The Differences Between Men and Women in Exercise

Why is it that in the gym women tend to cluster around the cardio machines with a magazine and watch tv, while men tend to gather around the heavy weights where the mirrors are?  As easy as it is to pick on gender and say that men are self-centered and like to look at themselves and women don’t take exercise seriously, there actually are some interesting facts about gender perception which prevent and slow down our progression to becoming more fit.  Thanks to Weight Watchers, new research has clearly defined the contrasting male and female attitudes toward weight loss and activity. 

Let’s pick on men first.  Men are constantly trying to outperform themselves, the goal of a workout is to push the limits and exceed boundaries.  What potentially occurs with this type of attitude for working out is soreness, shin splits, torn muscles, arthritis, back pains, strains, sprains, cartilage tear, and ego bruising.  Guys are so focused on pushing their boundaries they forget that they are only human and end up hurting themselves! 

Weight Watchers surveys have concluded that a higher percentage of men believe that exercise is enough to slim down while women take the smarter route to slim down by using the combination of eating healthier and moving more.  “You rarely hear guys say, I’m going on a diet.”  Instead it’s “I need to hit the gym, says Miller Kovach chief scientist from Weight Watchers.

However, Weight Watchers survey shows men score higher when it comes to enjoying exercise.  “That doesn’t mean women don’t know they need to be physically active or don’t do it,” Miller-Kovach says. “But if you’re a woman, you’re looking at being active as a means to have wine with dinner.  For guys, to sweat is a badge of honor.”

Lynda Espada, fitness director of the D.C Jewish Community Center, says that from her experiences “Women never want to push it.  Men want to push it too much.”

Guys perceive that the more weight means the bigger they will be and the better they will be, while women worry too much about bulking up despite the fact that to bulk up requires a long rigorous process of protein, heavy lifting, and steroids.  Men and women would help themselves achieve their health goals and become better fit if they did not religiously cling on the preconceived notions of what exercise is appropriate.  So fellas, I encourage you to take some yoga classes and stress the importance of flexibility and prevention of injury, and ladies, I suggest taking a strength class, I promise you won’t become bulky!

Sources

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/01/AR2011030102973.html