The Five Top Tips For Living Healthy For Men

Healthy living for men is a lot simpler than you may think. By identifying your areas of risk and then making health-conscious choices and deliberate lifestyle changes, you can ensure a much longer, better-quality life for yourself. Unfortunately, men are far less likely than women to take preventive health care, see themselves as at risk for disease or take symptoms seriously, ABC News reports. This is partly why a man's life expectancy is lower than a woman's. Here are several of the most important things you can do as a man to live a healthy, long life.

Eat Healthy

Among the many factors that affect men's health, the daily diet is undoubtedly one of the most important. Poor eating choices can greatly increase your risk for serious diseases including cancer, heart disease and diabetes. One plan, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH diet, has proven to reduce blood pressure. Beyond that, it is also a great diet choice for men in general, since it includes large amounts of healthy fruits, vegetables, low-fat protein and whole grains. The DASH diet is endorsed by the American Heart Association, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Exercise Regularly

Regular physical activity must go hand in hand with a healthy diet if you want to enjoy the best possible health. Exercise reduces high blood pressure, depression, anxiety and the risk of heart disease, stroke and many types of cancer. Plan at least 150 minutes of exercise every week or a routine of 20 to 30 minutes every day. Don't just focus on weight training and improving muscle strength; you should also work on boosting your cardiovascular capacity. If you don't feel like working out at the gym, try other sports, such as swimming, cycling and martial arts. You'll feel more motivated to exercise if you choose something that really interests you, instead of just a generic workout plan.

Stop Using Tobacco

Cigarette smoke contains around 250 harmful ingredients, of which at least 69 are cancer-causing agents, or carcinogens. If you are a middle-aged smoker, your risk of death by heart disease is three times the normal rate. You also have a much greater chance of developing lung disease and cancer, the Illinois Department of Public Health reports. It's not just limited to smoking -- all forms of tobacco contain addictive nicotine and carcinogens. This is why it's so important to quit using all forms of tobacco, including cigars, pipes and chewing tobacco. Avoid second-hand smoke as well.

Stay Safe

The most frequent causes of death for men at work include accidents involving machinery, motor vehicles and falls, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you want to stay healthy, you'll want to avoid accidents and injury; to do that, you should take the necessary safety precautions. These are simple things such as wearing helmets while riding bicycles or motorcycles, using a seat belt in vehicles and applying sunscreen before working outdoors. If you work near heavy machinery, observe all safety guidelines and wear the appropriate protective gear.

Get Examined Regularly

It's far better to nip a potential health problem in the bud than to fight off a full-blown illness. Get a regular medical checkup from your health care provider. This should include screenings for the health problems that most commonly affect men, such as prostate cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, skin cancer, colon cancer and heart disease, Mayo Clinic recommends. In addition, make sure your vaccinations are up-to-date. By taking early preventive action when it comes to diseases, you'll greatly improve your quality of life.