With June being men’s health month, we decided to put together a short list of considerations for the boys. Most of these things men hear all the time. And even though we hear them all the time, countless guys continue to ignore these important aspects of their health, causing lower quality of life, especially as we age. No one is preaching perfection, but a little effort goes a long way.
1. Resistance training
With so much bad information floating around about fitness, getting good advice can seem almost impossible at times. One of the best things you can do for yourself is to maintain a regular resistance training routine. Lifting weights will not only ensure you maintain strength for everyday tasks, but it will also help you keep your doctor happy. Resistance training can aid in boosting your mood, recovery, stress management, and testosterone. Healthy testosterone levels are important, especially for men. Low testosterone can cause a whole range of health issues ranging from physical to mental.
When many people think of lifting weights, they picture a massive bodybuilder or powerlifter. The truth is you don’t have to have goals of being a physique competitor or a strength athlete to get benefits from weightlifting. 2-3 sessions per week, making sure you hit every muscle group, is plenty. You may break up lifting into 3 days, one for pushing, one for pulling, and one for legs. You may also break it up into two days, lower body and upper body. No matter how you split it up, making sure it is part of a consistent routine is most important.
2. Hormone levels
I must start out by saying I’m not a doctor. That being said, it doesn’t take a doctor (or fitness professional) to tell you that keeping your hormone levels in check is very important for your overall physical and mental health. I recommend to all my clients to have their hormone levels checked at least once, even if there is nothing wrong. Specifically, I recommend that my guys get their testosterone levels checked; if for nothing else than to get a baseline.
You see, everybody is different, and every BODY is different. Our testosterone levels can naturally start to decline as we age. For some people, the decline is a bit faster and sooner than others. Most sources advise a healthy testosterone level is somewhere between 300-800. That is a huge range. That means if a man normally has a testosterone level around 700, but it dips down to 350, he would still be considered in the “normal” range. At the end of the day, a medical professional specializing in hormone optimization will be able to tell you what, if anything, should be done if an issue arises.
3. Nutrition
By now, most of us know that fast food, sugary “coffees”, and heavily processed foods are not good for you. We are constantly being told that what we eat has a direct influence on our overall health. Yet, so many of us struggle daily to eat “good” food. I’m going to tell you a secret: there is no such thing as bad or good food. Yes, some foods need to be consumed sparingly, but looking at nutrition as black and white will make it harder to develop a good relationship with food.
I always tell my clients to follow the 80/20 rule. 80 percent of what you eat should be “healthy”, while 20 percent of what you consume can be “junk”. Some days it may be more like 75/25, others it may be 90/10. As long as you make an effort to eat MOSTLY nutritious whole foods, you’ll be in a good position nutritionally. Side note: for those of you not paying attention, drinks contain calories too. We’re looking at you Starbucks lovers.
4. Cardio, balance, and flexibility
While the base of any good fitness program should be resistance training, keeping up with your cardio, balance, and flexibility are also important to maintaining good physical health. This doesn’t mean you need to dedicate the same amount of time to each area, just that you need to make sure they are being addressed regularly.
Think about adding stretching at the end of your lifting to promote flexibility. Keep in mind, stretching should almost NEVER be done before lifting weights. Balance training can be done as a part of your warm-ups. Cardio should be done independently of lifting weights. In other words, throw it in after lifting or on a separate day altogether. Once people realize how easy it is to tackle these areas, it becomes that much easier to keep these activities in their fitness routine.
Again, no one is expecting you to change your entire life. I am simply asking that you take these things under consideration when looking ahead. With so much false information flying around disguised as facts, it is becoming harder and harder to separate fact from fiction. Because of this, it is becoming exponentially more important to take charge of our own health. Just remember “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
ABOUT TOBY
Toby Ralph is a military spouse, father, and physical health advocate. As a personal trainer and natural bodybuilding coach, his focus is improving mental wellbeing through physical fitness. Gaining control over your mental and physical health is key to successfully navigating the stressors you face daily.
