My Island in the Sun
by Dr Sanjiva Wijesinha
by Dr Sanjiva Wijesinha
Young men - from their early thirties to the late forties - are well known to take inadequate care of their health. After all, this is the time when they in the prime of their lives and the peak health - unconquerable, unassailable and indestructible, with little thought for their future years when they will inevitably be not so young and not so healthy.. A few tips to keep fit and stay fit are given below.
•Make Healthy Eating a Habit: Be aware of the difference between good fats (polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats) and bad fats (saturated fats that are found in rich animal foods). Pay attention to the quantity and variety of foods that you eat – minimizing junk foods and take-away foods.
•Get a Move On: Staying physically active - whether it is rowing, cycling, jogging, dancing, rowing or even brisk walking - is probably the best thing you can do to preserve the function of your muscles, joints and heart. To maintain good circulation, especially to your limbs and your heart, regular physical exercise is essential. If your circulation is poor and you are a smoker as well, your feet and legs are at increased risk of bruising, infection and ulceration.
•Avoid Smoking -and Smokers: Cigarette smoking- both active and passive smoking - is one of the major risk factors for heart attacks, strokes and cancer in men. In fact it is the leading cause of death in many western countries.
•Limit Your Liquor Intake: While one drink a day sounds good - and is even said to be good for you - too much alcohol is certainly bad for a man. The abuse of alcohol leads to destruction of the liver, weakening of the heart, damage to the brain cells, falls and relationship problems. If you must drink, limiting your intake to no more than three standard drinks per day - three 150 ml glasses of wine, three glasses (depending on which part of the world you are in this would be three cans or three half pints) of beer or three 30 ml ‘shots’ of spirits like whisky, whiskey, gin, rum or vodka - is a sensible policy.
•Cope Successfully With Stress: This does not mean avoiding stressful situations. We ourselves cannot choose what cards we are dealt in life, but we can learn to deal with these cards differently. After all, Stress is caused not by what happens to you, but by how you deal with what happens to you! Managing stress can actually help you to live a longer and healthier life, and one of the most useful things a man can do to stay healthy is to learn how to cope and deal with stressful situations without reacting in a stress-causing manner.
•Adequate Sleep: Getting adequate sleep each day is essential for the body to recover and rejuvenate itself, especially for young men who work (and play) hard.
•Get Checked Up and get Immunized: Having your blood pressure checked once a year - it is easy to remember to do this if you make it a point to consult your doctor for a check-up around the time of your birthday each year - can prevent serious problems in your heart and kidneys. As you get older (in your forties and fifties) a regular blood test for glucose levels (to detect Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes), lipid levels (for cholesterol) and PSA (for prostate cancer) are advisable. It is also a wise plan to get up to date immunizations (vaccinations) against the diseases that are prevalent in the region in which you live and in the regions to which you travel.
Investing in your health as a young man is probably one of the best investments you can make for life!
Sunday Island
