Men’s Health
The topic of men’s health is an interesting one. Typically, men only visit their GP when they are forced to by their partner concerned over a lingering issue. Having a reactive perspective to one’s health, as opposed to proactive, is never ideal. Let’s change the focus by considering 5 life hacks that men can do to instil greater wellness to their lives every day.
1) Stress Management
Stress is the enemy of every body process.
Regardless of how healthy a person is, if stress is too high, almost every area will be affected.
Digestion, memory and recall, bowel health, blood circulation, good and bad cholesterol, skin health and energy levels will all be impacted.
Let’s break it down a little further, a level of stress is required to provide the body and mind with motivation; such that having no stress hormones at all will result in apathy.
However, beyond a certain threshold, stress will consume bodily processes making it difficult to remain healthy. It is common for the overworked to consume an excessive amount of vitamin pills, however this can tax the liver, kidney and immune system even more.
Our recommendation is to work on stress management tools such as participating in tai chi, yoga, chi gong, meditation, physical activity, taking time out in nature, talking to loved ones or seeking professional assistance. If possible, reducing stress exposure should also be considered.
2) Sleep Hygiene
Stress and sleep are often paired together in public health strategies as a deficit in sleep quality promotes bodily stresses; whilst high levels of stress can impact sleep quality. As such, ensuring the body has adequate sleep is vital to alleviate high stress loads.
There are five stages of sleep. However, Stage 4 deepest sleep, is one of the most important. It is during this phase that the liver enters a cycle called Phase 2 Detox.
This is a vital process for the body to support a healthy brain and heart, normal metabolism, boost the immune system and to encourage elimination and removal of wastes from the body.
It is possible to have long sleep but insufficient time in deep sleep, or short sleep patterns with adequate deep sleep. As such, there is no magic number that provides guidance for sleeping hours.
Although, there are several behaviours that can promote a more restful sleep, avoid drinking caffeinated beverages such as coffee and tea before bed. To encourage relaxation drink a warm glass of milk and honey or chamomile tea. Also, large portions of food, alcohol and technology exposure before bed can be disruptive. These activities promote alertness and override the body relaxing. Ideally eat your last meal two hours before sleeping so food has an opportunity to begin digesting prior to lying flat.
3) Eat More Vegetables
Vegetables are packed with so many nutrients that avoiding them is a missed opportunity.
Unlike women, men are rarely attracted to eating vegetables every day. However, as we get older, eating vegetables becomes even more important for endurance and overall energy levels, joint mobility, controlling blood pressure, preventing stomach disturbances and digestive upsets, promoting stress removal and slowing down the ageing process.
So you see, vegetables are vital for a healthy body and mind.
Rather than filling up on mainly meat and rice, eat vegetables first. Consider eating braised broccoli, cauliflower and mixed mushrooms to compliment lunch. A leafy salad with baby spinach, rocket, fresh mint, flat leaf parsley, beans, water chestnuts and snow peas at dinner. For an extra boost of vegetable goodness we love snacking on a heart-friendly chick pea (humous) dip with carrot sticks and celery in the afternoon.
Include more plant based meals such as tofu stir fries and brown rice for more fibre and a boost to digestive health.
The more colour we eat in the form of vegetables, the more helpful nutrients our body receives.
4) Drink Wisely
It may be common after a long day or week of work to indulge in large amounts of alcohol.
This is problematic for a number of reasons.
When the body receives alcohol, as a function, it prioritises its removal over all other systems. This is tiring for the body, promotes dehydration and nutrient absorption is compromised.
Drinking too much also encourages the body to stress, it promotes secretion of stress hormones and shocks the body.
Consider reducing alcohol intake to only a couple of drinks in one sitting and including several alcohol free days per week.
Consider drinking more water to promote circulation and encourage optimal digestion. You may be interested to note that a 5% loss in internal body fluid can promote poor concentration, impact memory and cause fatigue.
As such, drinking adequate water every day and monitoring alcohol intake is vital for achieving optimal wellness.
5) Exercise
As family and work pressures escalate, exercise is often de-prioritised.
Many people are aware of its benefits but when other priorities take course, these benefits are forgotten. However exercise is not just an activity to consider when there is time.
There are fundamental reasons exercise is a vital part of healthy living. Regular exercise…:
Promotes greater control of blood sugar levels
Encourages balanced energy throughout the day
Enhances brain functioning and alertness.
Reduces the risk of insulin resistance, a precursor to Type 2 Diabetes.
Strengthens the heart and lungs
Encourages deeper breathing
Supports efficient circulation
Facilitates regular bowel movements,
Enhances feelings of happiness and elevates serotonin levels within the body
How about going for a 30 or 60 minute walk today then eating a bowl of luscious vegetables?
Posted on November 20, 2018