If I had to compile a list of recommendations for the men I encounter on a daily basis either personally or professionally it would read as follows:
Listen to your significant other
Your partner has been nagging you for months to make an appointment to see your doctor. She has even gone as far as scheduling the visit, has offered to drive you, prepared a note for the doctor, and cooked your favorite meal to entice you. Having your partner interested in keeping you healthy should be reassuring since that means she isn’t sitting around waiting to collect upon your insurance in the event of your untimely death.
Diversify your workout
Gyms are filled with men but they are all doing mostly the same workout, weights! Men are consumed with bulking up their muscles and getting the “ripped” look. However, cardiovascular exercise is just as important as weight training. 150 minutes of aerobic exercise is recommended for both men and women per week. Walking, running, spinning or playing basketball are all excellent examples of ways to improve conditioning.
Get your vision checked
Squinting while trying to read the newspaper on your morning commute or having the church bulletin an arm’s length away while singing the hymn is not sexy! Normal aging, excessive computer work or voluminous amounts of reading can cause visual acuity to diminish. Optometrists generally recommend that healthy adults age 18-60 get their vision checked at least annually. The fourth decade of life is when most adults began to experience difficulties reading small print up close, known as presbyopia. Low budget reading glasses are essential at this stage of life.
Transition to grown-up foods
Twenty-year old metabolisms are quite different than those during the 40’s, 50’s and beyond. Your mind is telling you to eat that double cheeseburger with fries but your gastrointestinal tract will remind you later that decision was definitely not the correct one. As you age eating a balanced nutritional diet becomes even more important than in your formative years. Foods high in fat and salt increase your risk for heart disease and a host of other diseases as well. Although most people continue to eat the same amount of calories as they did when they were younger, your bodies actually require less. Therefore, push aside the processed and fast foods and embrace more fruits and vegetables.
Make sexually mature decisions
Let’s admit it. When you were younger you probably made some immature decisions in regard to your sexual health. If your partner had a pulse and was willing, you were happy to oblige and condoms in your opinion were simply a hindrance. Now if your gamble paid off and you were able to avoid getting a sexually transmitted infection from that encounter, you continued to gamble. Today, however, I pray that your robust sexual appetite has been seasoned with caution and large cups of wisdom. Sexual infections can be acquired at any age. Just because your partner is sixty does not mean they are clear of diseases like herpes, trichomonas, chlamydia, gonorrhea, or HIV. Per the CDC, male latex condoms when used appropriately can reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections.
Reduce stress
Work, family, illnesses, and financial worries can all add to a man’s day-to-day stress level. Stress can then cause other physiological changes such as a spike in blood pressure, headaches, weight gain from overeating, and sleeping difficulties. Stress can also eventually lead to symptoms of depression such as sadness, lack of energy and motivation, and low libido.
Recognizing that your stress levels are rising is crucial so that interventions can be pursued like receiving therapy. Because some men tend to have this macho persona, admitting that a problem exists may be difficult initially. But poor mental health will slowly begin to deteriorate other aspects of a person’s wellbeing. Acknowledging that help is needed is not an act of weakness but one of great strength.
So I encourage everyone who reads this to share with the men in their lives and let’s work to improve male health outcomes and change the current negative narrative being replayed daily in the media.
Yours in Service,
Denise Hooks-Anderson, M.D.
Assistant Professor
SLUCare Family Medicine
yourhealthmatters@stlamerican.com
