By Alison Crane
Did you know men live sicker and die younger than women? In 1920, the life expectancy gender gap was only one year. By 2017, men were dying approximately five years sooner than women. June is Men’s Health Month and the week leading up to Father’s Day (June 19, 2022) is designated as Men’s Health Week. It is fitting to ask the question, “How healthy is the man in your life?”
Men die at higher rates of the top causes of death including deaths from cancer, diabetes, suicide, accidents, and diseases of the heart, kidney, and liver. Factors contributing to the crisis in men’s health are poor health habits, lack of health insurance, failure to seek medical attention, and dangerous occupations.
The good news is adopting healthy eating habits and increasing physical activity can add years to a man’s life. Instead of eat a lot, sit a lot, weigh a lot, and die a lot younger than the women they love; men can make the positive changes to live longer and healthier by adopting a healthy living game plan.
A healthy eating game plan should include:
- Eat breakfast to start your metabolism. Try whole-grain cereal with fruit on top or grab a yogurt or healthy granola bar for the road.
- Eat at least one fruit and vegetable at every meal. Keep fruits and vegetables on the counter or at the front of the refrigerator so you’re more likely to see them and eat them.
- Less is more-ingredients. Avoid the middle aisles of the grocery store and you’ll buy healthier foods.
- Variety is the spice of life. Buy one new fruit or vegetable every time you go to the store to mix it up.
- Stop the super-sizing. Take half of your next restaurant meal home in a to-go box. Great for lunch the next day and saving cash.
- Cut back on red meat. Try meatless Mondays. Challenge yourself to create a great meal without meat.
- Whole grains, whole grains, whole grains. Have a few pieces of whole grain toast for breakfast.
Don’t forget to move a little. Choose physical activities you love, break up your physical activity into 10-15 minute spurts throughout the day, walk instead of driving when you can, join an exercise group, do yard work, play with kids, take stairs instead of the elevator, take a walk or do desk exercises at work on coffee break or at lunch, and keep a pair of walking or running shoes in your car and at work.
Research shows, healthier men live happier, longer lives. So, whether it’s dental, eye, or any other health condition, it’s important that men take an active role in their health. Men can take control of their health by exercising, eating a healthy diet, and visiting their health care provider regularly.
To quote Congressman Bill Richardson from the May 1994 Congressional Record, “Recognizing and preventing men’s health problems is not just a man’s issue. Because of its impact on wives, mothers, daughters, and sisters, men’s health is truly a family issue.”
Encouraging the men in your family to take their health care seriously is important to everyone in the family. For more information, contact the Garland County Extension office at 501-623-6841. The Men’s Health website www.menshealthnetwork.org/ has additional resources.
