9 Health tips for men

Posted on 30 June 2015

June is men’s health month… but you should be looking after yourself all year round. Follow these tips to keep yourself fighting fit and feeling good.

1. Get enough sleep
Burning the candle at both ends? You could be burning yourself out. Lack of sleep can cause a nightmare of health problems, from a weak immune system to high blood pressure and slower recovery times. Speak to your Mediclinic GP about the most appropriate amount of shuteye for your stage of life (it could be anywhere from seven to nine hours), and remember to follow the old maxim: early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy (and you know the rest).

2. Read your family history
You may have a few killers lurking in your family tree. And no, we’re not talking about your weird cousin that nobody talks about: we’re talking about real killers, like heart disease, diabetes, and so on. A family history of these diseases are a good indicator of high risk – so ask your father about any health issues you need to watch out for.

3. Move
Your office chair is not your friend. Sitting at a desk for hours on end will affect your posture and slow down your metabolism, which could lead to lower-back problems before you know it. (And staring at a screen all day isn’t doing your eyes much good either.) Skip out of that sedentary lifestyle, and be sure to stand up and move around at least every hour or during your working day.

4. Set fitness goals
It sounds strange, but work with us: when it comes to your physical fitness, run your body like you’d run a business, with short-term goals, a long-term vision, specific targets and outcomes, and regular performance appraisals. Make those goals challenging but achievable, and reward yourself when you hit them.

5. Watch what you eat
A solid fitness programme is only half the job. You need to make sure your diet isn’t derailing your fitness, or undoing all your hard work in the gym. Speak to your GP, and – if needs be – ask a dietician about an eating plan that’ll help keep your health on track. (And remember, men have ‘eating plans’; we don’t do ‘diets’.)

6. Watch what you drink
According to some World Health Organization estimates, South Africa has one of the highest levels of alcohol consumption per drinker in the world – putting our nation’s drinkers on par with the UK and Ukraine (two countries that aren’t exactly noted for drinking in moderation). Whether those stats are true or not, and whether you think you have a drinking problem or not, the advice remains the same: drink responsibly, drink in moderation, and if you find you’re drinking more when you’re stressed, go see a doctor about it.

7. Mind your head
As important as your physical health is, you shouldn’t neglect your mental wellbeing. Depression is one of the most under-diagnosed illnesses to hit the modern man – so if you sense that something isn’t right, make an appointment and go see a professional.

8. Get your prostate checked.
Testicular cancer gets all the hype (what with the Movember moustaches), but it’s not nearly the most common cancer among South African men. That dubious honour belongs to prostate cancer which, according to the National Cancer Registry of South Africa, accounts for one in every 23 local cancer diagnoses. So yes, grow your mo’, and test your testes. In fact, it’s wise to go for regular screenings of all common cancers, from lung cancer to skin cancer to colonic cancer… but don’t forget your prostate.

9. Go see the doctor
Just because you’re feeling okay (‘I’m fine, I’m fine…’) doesn’t mean you are okay. Schedule regular GP visits, and stick to those appointments. Men tend to avoid the doc – especially when they think there might be bad news coming their way. Don’t live in denial.

The information provided in this article was correct at the time of publishing. At Mediclinic we endeavour to provide our patients and readers with accurate and reliable information, which is why we continually review and update our content. However, due to the dynamic nature of clinical information and medicine, some information may from time to time become outdated prior to revision.