In the height of summer we’re all taking advantage of the warm weather, barbecues and vacations. Along with all of the activity and excitement this time of year, it is important to take the time to care for yourself.
Men specifically often avoid seeking medical care, in fact women are twice as likely to visit a doctor than men. In between enjoying the summer fun, make an effort to improve your health and share health tips with loved ones.
Here are five ways that men can focus on improving their health this summer.
Men Should Cut out bad habits
In order to become the healthy person you aspire to be, it’s crucial for men to cut down on bad habits that are negatively impacting your health. Whether that be alcohol, drugs, smoking or a poor diet, re-evaluate your routine and consider making changes to cut out the bad habits.
The best way to make a quick change for your body is to look at what you are putting into to it. Having a diet high in protein and greens will help to build muscle and burn fat. Kale is a vegetable that is a superfood and loaded with all types of benefits.
It contains vitamin K, C, fiber, antioxidants, and helps to suppress your appetite. It’s easier said than done, but there are plenty of resources out there to help people overcome these unhealthy tendencies.
Find Your Zen
Yoga is a practice that has been around for thousands of years and offers so many benefits to ones body physically and mentally.
Not only will you increase your flexibility and lessen chronic pain, it can help to reduce insomnia and help to promote mindfulness. It only takes as little as 15 minutes a day and you will begin to reap its rewards.
Getting outdoors when the sun is shining is a great place to do this, especially with the warmer temperature months.
Men Need to Talk it out
A major issue that men have when it comes to their health is that they avoid talking about it. Men are much less likely than women to acknowledge poor health or seek help for it.
Men should reach out to reliable professionals who they trust to discuss their health with. Ignoring any health issues can be quite dangerous. It’s crucial to catch health concerns as quickly as possible to combat them and, if men are avoiding talking about them, they won’t be able to correct the problem as easily.
No matter what the situation is, talking about it will inevitably point you in the right direction.
Use your resources
Luckily, there are many resources available for men to take care of their health. If men are uncomfortable talking about health issues with others in person, there are plenty of reliable sites, such as Men’s Health Forum, hims, and Men’s Health Foundation, where they can find useful information.
Men should learn more about their bodies and health in order to be aware when an issue arises that they should seek additional assistance for. Every year there are new changes that will occur in your body and it is up to you to educate yourself.
Why men need to get more sleep
Did you know that 35.3% of adults aren’t getting enough sleep? We’re often so busy that we use time that should be spent sleeping taking care of other responsibilities instead. It’s recommended that adults get 7-9 hours of rest each night.
If you find that you’re having trouble falling asleep or finding time to get enough rest, there are some easy methods to help you out. For example, try setting a schedule so you’re falling asleep and waking up around the same time every day.
This will help your body’s internal clock adjust so falling asleep and waking up will be much simpler. The ideal sleeping temperature is around 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Before you fall asleep, your internal temperature will drop to promote deep sleep. Having your room at this temperature will allow you to fall asleep faster and easier. This helps make changes like this to improve your sleep and feel healthier on a daily basis.
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Men must stay up-to-date with medical appointments
As I mentioned previously, men are not visiting their doctors as frequently as they should be.
If you find that you’re not visiting health professionals or undergoing necessary medical procedures regularly like you should be, now is the time to start!
Consider all of the procedures and appointments you should be attending and make some calls to get anything set up that you’re currently behind on. These appointments are not only important to regularly improve your health, but also to tackle any issues before they become a serious problem.
Author Bio
Jordan M. Jordan is a health advocate that focuses on ways to improve the mental and physical well being of men and women. He enjoys working out, reading health blogs, and espresso on ice.
Ken Weiss is a health blogger who is passionate about natural and holistic cures for men’s health issues. He is the founder of menshealthcures.com
