HEALTHY LIFESTYLE · JULY 2018
5
PREVENTATIVE
HEALTH EXAMS TO
SCHEDULE ASAP
Y
ou can’t wait until you’re a silver fox to start worrying about your body. Even
if you do a lot of physical activity, try to sleep at least 8 hours a night, and eat
more than that crappy, microwave ramen that you’ve clung to since college,
you’re still an aging male. You need to be on the lookout for the things that often
get old dudes. Your heart, liver, back, neck, and bowel movements will all thank
you if you start taking care of them earlier than later.
As with anything in life, you need to be timely, and you can’t be lazy to stay ahead of the
curve. If you’re above the age of 29 and you’ve never scheduled appointments or screenings
for the following, get on it now. Chances are you won’t have to get appointments every year,
but precautionary check-ins are something to start earlier than later. Get these things looked
at, and adjust your life accordingly.
Blood Pressure Exam
High blood pressure specifically means your
heart is working harder than it should be,
which can lead to things like heart attacks
and strokes. While many of us think of high
blood pressure as problematic only for those
in their forties and plus, it’s unfortunately
the case that on average, 30 to 40 percent
of percent of adult men have high blood
pressure. These findings were in men 20
and older. Thus, you’re never too young to
get a blood pressure exam — in fact, it’s
recommended to get your blood pressure
checked annually.
Cholesterol Screening
Similar to blood pressure, you can actually
start worrying about your cholesterol when
you hit age 20. Checks are recommended
every five years, and sooner under certain
health conditions like diabetes. Now, this
does require a blood test, so for you dudes
who are afraid of needles, you may have
some heebie jeebies to get over! But it’s
worth the time to look into, especially with
the prevalence of heart disease in the U.S.
Heart Rate, Respiration Rate,
Temperature, and BMI
A simple physical and checkup can include
an analysis of these things if you ask for
them, as they are all connected. Every
degree of temperature (in centigrades)
increases your heart rate by 10 beats per
minute! Of course, when you get too hot,
your respiratory rate may increase due to
dehydration. The higher your BMI is as well,
the higher your heart rate and breathing
rates will be while trying to exercise. Getting
heart and respiration rates, in addition to
body temperature and your BMI, checked
at a routine doctor’s checkup every few
years is a good idea, especially with how they
interconnect and what’s bad for one may
affect all the others.
Blood Glucose Testing
Did you ever see that episode of Scrubs
where they find out Turk has developed
diabetes? Around the time in the show,
his character is somewhere from his mid
twenties to early thirties — that said, it
can hit you at any time! Certain people
are extremely prone to it due to having
a family history of it, and some just treat
their bodies so terribly that it comes
upon them unexpectedly (for them, at
least). For this reason your blood glucose
levels are important to get checked out
semi regularly, especially if you’re the
type who doesn’t really watch what they
eat. It may be taking a toll on your worse
than you know.
Prostate Cancer Screening
You may not know that prostate cancer
is the most common kind of cancer in
adult men. If that wasn’t enough reason
to get you cautious, you should know
that it also affects your sex life in addition
to your urinary tract. We’ve written
about dating before, but if you’re not on
the lookout, this could end that forever.
Painful and bloody urination, in addition
to difficulties with your equipment in
the bedroom (if you know what I mean),
can be signs of prostate cancer, but the
occasional precautionary checkup may
be worth your time even without the
symptoms. The bottom line? Don’t wait
until you’re 50 — get it checked now
and learn about how you can keep your
prostate healthy!
How have you seen your body develop as
you get older? What do you find yourself
having to be cautious of?
By Artur Kot
26 HEALTHY MAGAZINE