Sport New health portal especially for men

New health portal for men should make more desire for sports

02/16/2012

Many men are very interested in sports. For most it is enough to read the sports section of the daily newspaper instead of being actively involved in sports. A new health portal specifically for the man with the title „Men on the move!“ should remedy this. Because sport is not only suitable for physical fitness, but also helps to increase its performance for work and everyday life.

Sport is one of the favorite topics of men. Many know very well the rankings of the German Football League and know exactly how their own favorite reminder has just played and on which standings the club stands. But when it comes to getting active, most men are more likely than real „couch potatoes“. In order to convey sports and health knowledge especially for men, the Federal Center for Health Education (BzgA) has published a booklet that is also available on the Internet at „www.maennergesundheitsportal.de“ is reachable. In many cases that is missing „Do it Yourself“, Prof. Dr. Ingo Froböse on Tuesday presenting the brochure „Men on the move“ in the Federal Ministry of Health in Berlin. The goal: The subject portal is intended to provide men with a first orientation in terms of active sports.

Sport is healthy and protects against illness
The positive health effects of sport are actually well known and are often proven by scientific studies. Anyone who exercises regularly, slowly increasing, does something good for his body and his vital energy. Sport strengthens the body's defense system, supports the performance of the cardiovascular system and thus protects against typical heart diseases such as heart attacks. Active movement also promotes the development of muscles and thus relieves the joints. Numerous studies indicate that sports reduce stress, relieve depression and increase one's self-esteem. Especially the latter point is hardly known to many men and is often not underestimated. Sport must be applied correctly. The body should not be overloaded, which can lead to negative health effects. Many men overburden themselves at the beginning and expose themselves to not insignificant dangers.

Only a minority of men engage in sports
According to Froböse, many men practice sport only when they see a clear benefit for themselves. Because men „define themselves very strongly about their performance and motivation“, so the sports expert. So it happens that just 20 to 30 percent of all German men actually do sports regularly. A little more exercise can significantly increase health and thus overall life expectancy. Sport for men is too „a question of gender justice“, finds BZgA director Prof. Elisabeth Pott. Because the life expectancy of men is on average currently at 77.5 years of age. Women, however, are just five years older. With the new brochure and the connected portal, men should experience the context between nutrition, sports and coping with stress and „served tasty“ to get. The website was created mainly because the initiators believe that men are more active than women on the Internet and are generally more interested in technology. For this reason, the brochure has been edited and now gone online.

Breaks for the recovery of the body
Because men are highly performance-oriented, they occasionally overwhelm their physical performance. Every good athlete needs breaks to recharge their batteries. Without breaks, the successes are minor and the body suffers from constant stress. Men must therefore recognize, „You see, you need the break, too“, says Froböse. Thomas Ilka, State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Health, says that in everyday life one often gets the impression that „Men and Health are two worlds that still can not relate to each other“. Therefore, the action next to the health and the „Preventing disease“ also convey that „Sport more powerful, attractive and resistant to stress“ makes.

No time for sports means much time for illness later
The body shows very quickly that he is not fit. Those who neglect their own fitness and do not spend time on sports have to „later take much more time for his illnesses“, warns Froböse. However, doing sports regularly is also a major challenge that can only be controlled cognitively to a limited extent. Many times other things like work, partnership or children become more important. Many men then neglect their health. The orientation moves to the outside „mostly a neglect of the physical and mental state.“

It is hardly surprising that back pain or low back pain especially in men occur when they are particularly committed to professional. Most back problems occur between the ages of 30 and 50 years. Therefore, the goal should be to reinstall the urge to move from a young age, the expert explains. Sport is more than just football. „That's what men need to understand“. It is worthwhile to discover other great sports as well. The brochure introduces, for example, swimming, boxing, dancing or jogging.

Ilka swears by the latter sport. If it is warmer outside, it begins again its morning run from the own house to the Ministry. The Secretary of State can only highly recommend morning jogging. Running makes you fit for the day and you get well rested to work. Even small changes to everyday behavior can make life healthier. Instead of the elevator you can climb the stairs. To clear your mind, even smaller breaks of 15 to 20 minutes in the fresh air help. The best are small walks in the park, says Ilka. This also helps to get other thoughts and to switch off from work. (Sb)

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