Improve Your Life! 44 Reasons to Start Training and Eating Right Today

(Note: Since this article was published in a men's magazine, some of the benefits, such as protection from prostate cancer, are specific to men. But the vast majority of the benefits apply to both men and women.)

Living a healthful lifestyle isn't the easiest challenge to meet these days, even in our fitness-minded culture. It takes time, effort and a willingness to ignore donut cravings and slothful evenings in the La-Z-Boy. You might ask, is it all worth it? You bet your rock-hard abs. Researchers have found hundreds of ways working out and eating well bring you real, substantial benefits. Here are our top selections.

1. You'll change your image. Psychologists affirm that having a leaner body makes men feel better about themselves. In a study of 39 male and 27 female non-athlete undergraduates who lifted weights for 14 weeks, researchers found that rising self-esteem accompanied diminishing body fat.
2. You'll have good bones. Men are almost as vulnerable to osteoporosis, or brittleness of the bones, as women are. Calcium-rich foods (including milk, cheese and green vegetables) help keep bones strong. Both weightlifting and other weightbearing exercises (such as running) help, too. What's the hitch? According to one study, the bones get strong only near those muscles that are actually exercised, so it's important to work your entire body.
3. You'll fight off germs. A number of recent studies show that exercise can boost elements of the body's immune system, such as natural-killer cells and white blood cells. How this works isn't entirely clear - it may be due to changes in hormone levels or in mood.
4. You'll raise your testosterone levels. A 1994 study found that beginning male weightlifters' resting testosterone levels increased after just four weeks. "It wasn't a huge increase, but it should be seen as a benefit, because it helps the body with protein synthesis and growth," notes the study's author, Ohio University biologist Robert Staron, Ph.D.
5. You could avoid colon cancer. A Canadian study of 439 men found a "strongly significant" relationship between increased vegetable and fruit intake and decreased colon cancer. Exercise also seems to protect against the disease.
6. You'll recover from surgery faster. A nationwide study by the U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs evaluated 87,000 non-cardiac surgical operations performed under anesthesia. Researchers discovered that patients who were well-nourished were least likely to show complications or die within 30 days after surgery.
7. You'll lower your blood pressure. Doctors call high blood pressure "the silent killer" because it can lead to stroke, heart attack or kidney failure, all without warning. Exercise, stress-reducers such as yoga and tai chi, and a high-fiber diet can help keep your pressure down.
8. You'll be a better employee. Numerous studies have shown that staying fit helps you avoid injuries and illness, which translates into less sick time and lower health-care costs. One study found that fit employees have one-eighth as many injuries as unfit employees. Another found that physically active employees spent $200 less per year on medical claims and used 21 fewer sick hours than sedentary workers.
9. You could prevent diabetes. You may think that diabetes primarily has to do with sugar. In fact, a number of studies show that people who eat a diet high in fat are at greater risk for diabetes. Other studies prove that people who keep their weight at a normal level or who exercise regularly are less likely to develop the disease.
10. You may never have a heart problem. Dozens of recent studies have shown that men who engage in high- or even moderate-intensity exercise die from heart attacks less often than sedentary men. Reasons include the fact that exercise increases the blood-flow capacity of the cardiovascular system, decreases blood pressure, and may influence the activity of enzymes that help metabolize fat in the blood.
11. You'll raise your metabolism. Exercise makes you burn calories faster, because muscles demand more energy than fat does. But you can get a metabolic boost in the short run, too. According to one Colorado State University study, the resting metabolic rate of men who had just lifted weights for 90 minutes was nearly 10 percent higher - and it stayed that way 24 hours later.
12. You'll stay mentally sharp. In a study of older men and women, fit subjects scored higher on tests of reasoning, working memory and reaction time than sedentary subjects did. This may be because exercise improves blood supply to the brain.
13. You'll be more creative. According to a study published last year, subjects who exercised aerobically scored higher on creative-thinking tests than those who had just watched a video.
14. You'll feel more competent. Weightlifting seems to contribute to a sense of capability that researchers call "physical self-efficacy." One study that included 37 male college students found that both strength and physical self-efficacy improved after a 10-week weight-training program.
15. You'll travel better. Aerobic exercise may help you overcome jet lag. Japanese researchers who monitored 10 cockpit-crew members on a flight from Tokyo to Los Angeles found that those who exercised upon reaching their destination adjusted to their new schedule faster than those who went shopping.
16. You'll stay mobile longer. The golden years will be golden only if you can avoid becoming physically debilitated. According to a four-year study of nearly 7,000 older men and women, people who remain physically active into their later years are less likely to lose their mobility than those who are sedentary.
17. Your back won't hurt. Certain kinds of exercise, especially weightlifting, can result in back injuries if done incorrectly. But in a study of 937 former elite athletes and 620 non-athletes, Finnish researchers found that the athletes were far less likely to report back pain. The moral? Exercise, but do it carefully.
18. You won't feel stressed out. A bout of exercise can help you blow off feelings of anxiety, even if you're not already fit. One study of 80 undergraduates found that those who exercised for 20 minutes showed significant reductions in tension and anxiety, while those who sat in a waiting room did not.
19. You'll lose weight. Duh, right? But it bears repeating: Exercise and a healthy diet are the only surefire weight-loss methods. Don't believe any person, group or infomercial that tells you different.
20. You'll lower your cholesterol level. In a study of 103 men and women of various ages, subjects who ate a diet that contained just 8 to 10 percent saturated fat and 300 milligrams of cholesterol lowered their levels of "bad" cholesterol by 7 percent. Such reductions can lead to a 15 to 20 percent reduction in the risk of heart disease.
21. You'll prevent sports injuries. Weight training seems to make other sports safer. A University of Florida study of high school football players found that 78 percent of severe upper-body injuries and 64 percent of severe lower-body injuries were suffered by players who didn't lift weights./li>

22. You'll save your knees. Even mild exercise can help prevent or cure knee osteoarthritis, a debilitatingly painful condition. One study showed that people who walked and lifted weights reported less disability than those who simply attended health-education classes.
23. You'll get extra protection from heart disease. If your healthy diet includes fish, that is. In a North Carolina study, even monkeys who ate a high-fat diet showed lowered levels of atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, when the diet included omega-3 fatty acids (the kind found in fish).
24. Staying lean helps even young men stay healthy. You figure that only old guys have to worry about heart disease, right? Wrong-Research published late last year showed that men who were even moderately overweight in their younger years had a greater risk of dying from heart disease.
25. You'll move your fat. Your heart doesn't appreciate those love-handles any more than your girlfriend does, and staying fit helps you keep abdominal fat in check, even into your later years. One study found that men who exercised had smaller waist-hip ratios, which has been correlated with lower rates of cardiovascular disease.
26. You'll help prevent lung cancer. Nonsmokers aren't immune to lung cancer, and one Norwegian study found that men who exercised at least four hours per week had a lower risk than men who didn't. Researchers suggest that physical activity helps prevent the disease.
27. You'll win more. Good general conditioning is one of the key elements of playing just about any sport well. Whatever your game is, the better shape your muscles and cardiovascular system are in, the more likely you are to prevail over your opponent.
28. You'll stand out from the crowd. Only 10 to 25 percent of American adults exercise at levels recommended for cardio-respiratory health; 50 percent of participants drop out of exercise programs in the first three to six months. Stick with a good exercise program and you'll buck some pretty unhealthy trends.
29. You could help avoid a stroke. When researchers looked at the records of 7,895 middle-aged people, they found that low recreational physical activity was associated with a higher incidence of stroke.
30. You won't lose your mind. Researchers in the Netherlands found that elderly men who ate large quantities of fish had less cognitive impairment. The researchers suspect that the benefit is due to the fact that polyunsaturated fatty acids in fish reduce the risk of thrombosis.
31. You'll reduce your risk of gallstones. In a study of 45,813 middle-aged men, subjects who were physically active were less likely to get gallstone disease. Of the 828 men who did come down with gallstones, the researchers estimate that 34 percent of them could have prevented it by exercising just 30 minutes five times per week.
32. You'll decrease your likelihood of getting prostate cancer. One study found that men who are physically active and men who are in good cardio-respiratory shape have fewer incidences of prostate cancer than sedentary men. A number of studies have shown that a low-fat diet high in soy, vitamin E and selenium may also help protect you. High-fiber diets help guard against painful prostate infections as well.
33. Your body will respond quickly to dietary changes. When 10 healthy volunteers adopted a diet high in green and leafy vegetables, fruit and nuts for two weeks after two weeks of their usual, higher-fat diet, their "bad" cholesterol levels dropped by about 33 percent.
34. Your partner will sleep better. If you snore, losing weight can decrease or even eliminate the problem. That's because excess weight can narrow the air passages in your nose and throat.
35. You'll live longer. Add up all the diseases you can help prevent simply by exercising, and you may have a recipe for a longer life. One 20-year Swedish study, in fact, found that among 7,100 men, those who were physically active during leisure time had a lower risk of dying from all causes.
36. You won't be hungry. If your diet includes a healthy breakfast, that is. Subjects of one study found that they were considerably hungrier by lunchtime after eating a high-fat breakfast than one that was high either in carbohydrates or protein. Subjects who ate a high-protein breakfast also felt less hungry for the following 24 hours.
37. You'll cut your cancer risk. According to the Harvard Center for Cancer Prevention, half of all cancer deaths could be prevented with such key lifestyle alterations as improving your diet, losing excess weight, getting enough exercise, quitting smoking and avoiding sun exposure.
38. You'll lift your spirits. Researchers have long known that aerobic exercise produces endorphins. It appears that weightlifting can fill you with those feel-good brain chemicals as well. In a study of 89 undergraduates at Hofstra University, researchers found that those who swam and those who lifted weights reported the same decrease in depression.
39. You'll have a big heart. Regular exercise makes the heart grow and become stronger, which means your resting heart rate drops, because it takes less effort for your heart to pump out the same amount of blood. And that, in turn, means that every time you exercise, you can do more, because your heart is so much better at getting that vital oxygen to your muscles.
40. You'll kick the habit. If you're still smoking cigarettes, exercise can help you quit once and for all. One study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 81 percent of male runners who smoked quit after they began running. Another study of 1,000 men and women in a smoking-cessation program found that those who increased their exercise levels after quitting were more likely to stay nicotine-free than those who were sedentary.
41. You won't be overpressured. Studies show that unfit people are 20 to 50 percent more likely to develop hypertension than fit people. If you already have high blood pressure, moderate exercise such as brisk walking can help bring your BP levels down again, even within a few weeks.
42. You'll be a good role model. National data shows that kids are getting fatter and more sedentary with every decade. About 22 percent of all children aged six to 17 are overweight, and only half of those between the ages of 12 and 22 exercise regularly. Being active with your children, and letting them see you exercise and eat well, can help them develop the habits that will keep them healthy, too.
43. You could save your soul. A recent Purdue University study found that people who are affiliated with religious organizations tend to weigh more than their less-religious neighbors. That doesn't mean you need to cut back on prayer - simply getting more exercise and eating better will reverse the trend.
44. You'll have all the time you need. While you should exercise for at least 30 minutes per day for better health and longevity, it's OK to break that up into three 10-minute workouts. And lifting weights for as little as 20 minutes daily is enough to begin reaping the benefits. So why not get started today?

San Francisco-based writer Susan E. Davis wishes we had space for 300 more benefits.

COPYRIGHT 1998 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group

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