Exercising does not only improve your muscles, but the quality of your sperms as well. Research shows that even a simple exercise, like going for a walk, three times per week, helps boost men's fertility.
Behzad Hajizadeh Maleki, lead author of the study said: "Our results show that doing exercise can be a simple, cheap and effective strategy for improving sperm quality in sedentary men."
Sperm Quality Improved Regardless Of How Much Exercise You Do
The study, which was published in the journal Reproduction, showed that men who exercised had improved sperm quality regardless of how much they did compared to men who did not exercise at all.
Men who participated in moderate intensity continuous training (MICT) for 12 weeks, meaning they walked or jogged on a treadmill for 25 to 30 minutes every day, for three or four times a week, had the best results. The volume of sperm rose by 8.3 percent, 12.4 percent increase in cell motility and 17.1 percent increase in cell shape.
But fertility is not just based on sperm count. Maleki said: "It's important to acknowledge that the reason some men can't have children isn't just based on their sperm count. Male infertility problems can be complex and changing lifestyles might not solve these cases easily."
Men Who Lead Sedentary Lifestyles Have Poorer Sperm Count
Allan Pacey, British Fertility Society spokesman, said: "We know at one end of the scale, men with sedentary lifestyles have poorer sperm quality than men who undertake regular exercise whereas, at the other end, we know that men who train very hard have poorer sperm quality than men who undertake moderate exercise. Therefore, there is probably a level of exercise associated with optimum levels of male fertility, although that is poorly defined."
More research needs to be carried out, but according to Pacey, to improve fertility, men could also follow a healthy diet, stop smoking and wear loose underwear.
