Gendered Benefits of Exercise

Both genders do benefit from exercise, although women's perceptions are often different from men's.  I found the difference in perspectives remarkable when exercise was used to provide positive outcomes for cardiovascular disease.  The value of cardiac rehab (CR) is well-known (Higginson, 2008).  What is perhaps less known is that although one in seven women die each year from coronary heart disease, older women are less apt to adhere to CR recommendations.  This can be because of many different reasons, but one common one is that they tend to dislike going to a typical gym.  Higginson (2008) suggested prescribers of CR should be able to offer a variety of programs, even home-based ones, to make adherence more realistic for women who might otherwise fail to comply with an exercise regimen.  Older women's failure to comply may be because of women's perceptions of exercise.

Higginson, R. (2008). Women and cardiac rehab: Overcoming the barriers. British Journal of Nursing, 17(22), 1380-1381.