I recently read an article titled “Men’s Health Issues In Corporate Health” that I would like to share and focus on in this week’s post.

The article states that men die at higher rates than women. And it goes on to discuss the top 10 reasons.

Whether you believe them to be anecdotal or actual is not the point.

What’s interesting to me is that they are all tied to a lack of regular exercise and physical activity.

I would include a lack of good nutrition and adequate rest too.

Simple things that are all well within our control, even if we’re busy.

This isn’t the first time I’ve written about the importance of regular exercise, good nutrition, and adequate rest. In fact, you’ll recognize it as a consistent theme if you follow this blog.

After all, if you don’t have your health, what do you have? And does anything else really matter without it?

Here is a link to the article. I hope you enjoy it. But I really hope that you learn something from it, and TAKE ACTION!

If you need some motivation or coaxing to read the article, here are a few points to hopefully get you started.

And as you will see, most (if not all) are preventable.

But let’s not just confine this advice for the guys. Ladies, you’re just as important and can benefit from it too… So read along with us.

Here’s some of what you’ll learn:

• 3 contributing attributes to a steady deterioration of the health of American men. This is hard to understand with all of the information available and today’s awareness about health & wellness. Oh sorry, that’s one of them.
• A majority of men take better care of their cars, and mediocre care of their health – WTF?
• Every one of these health issues can be prevented or minimized with regular exercise and physical activity.
• That being a “weekend warrior” isn’t so good. Are you one?
• Back pain is one of the leading causes for missing work and disability worldwide. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons weighs in with the most common reasons.
• According to research, a beer belly places more stress on the back than pregnancy. When are YOU due?
• According to the American Heart Association, 1 in 3 adult men have some form of cardiovascular disease.
• Regular exercise and physical activity are the best way to prevent high blood pressure. Or keep it in a healthy range. It’s also vital for keeping strong erections. Perhaps that’ll get your attention guys…
• Exercise is associated with lowering the risk of most cancers by as much as 40%.
• Aerobic exercise improves circulation and oxygen utilization, which can minimize COPD symptoms. Cardio activity also helps to build energy levels so you can do more activities without exhaustion or shortness of breath.
• Exercise is key in the prevention of colds, flu, and respiratory illnesses because it strengthens immune function and circulation.
• According to the American Diabetes Association, “the best way to control your diabetes is to eat healthy and exercise”. Duh! So why aren’t more diabetes sufferers following this advice?
• Here’s an interesting quote: “Men are more likely to ask for directions than they are to ask for medical help…” Really?

Go to the article.

I’d like to close with a quote from the author.

“So men, even if you don’t think you have time for exercise, or having a ‘6-pack’ is not important to you, it’s not about that. Yes, the beautiful outer façade of our bodies is a brilliant reward for exercise. But exercise is healing and repairing the damage we do to our bodies every day. The real magic of exercise is in the cell.” ~ Shira Litwack

I hope you found value in this post.

Thank you for sharing your time with me. I’d love for you to let me know what you think by leaving a comment. Is the content valuable and helpful? Did anything resonate? Will you take action? What else would you like to see in future posts? I welcome your feedback.

What’s your Win to be Thin?

If you know someone that can benefit from this content, please share it with them. And if you like what you see, you can SUBSCRIBE for automatic updates, LIKE US on Facebook, and spread the word about www.thin2win.net with your friends, family and social circles.

In Part 2 of our benchmarking series, we’ll continue to look at how we measure up. And where we can improve. By looking at another key metric related to better health & wellness.

Last week we covered body weight. Today, we’ll look at body fat %?

While it’s important to manage overall weight, our “body weight” by itself doesn’t tell the whole story. In fact, it’s the percentage of lean muscle to body fat that’s another very important statistic; yet often overlooked.

Why?

Because you want to make sure that you’re maintaining (or gaining) more lean muscle than body fat; not the other way around. Let’s face it, you can’t add muscle with a pill or a shake. Activity and exercise are the only 2 ways to increase lean muscle mass.

And having a point of reference at the beginning of a fitness regimen or weight loss initiative helps us set goals and look back to see how far we’ve come.

Don’t worry, I’m not trying to convince you to get to 9% body fat so you can enter a body-building competition. So stay with me.

One of the many problems associated with 30-day cleanses, and extreme or fad diets is that they cause you to “yo-yo”.

You lose 30 pounds quickly. But in most cases these programs never teach you how to eat right, add exercise, or improve your nutrition. You’re simply limited to following their regimen and restricted “diet”.

So when it’s over, or you give up because the program is unsustainable, a few very unfortunate things happen:

1. You form an even stronger belief that diets don’t work, and that you’ll never lose weight.
2. Since you haven’t learned anything about creating a healthy lifestyle through better nutrition and exercise, you’re likely to repeat this again in the future when the next “blockbuster-diet” catches your attention.
3. And last but not least, you gain back all of the weight, plus a little more (aka “yo-yo”).

This approach is very unhealthy. Especially because you most likely lost lean muscle during the program. And then added more body fat during the re-gain. Causing your overall body fat percentage to increase even more.

Since activity and exercise are the only real ways to build muscle, we need to make sure to include strength training as part of our routine. And please don’t take this the wrong way. I’m not talking about trying to gain Arnold Schwarzenegger type muscles.

Even just brisk walking for someone that’s been sedentary will slowly begin to build and increase lean muscle. And stronger leg muscles will improve stability. As we age, improved stability prevents falls. So it’s a good thing.

We need to begin with simple exercises, tailored to our specific fitness level. And then keep building with added resistance and intensity to stay outside of our comfort zone.

This is where results start to compound!

And here’s where hiring a professional, like a certified personal trainer or registered dietitian makes A LOT of sense.

But I digress.

Let me get back on track and introduce you to the body fat chart below. This chart illustrates body fat percentages based on your age, in 4 categories – lean, ideal, average, and above average.

There are many ways to measure your body fat.

You can inquire at the gym. You can ask your personal trainer. Or you can purchase a body fat caliper, which is the most common method.

Here’s a link to a blog post that describes 5 ways to measure body fat percentage.

My point here is to get a fairly accurate reading so you can establish a point of reference. Now you have the basis to set a goal. For example, if you are currently at 23% and want to get down to 16%, you’re in a position to put a plan together.

If you plan on doing this, here’s a link to a post on measuring body fat percentage with a caliper.

And thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can have a caliper delivered to your door with instructions for less than $20. Here are a few links through my Amazon affiliate.

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I hope you found value in this post.

Thank you for sharing your time with me. I’d love for you to let me know what you think by leaving a comment. Is the content valuable and helpful? Did anything resonate? Will you take action? What else would you like to see in future posts? I welcome your feedback.

And tell me, what’s your Win to be Thin?

If you know someone that can benefit from this content, please share it with them. And if you like what you see, you can SUBSCRIBE for automatic updates, LIKE US on Facebook, and spread the word about www.thin2win.net with your friends, family and social circles.

I hope that you’re feeling the burn and on to your next break-through. As you step up your game, you’ll notice that results will soon follow. So it’s time to establish a point of reference. Something you can look back on and see your progress.

Speaking of stepping up your game, the 2016 Summer Olympics are in full swing. It’s impressive to see these elite athletes compete. There’s such a high level of intensity and determination. I also love the inspiring stories about all of the hard work, discipline, sacrifice and struggle that Olympians endure to make it to the world stage.

Hats off to everyone! Go USA!!!

While you and I may not be able to compete with these incredible athletes in the Olympic games, I think it’s worth noting that life can be a competition in many non-athletic ways. So congratulations! We are all in the “Life Olympics Competition” in some fashion.

For example, how you “perform”:

• In your profession, and throughout your career.
• On that next project.
• During a negotiation.
• While leading your family.
• Or helping a friend.
• While volunteering your time.
• Or making a tough decision.
• On that next sales call, or interview…

You know I’m gonna find a way to tie this to health & wellness, right.

Although these tasks may not require physical strength. Or appear to be linked to how you’ve been treating your body. There is actually a lot of evidence which proves that your nutrition, exercise, and sleep habits DO influence your performance – in life. And the quality directly impacts the results you achieve in these daily events.

So this begs the question, “Are you operating at peak performance and becoming the best YOU that you can be?”

For the next 2 weeks, we will discuss benchmarking. We’ll look at how we measure up. And where we can improve. By looking at 2 key metrics that relate to better health & wellness.

This week we’ll unpack a few ideas and take a look at body weight.

We know that good nutrition combined with regular exercise and adequate rest is essential to our good health.

But just knowing this is not enough.

We need to take action, and incorporate these 3 elements into our daily routine if we want to perform better, live longer, and prevent disease.

The most common metric that relates to body weight is the number on the scale that looks back at you in the morning.

And with regard to our first metric, I’d like to begin with a simple ‘height to weight ratio’. The chart below illustrates the ideal weight (in pounds) based on height. It’s represented in 3 categories that range from low, target, and high.

Here’s where we can establish a “reference point”. For example, if your interest is to get in shape and lose weight, this data can become the basis for establishing a long-term goal.

Let’s say you’re a 5’ 11” male, and your current weight is 205. Based on the height to weight ratio chart, you are overweight and have about 41 pounds to lose to get to the target weight of 164, give or take a few.

I can already hear the whining and excuses…

No, it’s not impossible. It’s very doable if you want to get there. But you need to start making better choices and create some new healthy habits. So let’s get back to our example.

We need to determine the plan for how you can learn to incorporate great nutrition, regular exercise, and adequate rest into your daily routine. So that in 6 months to a year for this example, you can build healthier habits that ultimately become your new healthy lifestyle.

This approach enables you to lose the excess weight.

And keep it off – forever!

No pills. No diets. No quick fix.

And No fast food. Don’t worry, you won’t miss it.

It’s all about the choices you make, the habits you build, and the disciplines you develop.

Excited? Concerned? Confused? Ready to make a change? Great, let’s talk!

Thank you for sharing your time with me. I’d love for you to let me know what you think by leaving a comment. Is the content valuable and helpful? Did anything resonate? Will you take action? What else would you like to see in future posts? I welcome your feedback.

What’s your Win to be Thin?

If you know someone that can benefit from this content, please share it with them. And if you like what you see, you can SUBSCRIBE for automatic updates, LIKE US on Facebook, and spread the word about www.thin2win.net with your friends, family and social circles.