Join a bowling league, take fitness classes at your local gym or YMCA, even take a trip around the block daily. Doing so may help you live longer, according to a study of more than 3,000 middle-aged men with type 2 diabetes. After seven years of follow-up, researches discovered the most-fit men lived the longest and each increase in their level of fitness led to a decrease in the risk of death.

The study focused on African American and white veterans; while exercisers in both groups lived longer, white men profited more. Why is unclear. The authors to this study noticed unlike previous research that has focused on exercise, diabetes, and mortality in middle-class participants, was of men from low socioeconomic backgrounds, showing that exercise is beneficial to both groups.

NOT IN THE MOOD TONIGHT, Honey

Can't seem to get in the mood? You're not alone. A study of 652 middle-aged women with type 1 diabetes found that 35 percent experienced some form of sexual dysfunction, most commonly a loss of libido and problems with orgasm. The researchers didn't show that diabetes caused these problems. Unlike men with diabetes, whose erectile dysfunction is linked to high blood glucose and disease complications, female sexual dysfunction is associated with being depressed, and is more common in married women. If your desire is waning or you're having other sexual problems, talk to your doctor about possible treatments.

DRINKING COFFEE

BEFORE high-intensity exercise can reduce muscle pain, says a study of 24 college-age men. In one test, participants took a caffeine pill an hour before 30 minutes of intense cycling on another occasion, they received a placebo. The men's perception of pain was lower on days when they took the caffeine, regardless of whether they were regular coffee drinkers or not. The amount of caffeine the participants took (5 milligrams per kilogram, or 2.2 pounds, of body weight) was equal to 2 1/2 to 3 cups of coffee-the average amount that Americans drink every day.