Many men do some things to stay health while missing others. A healthy man does what he can to improve his lifestyle and follows the doctor’s directions. Here are some things that a healthy man might do in order to remain healthy for the rest of his life:
- He eats healthy. A healthy man does not go to fast food restaurants or even to regular restaurants because fast food restaurants contain greasy, processed foods, and regular restaurants often have portion sizes that are too big. Instead, he mostly eats home-cooked food containing lean meats, whole grain products, vegetables, and fruits. The food is high in nutrients and fiber, and is low in salt and fat. This can help him maintain his body weight and avoid the many complications of obesity, including certain cancers, diabetes, and heart disease.
- He exercises regularly. The healthy man knows the risks of being sedentary and does some form of aerobic exercise for thirty minutes per day about 4 times per week. He may do some weight lifting on 2 days of the week so as to improve muscle mass and reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Exercise also decreases the risk of diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. Ideally, the exercise should be of a moderate intensity so that you bring your heart rate up to target levels.
- He gets enough sleep. Sleep is important to daytime functioning. It is necessary to get around 7-9 hours of sleep per night. If you can’t get to sleep, try drinking some herbal tea like valerian tea or Chamomile tea before bedtime. Do not exercise or eat a big meal within 4-6 hours before bedtime and maintain a dark sleep space that is exclusively used for sleep or sex. Do not read or watch TV in bed and try using a sleep machine that creates white noise in order to calm the mind and get rid of extraneous noise when you sleep.
- He takes care with his medical care. Men are notorious for not seeing the doctor regularly and not being screened for things like high blood pressure, elevated lipids, and diabetes. This is especially true of younger men who engage in risky behavior and do not have things like health insurance or a regular doctor. The healthy man not only does things to reduce his risk of getting diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension but also takes the recommended medications if they do develop. Men have a great risk of getting these diseases and are not properly screened for them. The healthy man has health insurance, a regular doctor, sees the doctor regularly, and takes medications as prescribed.
- He is in a healthy long-term relationship. Men who are married live longer and have healthier lives when compared to men who are not. The reasons for this are not completely clear but it may have to do with having another person to share symptoms with and who will ask you to see the doctor if anything is going wrong. Married men tend to take part in fewer risky behaviors and so they have fewer accidents. Married men are simply healthier than unmarried men are.
- He engages in stress-reducing activities. Men are under a great deal of stress from relationship problems, financial difficulties, and work problems. Often they deal with this stress by stress-avoidance and the taking of alcoholic beverages or illicit drugs. A healthy man will use exercise for stress reduction, and may use things like meditation, guided imagery, yoga, tai chi, or qi gong, which can reduce the risk of stress-related diseases, including mental health issues. The healthy man will drink no more than 2 alcoholic beverages per night.
The healthy man lives a much different life than the unhealthy man. By engaging in healthy behaviors, he lives a healthier life and may actually live a longer life when compared to men who let their health go.