International Men’s Day: Here are lifestyle changes they need for health’s sake

For the last few years, I have observed that men tend to ignore their health with work stress, travel, and exertion.

With International Men’s Day being celebrated on November 19, I want to tell all the men that your health is in your hands and a few lifestyle changes can help you stay healthy and improve your overall well-being. Here are a few basic yet vital ways to manage one’s overall health:

• Have an early dinner by sunset between 6.30 pm to 7 pm or at least before 8 pm. The gap between your dinner and bedtime should be around two to three hours to improve digestion. Follow your body’s biological clock by eating and sleeping early, which will help you manage your weight, get better sleep, reduce appetite, unrequited cravings and caffeine dependence.

• Maintain the same eating time for all meals. Your breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner should be at the same time for at least five to six days in a week to improve digestion and to avoid acid build-up in the body. When your biological clock is aligned, your health is taken care of.

• Try to maintain the same sleep and wake-up cycle on most days because it’s only when you sleep well that your body undergoes proper healing, detoxification, and recovery. If you sleep well on most days, you wake up feeling fresh and your day is productive.

• Never miss out on your physical activity. Try to work out for a minimum of 30 minutes every day or indulge in any physical activity. Eight to 10 thousand steps a day is advised.

• Deep breathing is a must to fill your body with oxygen because it helps in healing. The presence of oxygen also helps in reducing oxidative stress, burning fat thereby keeping your mind calm. Start your morning with 10-15 deep breathing sets in order to have a productive day. 

These lifestyle changes will slowly become a habit and will empower your body to take care of its own well-being, both physical and emotional. 

(The writer is a clinical nutritionist who focuses on healthy lifestyle choices)