June is Men’s Health Month, so what better way to start off the month than discussing ways that men can boost their health—physically and mentally. So, here are some tips to keep in mind as we begin this month focused on men’s health.
Maintain a Healthy Waistline
An unhealthy waistline raises your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and strokes. Less than 40 inches is the optimum waistline for men. If you find your waistline is higher than this number, talk to your doctor about ways to lose weight and trim your waist.
In order to maintain a healthy waistline, eat a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole-grains, lean protein choices, and fiber-rich foods. Limit the number of processed foods that you consume because they can be high in salt, sugar, artificial ingredients, and unhealthy fats.
Get Active
Regular exercise helps you improve your physical and mental well-being. In fact, it is one of the best ways to prevent heart disease. Each week you should try to get aerobic exercise, such as running, walking, swimming, tennis, or basketball. In addition to the aerobic exercise, you should also be doing muscle-strengthening activities, such as weight lifting. Both types of exercises will help your heart.
Protect Your Skin
While you are staying active, it is important to protect your skin as well. Group sports, running, walks, swimming, and golfing all put you outside in direct view of the sun. To lower your risk of various skin cancers and particularly melanoma (one of the deadliest cancers), you should apply and reapply sunscreen as necessary and cover yourself with protective clothing. In addition, each month you should check for changes to your skin or to existing moles or for new moles. Finally, once a year, visit a dermatologist for a full-body skin check.
Schedule Your Exams
For some reason, men are known for avoiding visiting the doctor or ignoring symptoms. However, this doesn’t have to be you! The sooner you address a potential issue or get regular screenings, the better your chance of overcoming and becoming healthy once again. Schedule your yearly exam where your doctor can check your blood pressure, cholesterol, and weight. If one of these areas does need addressed in order for you to live healthier, your doctor can recommend medications, lifestyle changes, and other treatments for you.
Finally, there are two areas that men often skip getting checked out but are vital to catching early. First is your prostate. In fact, prostate cancer is the second most common cancer for men. If you are having pain when you urinate or trouble urinating, make an appointment with your doctor to get it checked out. The second screening that is so important is checking for colorectal cancer—the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Around age 50, you should begin talking to your doctor about scheduling screenings to check for polyps or cancerous growths in your colon.
Seek Help with Your Mental Health
While you might be focusing on taking care of your visual, physical body, it is also important to remember that your mental health is just as important. If you have been struggling with feelings of anxiety, sadness, or depression, take the first step today to dealing with those feelings. Reach out to a trusted friend and confide in him or her. Focus on getting regular exercise. Spend more time outside. And finally, reach out to our team at AllCare if you need additional support in this area—we want to help!
Stop Unhealthy Habits
If you have any unhealthy habits, now is the time to address those habits and make a plan to quit. These unhealthy habits might range from excessive alcohol consumption to using recreational drugs to taking anabolic steroids to smoking and being around secondhand smoke—all of which can have extremely damaging effects to your skin, various organs, and entire body.
Here at AllCare Medical Centers, we are always available as a resource to help you create and follow through with your plan to quit these harmful habits. This plan might include taking medications, working with a therapist, or other helpful strategies or treatments.
Focus on Men’s Health
Men, as we enter the month of June, make a commitment today that you will focus on your health this month. And for those women reading this, encourage the men in your life to take the necessary steps to addressing their health and not become another statistic—just another man avoiding the doctor at all costs. If you are ready to schedule your yearly exam or need help with any of the above areas, call or schedule your appointment online today.
