MOVEMBER AND MEN’S HEALTH
Medically Reviewed and Updated by Dr. Sony Sherpa (MBBS) - October 08, 2024
November marks the start of Movember, when men around the world let their facial hair flow and grow a mustache or beard. If you are wondering about the purpose of Movember, it’s simply to raise awareness around men’s health.
With winter just around the corner, you may be wondering how to keep your mustache looking great, as well as what you can do to minimize your chances of getting the flu.
The below tips can help keep your body in good shape and truly allow you to rock that mustache in style.
1. Exercise Frequently, But Don’t Limit Your Routine
Most people have heard this before, but exercising on a daily basis is absolutely crucial to maintaining excellent health — especially for men. What you may not know about exercise, though, is that doing the same routine every day is not the best thing. It’s much more healthy — and fun — to vary the type of exercises you do[1].
There are four main types of exercise that you can use to vary your routines, and each one confers health benefits from a unique angle:
- Aerobics gets your heart pumping and improves blood flow to all areas of the body. Examples include vigorous dancing, jogging, cycling, running, and swimming.
- Strength Training (also known as resistance training) builds healthy muscles and helps strengthen our bones. Examples include weight lifting, pushups, bench presses, elastic band workouts, etc.
- Flexibility Workouts will improve your agility and posture, relax you, and may help reduce muscle stiffness. Examples include any form of stretching.
- Balance Exercises help to maintain our center of balance and build a good sense of motor control and coordination. Examples include some forms of martial arts, yoga, tai-chi, pilates, or any exercises that allow you to practice balancing (like standing on one leg).
2. Get Your Nutrition Balance Right
Getting proper nutrition is vital for your overall well-being. The logic behind this one is quite simple: you can’t drive a car without fuel in the tank. The body is designed to take the nutrients from food and convert them into everything we need to function. In this respect, eating a wholesome diet often contributes to our overall physique in rather flattering ways.
So what should you be eating? Experts might say that you should not focus on isolated nutrients or rely on supplements to meet your nutritional requirements. Since we are all unique, each person’s requirements will also differ, making this particularly tricky to pin down.
One thing that some of the world’s top dietetics experts agree on is focusing on a variety of natural foods and cutting down on processed foods. Eat more fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seafood, healthy vegetable fats, legumes, nuts, and seeds; eat less processed meat, processed grains, processed sugars, salt, trans fats, and junk food. [3]
If you struggle to follow a healthy diet, consult a nutritionist who could create a personalized plan for you.
3. Moderate Your Alcohol Consumption
Less seems to be more on this one. While no consensus has been reached on whether drinking is healthy or not, doctors will generally advise everyone to moderate their alcohol consumption[4].
For men, the typical advice is not more than two servings per day if they are going to consume alcohol at all.
The type of alcohol also appears to be something one could consider. Many will advocate that red wine confers protective benefits and may support heart health due to the tannins and plant compounds carried over from the grapes. Certain dark beers, such as stout, also appear to be rich in B vitamins and may be a healthier choice than their lighter counterparts.
4. Don’t Forget Vitamin Sunshine
A Vitamin D deficiency can lead to various health issues. All too often, people rely on supplements and medications to get their dose of health, ignoring some of the body’s most basic needs for optimal functioning. You would be surprised to learn what fresh air, sunshine, and being out in nature will do for your well-being.
In fact, researchers at the Department of Psychology at TU Dresden, Germany, measured the effect of natural sunlight on hormone levels. The results showed that just as little as 15–30 minutes of sun exposure increased levels of hormones in the hair follicles as well as decreased levels of hormones associated with stress.[5]
5. Keep Hydrated
Are you drinking enough water on a daily basis? The answer for most people is no. If you constantly feel tired, suffer from headaches, and your dry complexion seems to be detracting from your Movember mojo, then you may be dehydrated. Make sure you’re drinking at least 6–8 glasses of water a day to help your kidneys eliminate properly and to give your skin a winning chance.
6. Sleep Like A Boss
Sleep is no joke and should be one of your number one priorities, especially if you want to look and feel your best all year round. According to the experts, you need somewhere between 7 and 9 hours a night of good quality sleep to truly benefit.
New data shows that there is no time outside of sleeping that the brain gets a chance to clean itself out. During deep sleep, cerebrospinal fluid mixes with extracellular fluid and flushes out metabolic waste products, such as amyloid-β. This clearing away of the unwanted by-products, which would otherwise clog up during the day, helps the organism prepare for the new day ahead. No wonder one can feel like a whole new person after getting a great night’s sleep.
Here are a few pro tips to getting better sleep at night:
- Disengage from electronic equipment (cellphones, computers, televisions) at least an hour before bedtime.
- Dim the lights before bed to encourage melatonin production (the sleep chemical).
- Aim to get to bed by 10 pm and fall asleep no later than 11 pm.
- Don’t eat or drink right before going to sleep.
- Do something calming in the hour before bed to unwind and tone your mind down.
7. Learn to Relax
It’s quite obvious that stress can be a real party pooper for both you and your body. Whether it is a stressful job or simply a difficult time, we all encounter stress at some point in our lives. The trick is to not let it get us down and to learn how to relax. Be man enough to take time out, insist on thinking positivity-inspiring thoughts, and do activities or hobbies in your spare time that take the tension out of your gut.
If you battle coping with stress, consider taking up some form of mindfulness training, such as meditation or yoga, which are designed to calm down the mind and have helped many people cope with stress.
Some form of expression can also be helpful to relax, channeling all that stressful, restless energy into a positive outlet. Writing in a diary, taking up some form of art, or playing a musical instrument are all very positive coping strategies for managing stress. Most importantly, don’t forget to breathe.
8. Prioritize Self-Care
According to some of the leading psychologists[6], self-care is any activity we do to look after ourselves and our overall mental, emotional and physical well-being. It is not something we should force upon ourselves but rather something we enjoy and want to do for ourselves. A lot of people feel that self-care is selfish. Yet without looking after ourselves, we cannot look after others, and so the myth that self-care is selfish falls flat.
There is no rule for what to do about self-care — even reading this article can constitute as caring for yourself. However, placing a focus on what makes you truly happy helps a lot — apply for your dream job, learn to apologize when you know you’re wrong, forgive yourself and keep matters light in your world. All of these things can have a positive influence on your health and well-being as well as profoundly transform your relationships with those who you truly care about.
Another important point to mention is a balanced routine. Often, having and sticking to a routine helps to instill a sense of order in our worlds that sets the tone for our happiness. Setting time aside for both work and play allows us to feel more fulfilled and vastly improves our quality of life.
9. Stay Curious and Ask More Questions
The moment we stop learning, we can feel as though our lives become incredibly dull, swinging to a total standstill. This may contribute towards a depressing outlook on life and can dramatically impact our overall well-being. On the other hand, learning new things, asking questions, and expanding our worldview helps to enrich our experience and may even help keep our brains sharp well into old age.
Neuroscientists have long been studying what happens to the brain when we learn new skills and information. It seems that we create new neurological connections and enhance the way our brains function. In this respect, you can view your brain as a muscle — the more you work it, the stronger it becomes. So, just like with your bodily muscles, test your mind and vary up the exercises.
10. Spend Quality Time with the Boys
Social interaction and time well spent with close friends have been identified as a crucial part of our health, particularly mental health. [7]
Isolation and social deprivation are often contributing factors to depression, and some studies report that being alienated or feeling truly lonely can even impact our bodies in much the same way smoking an entire pack of cigarettes does.
So, spend some quality time with the boys every now and then, say yes to friends in need, and don’t forget to prioritize your loved ones at home too.
11. Look After Your Prostate
As men age, the prostate seems to become larger and is typically one of the main problem areas of the body. This little gland situated in the male genitals can be a significant indicator of male health.
There are a few things men can do to protect this important organ:
- Eat foods high in zinc, such as oysters, nuts, beans and seeds.
- Increase your bodily antioxidant intake with superfoods such as maca root, blueberries and cacao.
- Avoid a diet high in fats, particularly trans fats.
- Get screened regularly.
The last bullet point is particularly important and brings us to our next pro tip for maintaining your vitality.
12. Don’t Ignore the Signs. See A Doctor Promptly
The best way to stay on top of your health is to consult a healthcare professional periodically. Don’t think ignoring any health complaints you might have is a “manly” thing to do and rather see a doctor about it.
There are certain screening tests doctors will perform commonly for men that one can request. These tests will be the most pertinent indicators of your state of health and can help your doctor catch the onset of a disease before it’s too late. Here is a list of screening tests[10] recommended by many healthcare professionals, as well as the candidates they are most appropriate for:
- Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm — An ultrasound test to visualize the abdominal part of the aorta for bulges (aneurysms). Typically recommended for smokers (or past smokers) between the ages of 65–75.
- Blood Pressure — All men should have their blood pressure tested once every two years if healthy or once a year if it is found to be elevated.
- Colorectal Cancer — Typically prescribed for men aged 50–75. Talk to your doctor about the tests to opt for.
- Diabetes Screening— It is usually indicated for individuals between the ages of 40 and 70, especially those who are overweight or obese. Screening might also be recommended for those with risk factors for type 2 diabetes or heart disease, or those managing high blood pressure with medication. Such individuals should also discuss testing frequency with their healthcare provider.
- Cholesterol Profile — Men with a high risk and all men above the age of 35 are encouraged to check their cholesterol levels regularly.
- Lung Cancer — For those who have smoked a pack of cigarettes daily for 30 years and who fall between the ages 55–80.
It is important to be regularly in touch with your doctor who may recommend a variety of other tests during your checkup. With the help of a platform like Mya Care, make checkup consultations a breeze by connecting with the world’s best healthcare professionals online!
Sources:
