Although women tend to exercise less than men do, recent studies indicate that women gain more from exercise in terms of their health.
According to a research, women who frequently exercised—at least 25 minutes of intense activity or 2.5 hours of moderate exercise each week—had a 24% reduced chance of dying throughout the study period than women who did not exercise. On the other hand, men who frequently exercised had a 15% lower death rate than those who did not.
Men need greater activity than women did in order to reap the same health benefits: When compared to males who did not exercise, those who engaged in five hours of moderate to intense exercise each week had an 18% lower risk of death. However, women who exercised for just 140 minutes a week saw the same results.
Women who exercised regularly also had a 36% lower risk of dying from a cardiovascular issue such as a heart attack or stroke, the study found, whereas men who exercised regularly had a 14% lower risk.
The findings were published Monday in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The researchers analyzed the self-reported exercise habits of more than 412,000 men and women who participated in the National Health Interview Survey from 1997 to 2017.
Compared to 43% of the males in the research, around one-third of the women routinely participated in aerobic workouts, or activities that raise heart rate, such fast walking, jumping rope, or spin classes. Additionally, women were less likely than males to engage in exercises that build muscle, such lifting weights.
However, consistent muscular training (one session per week, on average) was linked to a 19% reduced risk of overall death and a 30% lower chance of women dying from cardiovascular issues. The identical weekly workouts reduced mortality and cardiovascular disease risk by 11% and 6%, respectively, for males.
