5 WAYS TO BE A HEALTHIER GUY: It’s easier than you think.
June is Men’s Health Month, so why not try applying a few of these tips and you could find a healthier you on the other side of June.
- Drink a glass of water first thing after waking. You’ve had nothing to drink for hours, and your body is almost ready to scratch on the word ‘dry’. Get your internals up and running and remember that a hydrated body is better able to do what it’s supposed to (your brain floats in a watery fluid that needs replenishment). Water will help your body flush toxins and may cause you to eat less too
- Cut down on sugar and artificial sweeteners and rather satisfy sweet cravings with fruit. Sugar feeds the bad bacteria in your stomach, and new studies suggest that artificial sweeteners also negatively affect the microbiome in your gut. Fruit juice can spike your blood sugar levels in a bad way much like a can of soda would, but most fruit in its whole form will take the body some time to breakdown to gain access to the sugars, so it’s way better. The less you spike your blood sugar the less chance you’ll have of developing insulin resistance, which causes diabetes
- Use less salt and if you really can’t, switch to pink mineral rich salt, rather than the conventional white variety. It’s much healthier for you because it detoxifies the body by balancing systemic pH, improves hydration by providing trace minerals and helps balance blood sugar
- It’s obvious that getting more exercise is a good idea, but you can hack your life by taking the stairs instead of the lift or going window-shopping in one of the bigger malls on a Saturday morning, and easily rake up 10 000 steps on a good day of browsing
- Know your status. It’s possible to be HIV-positive or have gonorrhoea, chlamydia, herpes simplex, syphilis and even hepatitis; without presenting any symptoms. Knowing your status and getting tested every six months if you are sexually active, is a good way to nip things in the bud before they start presenting. Check out a Health4Men Clinic near to you here: health4men.co.za
Bruce J. Little is a contributing writer for Anova Health Institute. These are his views, which may or may not reflect those of Anova Health Institute and affiliates.
