What and how much you eat, as well as how often you exercise, play a major role in your overall health as a man. You can significantly reduce your risk of disease and improve your quality of life by taking active steps to improve your health through fitness and nutrition, whether you're a young man or a senior citizen.
Maintain or Lose Weight
Through proper fitness and nutrition, you can maintain your current weight or lose weight if you're overweight. Achieving a healthy weight helps you avoid serious diseases and health issues like certain types of cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Any activity that gets your heart rate up and that you enjoy, like jogging, swimming or playing a sport, helps you maintain or lose weight if you engage in it on a regular basis. The typical recommendation is 30 minutes, five times a week for cardiovascular activity. You may need more exercise if you're trying to shed pounds.
Target Belly Fat
Belly fat tends to be a problem for men, especially as they get older. The outward paunch isn't the problem, however. Rather, when you have excess belly fat, it often coincides with an increased amount of visceral fat that surrounds the internal organs. This fat can put you at an increased risk for heart disease and diabetes, so it's important to get even more cardiovascular activity to banish the bulge. You can do toning exercises for your abdomen as well. Situps, crunches and leg lifts strengthen your abs and give your belly a slimmer appearance.
Build Muscle Mass
To maintain your fitness level, you also need to build muscle mass. Building or maintaining muscle keeps your body in shape, increases your strength and prevents bone breakdown as you get older. Likewise, increased muscle gives your metabolism a boost, which can help you maintain your weight or shed a few pounds. Basic weightlifting exercises, like biceps curls, or resistance training, like pushups and lunges, help to bulk up your body sufficiently.
Responsible Food Choices
To stay fit, you also need to make healthy nutritional choices. The biggest threat to a man's health is heart disease. Thankfully, you can lessen your chances of developing heart disease and other diseases by eating right and consuming moderate portions of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and lean sources of protein. Skip refined sugars, soda, alcohol and saturated fats to prevent weight gain, clogged arteries and generally poor health.
