The key to men’s health is knowing what to focus on, what to prioritise and what to do. Men’s health is about lifestyle choices and self awareness.
Compared with women, men are twice as likely to die under the age of 65, and have less healthy lifestyles. Men are more likely to drink too much alcohol, exercise too little, eat unhealthy diets, smoke, and cope poorly with stress. Despite the gloomy news it is within the gift of all men to turn the situation around. Here are my top 10 priorities for getting healthy and staying healthy:
* Alcohol: drinking in moderation is unlikely to cause a problem. In fact a little red wine is actually beneficial for health. Alcohol is a toxin and therefore has a negative effect on the liver, brain and heart. A pint of lager contains just under 200 calories – something to consider if you’re watching your weight. To stay on the healthy side of alcohol, drink no more than 21 units of alcohol a week.
* Exercise: moderate exercise for around 30 minutes a day will help to keep you fit and healthy. Incorporate exercise into your daily routines, for example, walk briskly and use the stairs. Any activity that leaves you slightly breathless is good. Cardiovascular exercises, such as rowing and aerobics, are great.
* Weight: whether you are young or old the chances are that if you are overweight you are taking in more calories than you need. A combination of reduced intake, a good diet and moderate exercise will reduce weight.
* Food: heart disease, high blood pressure and cancers are associated with obesity. Therefore the foods you eat should be varied and should contain carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, fibre and proteins.
* Smoking: if you want to shorten your life then smoking is the thing to do. Smoking is enemy number one and is associated with cancers, heart disease, kidney, stomach and pancreas diseases. It’s not easy to stop smoking but keep trying. Even if you fail, try again, the results are well worth the effort for you and those around you
* Heart: every man over the age of 55 faces a 1 in 10 chance of suffering a heart attack. If you smoke, exercise little and/or are overweight, or have high blood pressure, your chances increase and your age reduces to around 45. High cholesterol is the greatest risk factor. It’s easy to check cholesterol and worth doing.
* Prostate: most men will start to experience prostate problems as they age. Prostate problems are associated with difficulties when urinating, straining, needing to urinate more often and sometimes pain. Any of these symptoms should be reported to your doctor.
* Testicles: between the ages of 21 and 35, testicular cancer is the most common form of cancer in men. A dull ache, a lump or a feeling of heaviness is often experienced. The good news is that testicular cancer is very responsive to treatment if caught early.
* Erectile dysfunction: inability to achieve or sustain an erection affects most men at some time in their life. It is estimated that more than half of all men over 40 experience the problem but only 10 per cent report it. Erectile problems are often associated with a medical condition so should really be checked out.
* Sexual: sexually transmitteddiseases (STD’s) can be passed to anyone who has sex. STD’s are on the increase and whilst most can be treated fairly easily, they can cause permanent damage if ignored. Condoms are the most effective to prevent the spread of STD. If in doubt, get checked out.