With the help of Men’s Health Week, the awareness around guys looking after themselves both physically and mentally has increased over the last few years. Men’s mental health has had a stigma around it in the past, however campaigns are now making it more socially acceptable and easier for us to talk about such issues with friends and family.
Everyone knows that we should look after our health but how many of us actually do and what consequences does this have on our life?
Did you know:
• In England, around 1 in 8 men have a common mental health problem
• 75% of suicides (3 out of 4) are by men
• 67% of men in England were classed as overweight or obese.
In this blog, I want to cover 3 key areas: Exercise, Nutrition and Sleep to help you get started on a healthier lifestyle.
Exercise
Exercise is key to daily health and grows in importance as we get older. Exercise delivers oxygen and nutrients around your body and helps your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. Overtime this improves your heart and lung health, so you have more energy to tackle daily tasks.
• The average man currently does 73 minutes of cardio per week but should aim for 150 minutes – cycle to work, join a dance class, sign up to a weekly fitness class.
o Try to walk 10,000 steps a day this equals to around 8km, or an hour and 40 minutes walking.
• The average man currently does 1.4 muscle workouts per week but should aim for at least 2 muscle workouts a week that focus on all the major muscles legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms.
o Reduce time spent sitting or lying down and break up long periods of not moving with some activity – 5 minutes stretch every hour at your desk and try some bodyweight exercises like push-ups and squats.
Nutrition
Good nutrition is an important part of leading a healthy lifestyle. Your diet can help you reach and maintain a healthy weight, reduce your risk of chronic diseases (like heart disease and cancer), and promote your overall health.
As 67% of men in England are currently classed as overweight or obese, we want to give you 3 key tips to losing weight! Of those who were actually overweight, 41% of the men thought their weight was about right.
- Eat in a calorie deficit – try cutting your portion sizes, cut back on snacking and choose lower-calorie foods at mealtime. If you reduce your caloric intake enough, you’ll create a calorie deficit large enough for weight loss.
- Track your calories – use free tracking apps on your phone like MyFitnessPal to calculate your calorie needs based on your goals and use a food diary to keep track of your daily/weekly calories to ensure you stay on track.
- Reduce Alcohol – Alcohol should be limited as it contains 7 calories per gram, which is almost as many as a gram of fat. Plus, additional calories can be in added mixer drinks. Try and keep consumption to a maximum 14 units a week.
When it comes to a healthy diet there is a lot of information available online to ensure you are eating the right type of food here are the NHS 7 Top Tips to a healthy diet:
• Base your meals on higher fibre starchy carbohydrates
• Eat lots of fruit and veg
• Eat more fish, including a portion of oily fish
• Cut down on saturated fat and sugar
• Eat less salt: no more than 6g a day for adults
• Drink 6-8 glasses of water
• Do not skip breakfast
Sleep
Did you know: We spend about a third of our lives sleeping!
It is essential and as important to our bodies as eating, drinking and breathing! Sleeping helps us to recover from mental as well as physical exertion so is vital for maintaining good mental and physical health.
It is recommended that most healthy adults need between 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night to function at their best BUT the average man in the UK will only sleep for 6.28 hours!
To ensure you get the best sleep we want you to keep these essential factors in mind:
• It’s vital to let your mind and body relax, so two hours before bed try not to exercise, eat a large meal or use a screen (phone, tablet, TV etc.)
• Avoid napping during the day
• Aim for a regular bedtime and wake up time every day
• Natural light during the day is excellent for melatonin creation which helps with sleep
• Try and avoid alcohol nicotine and caffeine in the afternoons and evenings
Men’s health is far more complicated than exercise, nutrition and sleep – you’ll need to stay dedicated and consistent but with a bit of planning you can start your journey to improving your health today! These three key starting points may seem obvious but really do play a big part in you feeling better about yourself.
