If being an North American male were a paid profession, most of us might think twice about applying for the job. Consider these statistics: But the good news is that men are beginning to change the way we live, taking better care of ourselves and generally re-examining what we want out of life. There's no better time than the present to think about taking a few steps toward better health. Strive For Five According to the National Cancer Institute, men who eat five servings a day of fruits and vegetables have a 70 percent lower risk of digestive tract cancers. The solution? Never eat a meal that doesn't contain a fruit or vegetable. It doesn't have to be a big deal--some fruit on your cereal and orange juice at breakfast, lettuce and tomato on your sandwich at lunch, that famous apple a day, a salad with dinner. Click for more information on cancer-fighting foods. Check The Jewels Testicular cancer is the most common cancer among men between the ages of 15 and 40. Check yourself for it once a month with a testicular self-exam. Soap up in a shower to soften the scrotum, then take a testicle between your thumb and forefinger and roll it gently. Your testicle should feel smooth and oval, like a miniature soft-boiled egg (minus the shell, of course). Any lump or irregularity should prompt an immediate call to the doctor. Limit Fat And Cholesterol One-third of all cancer deaths might have been prevented through dietary changes, according to the National Men's Health Foundation, and fat and cholesterol are the biggest culprits. Start with the small stuff: Cut back on the amount of butter, sour cream and cheese you eat. Try switching to a low-fat milk or move from 2 percent to 1 percent. Introduce more fish into your diet and eat your chicken without the skin. For more information on reducing cholesterol levels, click here. Exercise, Exercise, Exercise If someone told you that there's a new drug that could improve the function of your heart, brain and lungs, while lowering your risk of cancer, controlling your weight and enhancing your mental health, you'd be clamoring to get your hands on some. Exercise offers the same benefits. Any exercise is better than none, but the American College of Sports Medicine recommends at least three 30-minute sessions a week, during which time your heart revs to between 60 percent and 80 percent of its maximum rate. Your maximum heart rate is determined by subtracting your age from 220. If you're just starting up, stick with low-intensity activities like walking, bicycling or swimming. Give Your Eyes A Break You spend a lot of time in front of a computer (like now, for instance). To minimize eyestrain, headaches and blurred vision, make sure your monitor is 20-30 inches away, at or slightly below eye level, with your keyboard directly facing the screen. Every 10 minutes look up and focus on an object at least 10 feet away for a few seconds. Then get back to work. Wear Sunscreen Skin-cancer rates have jumped 162 percent in the past 20 years, and men get the disease nearly three times as often as women do. The good news is that skin cancer is one of the most preventable forms of cancer. Slather on the sunscreen (with an SPF of at least 15 to block ultraviolet A and B rays), even on cloudy days. Phil has been writing articles for local print and online media for nearly a decade. Not only does he specialize in family issues, fitness and weight loss, you can also check out his latest work on Supplements And Health, a guide to dietary and natural health supplements. More about health please check this website: http://manandwomenhealth.blogspot.com/
We men consider ourselves 'tough'. And most are like ostriches burying heads into the sand. We visit the doctors' less frequently compared to women. Most men take symptoms of health issues less seriously and try to live a healthy lifestyle like that. That pretty much explains why most women have a 7-year average survival advantage on men! Anyway, for those who don't want things happening that way, here are 4 health tips for all round fitness of men in 2010. Stay away from "White Foods" Moreover, white foods are notorious for driving up your blood sugar levels. This contributes a lot to your weight gain, or other health problems like diabetes. And it's also wise to shun while flour food items like breads or baked goods and sugar-laden sodas. Instead, introduce fiber-rich fruits, fresh vegetables, legumes as well as whole grains. Avoid trans fats Build a habit of taking strong multivitamin supplement everyday In most of the cases, poor quality of the soil, second-rate storage, and substandard processing or cooking exhausts most of our food of the essential vitamins or minerals. So using high quality supplements everyday is like a "health insurance" against potential deficiencies. Include some weight training in your workout routine More information about men health please visit this website: http://manandwomenhealth.blogspot.com/
White flour or white sugar is not the best choice to include in your menu. They come with little vitamin or mineral properties. Moreover, they're also horribly low in natural fiber properties. Same goes for most of those which white foods commercially sold in the market.
It's better to eat less fats overall. And watch out for the types of fatty items that directly harm your body! Deep-fried foods or things made out of hydrogenated oils (margarine, peanut butter, bakery pastries or cookies) are better when avoided, since they have trans fats (which are notorious for driving up the threat of many heart diseases). Better alternative to these could be healthful fats like olive oil or omega-3 oils. These oils are found in salmon and similar cold-water fishes. They can protect you against virtually all sorts of heart diseases.
This gets better if you also take some mineral supplements. Though there's no alternate to a balanced diet, high-potency multivitamins along with a well matched mineral supplement is essential. Even though you're eating right, chances are low that the food you eat contains all sorts of nutrients needed by a male's body.
Aerobic workouts are great for improved cardiovascular conditioning. Still, you can get better health values and impacts with weight training, as far as attacking your flab factor" is concerned. Recent researches revealed that just once a week resistance exercise has strong possibility of improving the muscle strengths of an average male. So no matter how busy you are, doing that little for a better health shouldn't be much of a problem actually!