Spotlighting Top Men's Health Issues during Men’s Health Week

Healthtrax is celebrating Men’s Health Week from June 11-17, 2018, the week leading up to and including Father’s Day. While everyone can benefit from a healthier way of life, men have unique health needs separate from women. They may also find that there are not as many resources readily available until they have an official medical diagnosis. According to the official website:

“The purpose of Men’s Health Week is to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys.”

Men’s Health Facts

A few enlightening facts about men’s health:

(Download the Men’s Health Facts PDF to learn more.)

• Think there aren’t health disparities between men & women? Men die five years faster than women.
  

• Testosterone is linked to elevations of LDL, the bad cholesterol, and declines in HDL, the good cholesterol
  

• Do you have someone to talk to? 30% of men experience depression, yet only 1 in 4 actually talk about it.
  

• Men have fewer infection fighting T-cells and are thought to have weaker immune systems than women.
  

• Speaking of, 1 in 2 men get cancer in their lifetime. Women? 1 in 3. Let’s change the statistics.
  
  

Men's Preventive Health Screening

What can we do, both as men and as the women who care for them, to be more proactive?

• Go to the doctor – plan for at least two preventative doctor’s visits per year, one at your general primary care doctor, and then work with your doctor to schedule any specialists, for example, a GI or heart checkup if needed.
  

• Go to the dentist – Teeth issues have a direct correlation between body health in general. Get those pearly whites cleaned and looked at every six months.
  

• Get regular exercise – Getting active is key to living longer. But you don’t have to go out and run a marathon. It can be as simple as keeping a pair of comfortable running shoes in your car and jumping on the treadmill after work. Or work with a personal trainer to design a fitness routine personalized to fit your needs and interests.
  

• Eat real food – Processed foods, especially ones that contain sugar, have been proven to affect every system in the body. A better choice, especially when you are hungry, is to only eat real foods. A great way to start is to have at least one fruit or vegetable with every meal, and don’t skip breakfast!

Spotlight men’s health and wear blue to celebrate Wear Blue Friday on Friday, June 15. Get a free pass and visit any Healthtrax location in June to learn more. We believe in fit families for life.