Every man is going to be a statistic sometime, don't become one sooner than you want.
Men, what is the most important thing in your life? I ask this question simply to get you to think.
So many times, men have to have a serious “wake up call” in order for them to rethink priorities and begin taking their health more seriously. Are you already beginning to think about improving your health?
Below are the top 6 leading causes of death for men.
1) Heart attack
2) Cancer
3) Unintentional injury
4) Chronic lower respiratory disease
5) Stroke
6) Diabetes
The main reason why I have been interested in health, nutrition, fitness and longevity is because when I was 14, my grandfather died of a sudden heart attack at age 60. My dad had his first heart attack when he was 60 and since then has had several stints, open heart surgery and several strokes.
My mom has stage 4 pancreatic cancer. She has never been sick and up to the age of 79 when she got diagnosed, she still cooked 3 meals a day, did house work, ran errands and exercised regularly.
The strange part of the story is that my dad did not have high cholesterol, he was not a smoker, nor was he overweight. So I am not completely sure why we have heart disease in the family, but it is there. And my mom was always healthy.
The average age for men to have their first heart attack is 66.
I believe that genetics do play a role in our health, and I also believe that lifestyle reduces the impact of our genes on our overall health.
There are several things that we can do to minimize the risk of a heart attack and cancer. What is interesting about the lifestyle factors that reduce the number one cause of death in men (heart attack), they also reduce the risk of almost all of the top killers of men.
The two lifestyle factors that help the most are what we eat and the exercise that we get. The other very important lifestyle factors are sleep, managing stress, and our mindset.
Our ancestors (and I am not even talking about our ancestors as far back as Paleo) ate more whole foods and vegetable and they preserved foods in ways that provided gut health support. They used to eat meats and fish from local sources. They grew vegetables and fruits. They preserved certain vegetables through fermentation and had access to fresh milk, keifer and buttermilk. Very little of the foods they ate were processed in the sense that so many of the foods that we find in our grocery stores today.
Look in your pantry and in your grocery cart and the grocery carts of people that you see in the store. What do you see? Whole foods, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts? Or do you see more processed foods, simple grains, sugar filled beverages and snacks?
It is my opinion that we have gotten so used to being exposed to so many different types of products and we are completely bombarded with advertisements. We constantly hear about snacks, beverages, restaurants foods, appetizers, cereals, etc., that we do not even realize how bad we eat and how much excess we have.
In one way it is nice and convenient to have so many options. On the other hand, most convenience foods have very little nutrition, unhealthy trans fats, very low fiber, low vitamins and minerals, very cheap and unhealthy ingredients and unnecessary calories.
Just think, what if as a country we never were exposed to fast food, hundreds of types of chips, ice cream, all the countless types of cakes and cookies, sodas, spreads, cheese dips, dressings, etc?
Would we have the level of heart disease, diabetes, cancers, and strokes if all that we had access to was lettuces, greens, vegetables, fruits, fish, lean meats, healthy oils, nuts, and whole grains?
All of this processed and convenient food availability in combination with lower activity, contribute to higher rates of heart disease, certain types of cancer, diabetes, and stroke. When combined with cigarette smoking, this contributes to the high rate of lung disease and certain cancers related to tobacco use and smoking.
Why is it that we have such a hard time following an eating plan that promotes health?
It is a fact that food manufacturers include additives that cause us to crave foods. We literally have been hoodwinked to try foods that have additives that are scientifically made to cause us to want the foods more than other healthy alternatives. This includes certain textures, tastes, and smells.
Also, because of convenience it is much easier to stop and grab foods on the go than it is to plan and take healthier options with us.
As short as 80-100 years ago, many people in the US were still farming and living a lifestyle where they depended on foods they could grow and livestock they depended on. They also expended hundreds more calories in a day in their activities of daily living. Plus, they did not have air conditioning or efficient heat so they had to expend more calories to stay cool and warm in each season.
With the modern conveniences of electricity, cars, phones, running water, online ordering, and food availability, we have created a scenario where in order to be healthy we have to work very hard.
I am not saying that we have to go back to that time to get healthy because we don’t. However, if we begin to live a simpler lifestyle, focus on foods that offer the nutrients that we need and practice getting more frequent activity, we could really reduce our risk of most diseases.
Think about what is most important to you. Is it your family and spending more time with them?
Eat real food, get 150 minutes of exercise per week, get 8 hours of sleep, practice mindfulness and stress management techniques, and connect spiritually and you can give your body everything it needs to really take care of itself.
Don’t wait for a wake-up call. Start making lifestyle choices now that will allow you to enjoy your best life.
It is not as complicated as you might think. It just takes a little planning and a little priority change.