Happy Father's Day - A Spotlight on Men's Health.

Happy Father's Day! It is the season to appreciate all the wonderful men in our lives and though Father's day is typically set aside to honour the father figures in our lives, I would like to put a spotlight on all the men out there. Our fathers, brothers, sons, uncles, boyfriends and husbands.

Did you know that men usually die quicker and younger than women? Think about it. There are more widows than widowers. This is not just me saying it, it is the reality, supported by facts and figures. A contributing factor is the fact that men are more likely to pick risky jobs like being a soldier, security personnel, sailor, fire-fighter and the likes. As well as engage in more strenous physical work like farming and mining. Also, health wise, men are more likely to engage in risky health behaviour like smoking, excessive drinking of alcohol, indiscriminate sex with or without protection and so on.
Statistics show that men are 40 per cent more likely than women to die from cancer and 30 per cent more likely to die from heart disease. These increased risks can be traced directly to nutrition, exercise, alcohol consumption and smoking. In addition, men are faced with a lot of stress. The stress to provide for the home, pressure to deliver both at home and at work and just fit the status quo generally. A popular saying in Nigeria goes thus : "Being a Man is not a day's job". Thus implying that it takes a lot to be a man in the real sense of the word. Trying to meet up to the expectation of a so-called real man can add to the stress.
As women, we can help our men by not adding to their stress and encouraging them to make healthy lifestyle changes. Simple changes can make a great difference.
Some lifestyle changes we can suggest include:

• Stop smoking.
• Limit alcohol to no more than 8 drinks per week.
• Take 8-10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
• Exercise 150 hours every week.
• Get 7-8 hours of sleep every night.
• Reduce/avoid salt intake - in food, snacks.

You can also encourage the men in your life to use a health tool I found online that assesses Men's health and predicts how it will be in the coming years. Its called youcheck and was developed in canada. Check it out here https://youcheck.ca/surveys/survey-instructions

It is so important to ensure the men in our lives live healthier, longer lives. Simple, small, lifestyle changes can make a huge difference. Celebrate your Men today by encouraging them to be healthy. 

Till next post, stay healthy-pink and a big hug to all my male readers.

Dr. Anire Oduko.

For more on Men's Health

http://www.dontchangemuch.ca