From workouts to healthy diets, many of us make an effort to look after ourselves. However, we could be compromising our health on a daily basis without even knowing it. From bottling things up to eating fast food, here are the top 10 male habits you should try to break.

Avoiding the doctor

Research by the charity Men’s Health Forum has revealed that men are 20% less likely than women to visit their doctor, despite the fact that they have shorter life spans than women and are more likely to die from cancer. While visiting the doctor is rarely a pleasant experience, diagnosing most illnesses early increases rates of survival, so stop ignoring those symptoms and give your doctor a call.

(more…)

Sex, which is said to make one look and feel young by boosting the skin`s production of Vitamin D, has, as revealed by an expert, many other advantages.

Jennifer Dunkerley listed ten reasons why copulation is good and why people should have an active sex life.

1. It keeps your heart pumping.

The idea that men are more at risk of a heart attack during lovemaking is wrong, says Professor Peter Weisberg, British Heart Foundation medical director.

He says there is no evidence that men who have sex regularly in their 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond are at increased risk.

2. It prevents erectile dysfunction.

Finnish scientists have found that men who have sex at least twice a week are less likely to suffer erectile dysfunction in later life.

3. It helps to relieve stress.

(more…)

A change in the sexual function is one of the most common health problems as people age. Having diabetes can mean early onset and increased severity of these problems. Sexual and urologic complications of diabetes occur because of the damage diabetes can cause to blood vessels and nerves. Men may have difficulty with erections or ejaculation. Women may have problems with sexual response and vaginal lubrication. Urinary tract infections and bladder problems occur more often in people with diabetes. People who keep their diabetes under control can lower their risk of the early onset of these sexual and urologic problems.

Both men and women with diabetes can develop sexual problems because of damage to nerves and small blood vessels. Nerve signals control internal organs like the heart and bladder, but people do not have the same kind of conscious control over them as they do over their arms and legs. The nerves that control internal organs are called autonomic nerves, which signal the body to digest food and circulate blood without a person having to think about it. The body’s response to sexual stimuli is also involuntary, governed by autonomic nerve signals that increase blood flow to the genitals and cause smooth muscle tissue to relax. Damage to these autonomic nerves can hinder normal function. Reduced blood flow resulting from damage to blood vessels can also contribute to sexual dysfunction.

(more…)

You want to get rid of the flab. You also want to put on muscle. But you know that you can’t optimally (or even remotely) do both at the same time. So what plan should you embark on first?

The answer depends entirely on 1) your honest assessment of what you look like now, and 2) what you hope to look like in the not-too-distant future. Says Mike Wunsch, a certified strength and conditioning specialist: “Every guy wants abs and arms” — meaning cut abs and big arms. But, he adds, that’s like wanting to look like the chiseled bodybuilder … on the day of the competition. Real bodybuilders don’t look ripped most of the time, he says. “They’re usually 30 pounds (about 14 kg) heavier”, he adds, explaining that they usually build up a lot of muscle before cutting down and dehydrating just before a contest.””

(more…)