmoreimportant,theycuttheiraverageLDLcholesterolby12%andtheirtriglyceridesby14%whileboostingtheir
HDLby5%.Andthesegainswereachievedwithvirtuallynopainorinjury.Allittookwasanaverageof2roundsaweekor,fornongolfers,
about12milesofwalkingeachweek.
Gardening.Menwhodon'tliketoputtmaystillenjoyputteringinthegardenandthey'llalsoenjoytheresults.Forexample,astudyofadults
inKingCounty,Wash.,foundthatpeoplewhogardenedregularlywere68%lesslikelytodiefromcardiacarrestthansedentarypeople.Andyou
don'thavetodigfromdawntodusktogettheprotection;infact,anythingoveranhouraweekproducedrealgains.
Biking.Ridingabikecanbejustasgoodasgardening.Inastudyofmorethan800oldermenintheNetherlands,regularbikingwaslinkedtoa
29%reductioninthedeathrate.(Andthestudyreportedsimilarbene tsforgardening,evenwithjustanhourofyardworkaweek.)
Walking.Becauseit'sthedominantformofexercise,ithasattractedthemostattentionfromresearchers.Studiesfromaroundtheworldagree
thatalittlewalkingcangoalongwaytowardkeepingyouhealthy.Herearesometypicalresults:
A12-yearstudyof707retiredmeninHawaiifoundthatthedeathrateofmenwhowalkedatleast2milesadaywasmorethan50%lower
thanthatofmenwhowalkedlessthanamileaday.
AstudyofHarvardalumnifoundthatmenwhowalkedmorethan7milesaweekhada33%lowerdeathratethansedentarymen.Walking
upstairswasnearlyasgood;menwhoaveragedabout8 ightsadayreducedtheirdeathrateby25%.
A4-yearstudyof1,645menandwomenover65foundthatpeoplewhowalkedatleast4hoursaweekenjoyeda31%lowerriskofdeath
thanthosewhowalkedlessthananhouraweek.
AHarvardstudyof72,488femalenursesfoundthatwalkingfor3hoursaweekreducedtheriskofheartattacksbyathird,orexactlyasmuch
as1hoursofintenseexercise.Andacompanionstudyof61,200nurseslinkedregularwalkingtoa55%reductionintheriskofhipfractures.
AHarvardstudyof39,372professionalwomenfoundthatwalkingforjustanhouraweekcuttheriskofheartattackbyhalf.Womenwho
increasedtheirweeklymileageenjoyedadditionalbene ts,butwomenwhoacceleratedtheirpacedidnot.

Overallbene ts
Moststudiesevaluateoverallactivityinsteadofratingindividualformsofexercise.Herearesomeresults:
A10-yearstudyofmorethan5,200adultsfoundthatexercisingreducestheriskofgainingsigni cantamountsofweightbynearlytwothirds.
ADanishstudyof30,228menandwomenfoundthatpeoplewhoinvestedatleast2hoursinexerciseeachweekenjoya28%lowerriskof
hipfracturethansedentarypeople.
ACanadianstudyof9,008menandwomenandanAmericanstudyof5,925womenoverage65agreedthatphysicalactivityislinkedtoa
reducedriskofcognitivedeclineanddementiainoldage.
Astudyof4,485middle-agedmenlinkedexercisethatcontinuedaftertheageof40toa31%reductionintheriskofstroke.
Astudyof1,453menbetween42and60foundthat2.2hoursofleisuretimeexerciseeachweekreducestheriskofheartattackby69%.

Astudyof1,072menbetweenage35and63reportedthatsedentarymenarenearlythreetimesmorelikelytodieduringthe10-year
observationperiodthanthosewhoexercise.
Astudyof500menandwomenlinkedleisuretimeexercise,butnotworkplaceactivity,toreducedatherosclerosisinthecarotidarteries,
whichsupplybloodtothebrain.
Two2003EuropeanstudiesfoundthatmoderatetohighlevelsofactivityareassociatedwithreducedlevelsofC-reactiveproteinandother
markersofin ammationandatherosclerosis.
It'sanimpressivelist,butitdoesn'tdojusticetotheevenlargerbodyofevidencethatshowshowmuchregularphysicalactivitycandoforyou,
evenifit'smodestexercise.Thinkitover,thenmovetowardhealth.

Whattodo
The rststepistotakeagoodlookatyourfreetime.Besurethatyouactuallyhaveenoughdiscretionarytime.Forhealthaswellaspleasure,it's
importanttobalanceworkandplay,tasksandleisure.Ifyourscheduleistoofull,modifyittorestorebalanceand exibility.
Next,lookatyourhealth.Mostpeoplecanexercisewithoutspecialprecautions,butmenwithheartdisease,diabetes,severearthritis,orother
importantproblemsshouldcheckwiththeirdoctors.Astresstestisrarelynecessaryunlessyourdoctorisworriedaboutyourheart.
It'salsoimportanttotakestockofyourpersonalexperienceandpreferences.Ifyou'veneverplayedgolforriddenabike,eitherwouldbeapoor
choice;ifthere'snopoolinyourneighborhood,swimmingmightposelogisticalhurdlesthatcouldsendyoudivingforyourcouch.Decideifyou
wantasolitaryactivityorasharedexperience.Bestofall,trytoplanavarietyofthingsthatyoucandoastheseasonschangeorwhenyou
travel.
Formostmen,walkingreallyisanideal rststep:It'seasyandnatural,it'sportable,itdoesn'trequirespecialequipmentorfacilities,anditrarely
leadstosigni cantinjuries.Youcanwalkindoorsorout,aloneorwithacompanion.
Howmuchtimeshouldyoudevotetoaphysicallyactivepastime?Thirtyminutesadayisanexcellenttarget,aslongasyourexerciseis
reasonablybriskandyoudoitnearlyeveryday.Walkers,forexample,shouldaimtocoverabout2milesaday;ittakesabriskcliptogetthat
donein30minutes,butifyouaremorecomfortablewalkingatagentlerpace,giveyourself45minutestocoveryourdistance.Remember,too,
thatyoucandivideyourexerciseintotwo15-minuteorthree10-minutesegmentsinsteadofdoing30minutesallatonetime.
Everylittlebitofexercisehelps,butthereisariskofoverestimatingthecontributionofsmallamountsofexercise.Yourgoalshouldbetoburnat
least150caloriesadaywithexercise;thetableWaystoburnabout150calorieslistssomewaystomeetthatgoal.
Asyourcapacityimproves,youmaychoosetodevoteevenmoretimetophysicallyactivepursuits.Itwouldbeanexcellentchoice;the rst150
caloriesadayarethemostimportant,butyoucangetadditionalhealthbene tsandfunfromtwicethatamount.Andwhilerecreational
exerciseisthemostenjoyablewaytomoveforhealth,youcanandshouldextendtheprincipletodailylife,too.Takethestairs,especially
goingup;ifyourcapacityismodestandyourdestinationhigh,walka ightortwo,thenswitchtotheelevator.Mowyourlawnbyhandorwash
yourcaryourself.Walktothestorewhenyoucan.Itwouldn'tevenhurttohelpwiththehousework.
Listentoyourbody.Exerciseoftenproducesachesandpains,buttheyareusuallyminorailmentsthatyoucantreatyourself.Butifyour
problemsaresevereorpersistent,backo andgethelp.
Listentoyourmind,too.It'syourfreetime,anditshouldbeenjoyable.Exerciseisthemeanstoanendgoodhealthbutitshouldalso
becomeanendonitsownpleasure.Keepexperimentinguntilyou ndrewarding,enrichingwaysto llyourexerciseprescription.
Listentoallthescientistswhosaythatphysicalactivitywillimproveyourhealth.OrlistentowhatEdwardStanley,theearlofDerby,wrotein
1873:"Thosewhothinktheyhavenottimeforbodilyexercisewillsoonerorlaterhaveto ndtimeforillness."
Finally,it'stimetostoplisteningandstartmoving.Usesomeofyourfreetimetoenhanceyourhealth,evenifitmeansturningo theTV.Infact,
youcantakethe rststeptowardbetterhealthbyturningito withoutusingtheremote.
(Thisarticlewas rstprintedintheMay2004issueoftheHarvardMen'sHealthWatch.Formoreinformationortoorder,pleasegoto
www.health.harvard.edu/mens{http://www.health.harvard.edu/mens}.)
Originallypublished:June2009
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