With Father’s Day right around the corner, I think it is the perfect time to talk about men and their health.
Men are becoming more connected with their health but they still traditionally feel significant pressures and stress. They share financial and career stress with women but they tend to handle that stress differently. Men don’t want to let anyone down or show vulnerability as that historically indicated a lack of masculinity. Carrying those pressures and stress quietly can cause a feeling of “the weight of the world” on a man’s shoulders.
Harboring negative stress can lead to countless health issues such as:
- Hypertension
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Migraine Headaches
- Cancer and more
It can also cause a man to utilize unhealthy habits such as excessive drinking and/or smoking to try to cope with the stress.
Men deserve to live happy healthy lives. So, how can men address their stress and what steps will help to alleviate it?
Communicate
- Sharing with a trusted person about how you are feeling doesn’t make you weak, it makes you smart. Talking through issues helps to put them in perspective and may bring solutions to light.
Take Time For Fun
- Whether hanging out with friends or taking a solo hike, schedule time for fun activities. It is never a waste of time to allow yourself to relax and recharge. You will end up being more productive and happy in the long run
Sleep
- Achieving enough quality sleep each and every night will not only make you feel great, but you will lower your risk of several chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes. Develop a healthy sleep hygiene routine and stick with it. If necessary, there are sleep aids that can help with this process such as melatonin and essential oils that are known to aid in sleep quality.
Exercise
- Everyone knows that regular exercise is needed for better health. However, it does seem like making excuses to not exercise can be easier than getting to the gym. Take some time and really challenge yourself to determine what your specific barriers are to finding time to exercise. Odds are that they can all be broken down if you really want to start an exercise routine. You do not need to spend hours at a gym to see improvement. Break up your exercise into smaller increments of time if that gets it done. Or, choose activities that seem more fun than exercise. Every little bit counts so don’t assume if you can’t be all in there is no point to start.
- Change the way you see exercise. Think of exercise as something as vital as food. How many day in a row so you want to go without eating? Exercise should be the same.
Speaking of Food
- How much time do you spend thinking about the food you are going to eat? Is it more or less than the time you spend say choosing an outfit for the day? It should be more – a lot more. Of course, food should taste great but remember its true purpose is to fuel our bodies. Consider a beautiful, exotic racecar. It will need premium gas or maybe even special racing fuel to perform at its peak. In fact, a lesser quality fuel may actually damage the engine. Fast food and highly processed food is the cheap gas. Not only will it not allow you to feel and perform your best, it may very well over time contribute to many chronic health issues. Treat your body like the perfect machine that it is and choose high quality, nutritious foods.
Men Deserve to be Pampered Too
- Get a great haircut. Looking your best helps you feel your best
- Get a massage. Massage can help with stress and tension and so much more.
- Choose high quality, toxin free self-care products. Your skin is your largest organ so treat it appropriately. Also, using products that you love can turn daily mundane tasks like shaving into an enjoyable part of your routine.
These steps are so important for men for so many reasons like:
- You’re a dad
- You’re a husband
- You’re a friend
- You’re a brother
- You’re a son
- You’re a grandfather
Men should love themselves as much as they are loved!