It is not uncommon for doctors to hear their patients claim, when advised to exercise more, "I KNOW I should exercise, doctor, but I just don't have enough time!"
Once a man reaches his fifth decade he increases his risk of having high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and strokes - as well as the possibility of developing cancer and arthritis. A man's body also loses muscle mass as he ages, so this is the time that it is important for men to undertake adequate physical exercise, especially resistance exercises. Unfortunately this is also the time when many men feel they have to devote their time to their careers and so fail to set a priority on their own health.
President Obama
America's 44th president has shown his countrymen that he can lead by example. He no doubt is conscious of the fact that a nation can reduce its burden of disease, not by pouring millions of dollars of government money into medicines and hospitals, but by encouraging its citizens to keep fit, eat healthily, stay slim and muscular - and avoid getting obese.
Ask Not What Your Country Can Do...
It is a question of asking not what your country can do to treat disease, but asking - and doing - what YOU can do to stay healthy and prevent illness.
Recently featured on the cover of the 20th anniversary edition of Men's Health magazine which nominated him as one of its 20 'Health and Fitness Heroes', Obama is quoted as saying "There’s always a trade-off between sleep and working out. Usually I get in about 45 minutes, six days a week. I’ll lift [weights] one day, do cardio (aerobic exercise) the next."
Regular workouts
Even after his election as US President in November 2008, Obama has continued to workout every day - often being photographed on his morning jogs wearing his trademark Chicago White Sox baseball cap. While on the campaign trail or on vacation in his old home state of Hawaii, he would often be seen at a local gym - a morning exercise session being a regular part of his daily schedule.
Doctors generally agree that as a minimum, a man should have at least three sessions averaging sixty minutes each per week of Obama-style workouts (aerobic exercise plus or minus resistance exercises) to maintain a good level of fitness. While aerobic exercise such as power walking, jogging or swimming helps to keep the heart and circulation in good shape, regular resistance workouts (using either weights on barbells/ dumbells or machines) help to keep the muscles toned and reduce the level of body fat.
Low Impact Aerobics
As a man gets older he can compensate for arthritic knees by undertaking low impact aerobic exercise like swimming, cycling, brisk walking or using a cross trainer instead of jogging - and keeping his leg muscles strong and well toned by regular resistance exercises for the quadriceps, hamstrings and calf muscles.
A man who looks after his physical fitness with regular workouts not only looks better and feels better - he will also delay the onset of those inevitable "diseases of old age" and minimize his chances of ill health.
Barack Obama has not merely altered our perception of what an American president can look like.
He has also by his own example certainly altered our view of what a middle aged man should look like.
Sanjiva Wijesinha - Dr. Sanjiva Wijesinha, Associate Professor at Monash University medical school, writes on health, travel and medical topics.
