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Going Healthy, Going Strong, Health, Life, Tips

The Ultimate Self Care Guide For The Modern Man

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Self care is often misportrayed in the media, as it’s falsely advertised as a female activity that focuses around face masks and other beauty treatments which men tend to avoid. This couldn’t be further from the real truth, as self care is such a broad topic that every individual no matter who they may be should actively make an effort to include in their daily lifestyle. Self care is so important for men everywhere, as far too many choose to look after others rather than taking care of themselves. Fortunately, this guide contains a variety of simple self care steps that any man can follow to boost their mental and physical health, and it couldn’t be easier to get started today. So, if you’re interested in finding out more, then read on. 

man meditating on yoga mat

Image Source – Pexels 

Eat 3 Balanced Meals 

It might sound glaringly obvious, but eating 3 balanced meals each and every day is a great way to begin your self care journey. It’s so common for men to skip meals or opt for convenience food due to lack of time or energy, but this is no doubt going to lead to a number of issues if you don’t make an effort to change your ways. Both your body and mind need nutritious food to flourish, so there’s no time like the present to make a more active effort to feed yourself properly. Meal prep can be a great option for those lacking time, as you will be able to enjoy fresh homemade meals without having to cook every single day. As long as you can make a conscious effort to consume more fruits and vegetables while ditching damaging unprocessed foods, then you’ll be moving in the right direction toward ultimate well-being. 

Don’t Avoid The Doctors Office

A very common issue that many men fall victim to is denial. Denying that you have fallen ill, denying your need to see a doctor and denying medication is far too easy, but it can lead to a much worse situation than you could ever imagine. Continually ignoring your health issues can cause other risks to increase, so a small problem that could have been resolved with basic treatments can easily expand and grow into something that’s irreversible. Avoiding the doctor’s office does not prove that you are strong and courageous – it shows that you do not value yourself and your health as much as you should, and it’s time to make a change if you want to maintain great well-being for years to come. The next time that you fall ill or experience an injury, no matter how small it may be, do not avoid attending the doctors office! 

Taking great care of yourself as a modern man in today’s fast paced society isn’t easy, but it’s more than achievable if you can learn to prioritize your own needs. Eating 3 balanced meals and acknowledging any illness or injury that you fall victim to is the best place to begin your self care journey.

Going Healthy, Going Strong, Health, Lifestyle

Pain After a Workout? Common Medical issues You Might Have

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Image Courtesy of Pixabay

On average, only a quarter of people exercise enough. But whether you are a dedicated athlete or an avid walker, you can experience pain after a workout. Even walking can strain muscles, and your lifestyle can exacerbate issues. Nevertheless, strains and inflammation are common, and fortunately, you can relieve most problems with simple care and attention.

Heel and Foot Problems

Feet are designed to take the pressure of your body’s weight. And although they do the job very well, they often succumb to injury as a result. The bones of your feet can become stressed and muscles inflamed. Additionally, you may experience various types of heel pain. But what does heel pain mean? Well, it can mean a number of things, such as:

  • Heel spur syndrome
  • Stress fractures
  • Bursitis
  • Achilles tendinitis
  • Sever’s disease
  • Haglund’s deformity

All of these issues are common, yet they are treatable. For example, if you find you constantly have severe pain in your heel after a workout, there may be more going on than simple strain. Fortunately, you can consult a licensed orthotics expert for guidance, advice, and treatment.

Musculoskeletal Strains

Some of the most painful injuries are those to the musculoskeletal system. They result from sudden jerking movements that damage the nerves in most cases. It results in pain in the ligaments, muscles, bones, and tendons. Generally, the pain is localized to one area that undergoes repeated strain, such as the shoulder when lifting weights. The pain associated with these injuries can be debilitating and take months or even years to heal. Therefore, a gentle exercise regimen such as water aerobics, swimming, and walking is recommended until the pain has completely gone. Also, if these exercises don’t help, it is wise to go for surgery to ease the pain. If you are worried about the procedure or the after-effects, make sure to read on to find more information to make a trusted decision.

Back Damage

Your back will be put under some strain during almost all exercises. The intensity of the strain will depend on what you are doing. In the beginning, you will feel stress in your back if you perform repeated strenuous exercises such as sit-ups and heavy weight lifting. To prevent this, you should wear the necessary back support. Already existing back problems can also worsen. Those with related back pain may benefit from sciatica tape. Nevertheless, you should avoid exerting too much pressure on the area if you suffer from severe back problems.

Inflamed Muscles

Muscle soreness is almost certain to accompany your back pain, and aches and pains are unavoidable with exercise. However, you will soon become accustomed to muscle soreness if you regularly exercise with strenuous routines. Also, after spending most of your life sedentary, you might experience great pain if you start exercising for the first time. But it’s important not to give up when you experience pain. Cold and heat can soothe the aches. Cold decreases swelling and inflammation, while heat loosens tissues and facilitates blood flow.

Lack of Essential Vitamins

Not eating correctly is a significant cause of low energy and concentration. A poor diet will produce deficiencies of vitamins and minerals like A, B, C, and D. However, the human body also isn’t great at absorbing certain nutrients. And people with medical conditions can also have issues absorbing much-needed nutrients. However, insufficient vitamins and minerals can result in pain. For instance, a lack of D vitamins will cause muscle soreness and weakened bones and nerves. Apart from eating a balanced and nutritious diet, you can try multivitamins and supplements to boost your intake.

Going Healthy, Health, Life

Helping Your Older Loved Ones Navigate Hearing Loss

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As we get older, life becomes more challenging for a whole host of reasons. It could be mobility or the loss of loved ones, after retirement, many people have difficulties adjusting to their new life without a sense of purpose or belonging and these issues can result in feelings of isolation or depression.

Certainly, as we move through different stages of life, the challenges are different – but this doesn’t have to mean that the challenges are negative or debilitating. Life is for living and different phases of our natural evolution also offer us the chance to experience richer, fuller lives armed with a diversity of life experiences and skills. 

Now, one of the most important challenges that many of us will face is experiencing the issues that age brings with it, and often this means, hearing loss. If you’re concerned that you might be showing signs of hearing loss, then you should take action as soon as possible. Early diagnosis is key and as the adage goes, prevention is better than cure, so the earlier you see an audiologist the more options you’ll have at your disposal to address any issues.

However, when we start to see these signs in our older relatives and loved ones, it’s important that we understand the challenges they’re going to be facing and how we can support them constructively and lovingly, and most importantly, with empathy. This is especially true if they’ve never had hearing issues before and are facing a new reality, which could be causing feelings of anxiety and stress.

So, we’re going to look at a few ways that you can recognize signs of hearing loss in older relatives and what you can do to make their lives a little easier.

Image By OpenClipart-Vectors 

COMMON SIGNS OF HEARING LOSS

The first step to finding help for your relatives and loved ones is to recognize when things are not going exactly to plan with their hearing, and while some signs are more obvious it is likely that at the beginning phase of hearing loss, the clues are going to be less obvious.

You may notice that they’re having difficulty hearing other people clearly or that they misunderstand what you’re saying to them, a scenario that can be more obvious in noisy places.

If they start to ask you to repeat yourself and this happens in greater frequency or if listening to music or watching the television needs a higher volume than normal, this is a sign of deteriorating hearing.

Missing telephone calls or not being able to hear the person on the other end, finding it difficult to keep u with conversations, and if you notice that they become stressed or tired after engaging in a conversation may well mean that it is time to get that audiologist check scheduled.

While these signs are common in most people, you also need to pay special attention to your Dad and older male relatives or loved ones because men are far less likely to speak up about hearing loss, just something to be aware of.

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU NOTICE SIGNS OF HEARING LOSS

When you notice that your loved one is showing signs of hearing loss (and they have not said anything to you yet), it’s important to proceed with sensitivity and understanding. Try to imagine yourself in their position and realize that this is one stage of life that we’d all rather not have to experience. So empathy and patience are your two most important keywords.

The first thing you’re going to do is have a conversation with them. Discuss your concerns and the reasons why you’re worried, let them speak, and accept that this first interaction may not go exactly as you want it to, but patience is key and handling the situation delicately is a great departure point.

The next step is to schedule a hearing exam with an audiologist. They’ll be able to ascertain the extent of damage and at what stage of hearing loss they’re at. Based on that assessment, they’ll also be able to recommend a treatment plan moving forward and offer advice on how best to cope with the current state of hearing loss.

Your audiologist will also recommend the appropriate devices if they’re necessary and this is also your cue to learn everything you can about those devices, how they operate what hearing aid programming tips you’ll need to enjoy optimum levels of use and benefit from them.

The more you know, the better you’ll be equipped to help your loved ones cope with this new change in their lives and it doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom. People with hearing loss live rich, varied, and interesting lives, just like everyone else does.