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Men's Health Month: Managing Your Lifestyle Choices
Lifestyle factors include situations that occur during our lifetime based on our choices, such as smoking, chemical dependency, obesity, type 2 diabetes and dietary choices. Of course it is never just one factor that is an indicator of this change, but a host of factors accumulating over a lifetime. Many times, the symptoms from the aging process are confused with symptoms of a loss in virility. In general, symptoms associated with the aging process include weight gain; change in sleep patterns, hearing loss, a rise in blood pressure and/or cholesterol. These changes are often a direct result of aging. Often, by changing some lifestyle choices these symptoms of aging lessen or disappear all together. Regardless, if symptoms are due to lifestyle or the aging problems, the solutions can affect both outcomes.
1. Not smoking has a direct correlation to arterial blood flow and circulation, so by quitting smoking you can improve your fitness level, energy and sex life.
2. Weight gain increases body fat, which in turn affects hormone levels. Caloric restriction is imperative as we age. By reducing the number of calories per day to 1200, a decrease in weight will occur. Belly fat has been shown to alter hormone levels.
3. Exercise, like work, eating, sleeping, must be scheduled into your day in order for you to do it! You know when to go to work, you know when to eat, and you must know when to exercise. The best way to do this is to make it apart of your day. Increasing your exercise to 4 days will have additional benefits such as lowering cholesterol and burning more calories. In addition, weight bearing exercises (walking, weight training, jogging) help increase bone density. Exercise regulates circulation.
4. Decreasing cellular inflammation, due to free radicals is essential. Free radicals promote beneficial oxidation that produces energy and kills bacterial invaders. However, in excess, they produce harmful oxidation or oxidative stress that can damage cell membranes and cell contents. [2]. These free radicals cause inflammation.
5. Improve social relationships. Whether your social connections are with a spouse, offspring, siblings, bridge partners, and/or fellow churchgoers, they're crucial to good health while growing older. Other studies have confirmed the health-promoting power of social connections. Behavioral scientist Joan Tucker, PhD, says that having people in your life can make you feel loved and cared for, which can enhance your mental well-being.
6. Low sex drive can often be an issue as hormone levels fluctuate. Learn to boost testosterone. Staying sexually active will increase blood flow to surrounding tissue.
7. Keep your prostate healthy. The chance of having prostate problems tends to increase equally as a man ages. For instance, a man who is 50 years old has a 50% chance of having prostate issues. 60 years old, 60% chance and so on. Besides age, family history is the only other risk indicator.
8. Stress plays a major role in all biological and physiological functions. Getting long term stress issues under control has shown to be extremely important. Regulating the body's cooling mechanism through regular exercise is imperative. Exercise, meditation, yoga, relaxation techniques, massage, acupuncture, guided imagery are just a few therapies that can all help to relieve depression, anxiety, irritability, mental forgetfulness, fuzziness, over thinking and fatigue. Stress puts a great deal of burden on the adrenal glands, which, in turn, causes them to work harder. This decreases the amount of hormones needed to help reduce the effects of declining hormone levels in the body. Do this progressive relaxation technique. Use your hands. Both self-massage and acupressure can help.
9. Controlling pain. Pain issues can derail your life. Headaches, back pain and injury are some of the most common pain syndromes that can be avoided or remedied rather easily when they occur. Probably one of my best remedies for tension and pain is trigger point therapy. This can be done with a tennis ball while laying on a hard floor. Follow my treatment for trigger point therapy here. Learn biofeedback. Studies have proven it effective for both tension headaches, back pain, trauma injuries and migraines. Biofeedback is the innate ability to influence the automatic nervous system through the exertion of will and mind. Chances are you have used biofeedback yourself. You've used it if you have ever taken your temperature or stepped on a scale. These devices "feed back" information about your body's condition.
10. Eat something. Food as medicine has been used for centuries to treat a wide variety of disorders. Used for prevention as well as treating symptoms, the healing power of food and herbs has been documented for centuries. Eating food rich in plant based phytosterols can be helpful for men. A plant-based diet rich in multicolored fruits and vegetables has been shown to decrease symptoms of weight gain and decreased aging signs.
Andrew Pacholyk MS L.Ac
http://peacefulmind.com/men.htm
Therapies for healing
mind, body, spirit
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