Motorcycle legends have pledged their support to assist The Men’s Health Forum and their challenge to the government, NHS, local authorities, sports organisations and charities in working together to get one million more middle-aged men more active by the 2012 Olympics.

The MHF have issued the challenge as part of National Men’s Health Week (14-20th June) which aims to improve men’s physical activity levels, including through playing sport. Men's Health Week 2010 will be the first-ever national campaign specifically to encourage men to become more physically active.

Many well know sportsmen are supporting Men’s health Week including motorcycle legends Jorge Lorenzo, Leon Haslam and James Toseland. Whilst being physically fit is a prerequisite of their sport, it should be for ALL motorcycle riders.

As World Superbike Rider Leon Haslam said: 'Physical fitness is very important when riding a motorcycle regardless of whether you are a professional or a commuter. It requires skill, upper-body strength, training and focus. Even though you aren’t competing with anyone whilst you cruise down the road, fitness still plays an important role in your riding ability. It is a workout and a lack of fitness can hinder your performance, especially during a long journey. When the body is tired reaction times lengthen and the ability to make sound, snap judgments can be impaired, making you a danger to yourself and others around you. I am supporting National Men’s Health Week and its goal to get more men physically active. My advice to all motorcycle riders is: get fit – ride safe!' Leon Haslam, World Superbike Rider

“I believe that my success has a lot to do with my fitness and state of mind. Keeping physically active is not only important for sportsmen like me, but for all men; which I why I support Men’s Health Week and their aim of informing men that becoming more active has so many benefits for them.' Jorge Lorenzo, MotoGP Rider

'Keeping myself fit isn’t just for my body - it also keeps my mind sharp and focused. When you're riding a motorcycle, you need a certain level of fitness to raise your level of concentration. The areas are endless where fitness can result in a better quality of life.' James Toseland, World Superbike Rider

Action is urgently needed because far too many men still die too young – 22% of men in England and Wales die before they reach 64 compared to 13% of women; 42% are dead by 75 compared to 26% of women.

Higher levels of physical activity could make a big impact – physically active men have a 20-30% reduced risk of premature death and up to 50% reduced risk of developing major chronic diseases. Men who walk or cycle for at least 30 minutes a day have a 34 per cent lower risk of dying from cancer than the men who do less exercise or nothing at all.

Physical inactivity is directly linked to a wide range of major health problems, including obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and several cancers. Currently, just 40% of men say they are active at the levels recommended by the Chief Medical Officer. Significantly, there is a big drop in men’s activity levels after the age of 35.

About 50% of men aged 16-34 say they meet the recommendations but the levels fall to 44% for 35-44 year olds, 32% for 55-64 year olds and 9% for men aged 75 or over.

The one million men challenge is not a randomly chosen one. One million is almost exactly the number of men in England and Wales aged 35-64 who will need to change their behaviour if minimum activity levels in this age group are to rise to the level currently achieved by younger men. This would mean that about 50% of men aged 35-64 would be active at minimum levels by 2012.





1. The Men’s Health Forum, a charity, is the centre of excellence for men’s health policy and practice for England and Wales. For further information about the Men’s Health Forum visit http://www.menshealthforum.org.uk.


2. The MHF has published ‘One Million More Men: The Men’s Health Forum physical activity and sport challenge – a policy statement for National Men’s Health Week 2010’. Available at http://www.menshealthforum.org.uk.


3. National Men’s Health Week 2010 is backed by the Department of Health, Sport England, the Food Standards Agency, Royal Mail and 30 other national and local organisations.


4. Numbers of men aged 35 to 64 who need to exercise more to meet the Million Men Challenge (rounded to nearest thousand):

· North West 131,000

· London 125,000

· East of England 110,000

· West Midlands 102,000

· South West 102,000

· Yorkshire & Humberside 98,000

· East Midlands 87,000

· South East 84,000

· South Central 77,000

· Wales 58,000

· North East 55,000

· Total: (unrounded) 1,023,718

Phew, the Isle of Man must be up to quota already.