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 The Cancer You're Gonna Get! Before you start reviewing your will, let me slip you the good news. Though prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and the second leading cause of death, only one in six men will have it diagnosed and only one in 32 will die from it. Many men's prostate cancer is so insignificant that it is never diagnosed. When your doctor does find it, you are still more likely to die from some other cause. Fat to Fit! Shane Idleman was making $12,000 a month. He bought a custom home and a $40,000 custom lifted Dodge with all the accessories--because, he says, his 2-year-old truck just wasn't cutting it anymore. Then, it finally hit him: He was fat and miserable. At 6 feet 2 inches tall, Idleman weighed 270 pounds and was diagnosed with borderline hypoglycemia. His blood pressure and cholesterol were sky-high, and his health was rapidly declining. Inches Off Your Belly D:How can I burn off the fat from my waistline?
A:Spot reduction is impossible from the standpoint of successfully reducing only one area of your body at a time. But you can be successful at reducing one area, such as your waist, faster than another area of your body. Let's look at a couple of key components. I like to refer to these two components as the fitness twins: diet and exercise. Diet has two elements that are directly linked to either causing your waistline to increase or decrease in size: (1) the time of day you choose to eat and (2) the type of calories you ingest. Who Wants to Be a McFatso? A traditional McDonald's burger with a 16-ounce coke and a small order of fries carries 627 calories and 19 grams of fat.
Upgrade to a Big Xtra! with cheese, and "super size" the drink and fries. Now your lunch packs a whopping 1,805 calories and 84 grams of fat. Alternative: The Chicken McGrill (no mayo), with a Garden Salad and a diet soda, totals 440 calories and 13 grams of fat. Laughter Was His Breakthrough Carl Scarlotta had some serious health issues, so he didn't expect to find relief by laughing about it.
But that's what Scarlotta discovered six years ago when he showed up at Dr. Don Colbert's Orlando, Fla., clinic because he was overweight, suffered from high blood pressure and high cholesterol, experienced constant shoulder pain and was severely depressed
A businessman with a jewelry and custom car-building background, Scarlotta, then 45, was working himself into the ground. Having married a little later in life, Scarlotta had very young children and was getting little sleep and rest due to his daily grind. God And Your Bod By God And Your Bod The report cards are here, but the news isn't good: Men are failing when it comes to their health. The statistics are grim: Men have a higher death rate for all of the 15 leading causes of death. On average men die seven to eight years younger than women do. And, compared to women, men know a lot less about their health and simply don't take responsibility to care for their bodies. If you think that Christian men fare better than other guys, think again. A study from Purdue University showed that religious people are more overweight and out of shape than nonreligious people. Instead of reflecting the image of God, His children often look like a bunch of pot bellied Buddhas! Many Christians don't realize that caring for your body is a spiritual discipline. First Corinthians 6:13, 15 and 20 tells us that "The body...is...meant for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. Your bodies are members of Christ himself" and you are to "honor God with your body" (NIV). Top Five Winter Activities 1. Uphill Skiing: Hiking uphill puts you out in nature, which is good for your head, and gets you building your quadriceps, lungs and hammies all at the same time.
2. Snowball Biathlon (cross-country skiing with snowball fighting): Cross-country skiing is a one-of-a-kind fat-burner. When combined with snowball fighting--a combination of bending, stacking, throwing and running it gives you a fierce workout. 3. Synchronized Greco-Roman Wrestling: Grab a friend, your kid or your wife and grapple Greco-style. It is a great workout for your shoulders, arms and back. Shed Your Winter Coat For many people, exercise is just like the Olympics--it's an event that only happens about every four years. Although, this winter you may be trying to hide the effects of not exercising under several layers of flannel, corduroy or fleece, you can run, but you can't hide, or, perhaps, more appropriately, "You can hide, but you can't run."
The fact is, God created us to move. We were created by God with the intention of building our own shelters, using our arms and legs for travel, and hunting and gathering our food. Yet, in today's society, you can do all of these things and never leave the car or the computer.
Unfortunately, not moving is bad. Within 24 to 48 hours of inactivity, your muscles and several major organs literally begin to atrophy and/or malfunction. In addition to small arms, a big waist and a flabby stomach, a lack of exercise plays a major role in many of the symptoms and diseases you suffer from today, or will develop tomorrow. Tip the Scales No More Six steps to a trimmer, healthier body. In the last posting, we talked about helping naturally thin guys pack on some lean muscle. This time, we'll take a look at men who need to trim down and shed unwanted pounds.
Unfortunately, no magic pill or miracle fitness gadget will give you the body of a 21-year-old. Instead, here are six gimmick-free tips guaranteed to take off the pounds and add years to your life.
1. Buy a pedometer. The cost of a basic step counter starts as low as $8. The most accurate models are the New-Lifestyles NL-2000, the Yamax Digi-Walker SW-701 and SW-200, and the Sportline 330. The average American man walks just 5,500 steps a day—unless he's Amish. The average Amish guy kicks butt with 18,000 steps a day. The Skinny on Bulking Up Five key steps to take you from scrawny to brawny. In a day when everyone seems to be trying to lose weight and become smaller, there is a population of men out there who would love to be able to gain some weight-the right kind that is.
You know these people; the ones who could eat a whole pizza by themselves, wash it down with a milkshake, and still complain that they can't gain weight. Well guys, if that's you, then this article is a must-read.
First, it's important to know that our bodies resist change. Quite frankly, they despise it. So in order to convince the body that it needs to make some modifications, a few things must happen. Here are five keys that will help you pack on the muscle: Planting Seeds on Putting Greens How a Florida-based organization teaches kids about God ... through golf. How a Florida-based organization teaches kids about God ... through golf. If you ever attend a clinic organized by Growing Kids Through Golf, it won't take long to spot Mark Eberle, the program's founder. He's usually the one watching the interaction between young golfers and their professional counterparts with a wide, endless smile across his face.
It was more than 15 years ago in Van Wert, Ohio, when Eberle first conceived the idea of using golf as a way to minister to kids. Now based in Orlando, Fla., the once would-be professional golfer recalls how his heart was turned toward outreach. A Change of Heart Several years ago I wrote a book called Failing Forward. So while I definitely believe in the principle that we must "learn from our mistakes," I'll admit that failure is not the most pleasant way to be taught. Several years ago I wrote a book called Failing Forward. So while I definitely believe in the principle that we must "learn from our mistakes," I'll admit that failure is not the most pleasant way to be taught.
Most of the time when I speak or write on a particular topic, I'm able to look back over specific decisions I've made, actions I've taken or principles I've applied and see a pattern of success. Time after time, the various disciplines and strategies God has led me to undertake have had a positive, compounding effect on my life.
Personal health, however, has not typically been one of them. I only have to look back to December 18, 1998, for a grim reminder of how close my negligence in this area came to costing me everything. Out in the Cold How to keep up with your workouts when the temperature goes down. With the arrival of cold weather it becomes a lot easier to hide behind the layers of clothing we're all wearing. “That's not me,” you say. “It's just my bulky jacket.”
To help you out, I've listed 10 things you can do in spite of the winter weather. Get the whole family involved and have a blast!
1. Snow shoveling - For once, keep the snowplow in the garage or stop making the kids do it by themselves. Get out there and grab a shovel. This is an unbelievable total-body workout. You're exercising your legs, core, upper body, everything! Just be sure to avoid rounding your back, and watch for stray snowballs. But if they do come, ditch the shovel and have a … How to Hook Your Kids on Golf 1. Let them call the shots. Learning the correct grip may be fundamental, but to a fertile, inquisitive mind, the grip can be drudgery. Let them explore the game on their own at the outset.
2. Do more "playing" than teaching. The lesson should not last longer than 30 minutes. Furthermore, the 30 minutes should be broken down into 10 minutes of actual teaching and 20 minutes of playing.
3. Share the joy. Enthusiasm and excitement, felt and expressed without restraint, increases the child's desire to please, learn and excel (a 1-minute puppet show with the headcovers doesn't hurt either). The Problem With "Mirror Muscles" Most men only train the muscles they can see in the mirror. Sooner or later, it catches up with them. Chest. Shoulders. Arms. Abs. Guys tend to focus on all of those "mirror muscles" when training. Today, we're going to focus on the muscles you can't see in the mirror. Then, we'll learn how to train and get the benefits that come with these important but oft-neglected muscles.
1. Posterior deltoid - Often called the rear delt, this muscle is responsible for moving your arm back and moving it away from the center of your body. Shoulder instability and injuries are often the result of a weakness in the posterior deltoid.
2. Rhomboids - These muscles are located underneath the trapezius or "traps." They stabilize and allow your scapula (or shoulder blade) to rotate and be drawn in toward your spine. Climbing Over the Hill Five tips that will help you enjoy every stage of life. 1. Don't isolate yourself. We weren't meant to be lone wolves. Find at least one person you can trust and confide in. You'd be surprised to learn you're not alone once you share what you're going through.
2. Get active. Try softball, bowling, gardening—anything that requires you to move your body. Start small. 3. Let go. Toss out the false images you're confronted with every day, it's not real. You don't have to look like the guy on the Men's Health cover. All you have to do is care for your body on a consistent basis, and you will be amazed how your body will change. Who Stole My Body? Stop comparing your physique today to your "glory days". Stop comparing—PERIOD! Maybe some of you are like me in that life isn't turning out how you planned. I always thought that by age 25, I would be married to a wonderful woman and by 28, I would have kids. But here I am at 31—no wife ... not even a date.
Psalm 37:4-5, 7 has given me comfort and direction in this area. We are instructed to first delight in the Lord and He will give us the desires of our hearts. In the next two verses, however, we are told to commit everything to the Lord and to be still in His presence and wait patiently for Him to act. I know those usually aren't words that guys like to hear. We're used to making things happen.
Ephesians 2:10 tells us that we are God's workmanship created for good works that God prepared beforehand. The work has already been prepared; all we need to do is just take the first step and the next one after that. We're not walking in the uncharted territory that we believe we are. Stop Eating Junk Food! The body is an amazing creation, knit together by God to withstand much of what is done to it over the years. If you eat the wrong kinds of food you might get by with it for awhile, maybe even for a number of years. But the cumulative effect of that way of eating will limit your earning power. Eventually, it will destroy you.
Here's a tally of what we eat and what we spend on food or exercise equipment in the United States each day:
10 Habits of Highly Healthy Men Want to live longer and look better? It's not as hard as you might think. One of the best ways to succeed in business is to mimic the habits and behaviors of those who have already attained high levels of success. The same holds true when it comes to keeping a healthy, productive and fit body. As a personal trainer, I've observed that men with great health practice the following 10 habits. So, if you want to improve your physical well-being:
1. Get more sun-Our bodies need sunlight to manufacture vitamin D, which is important in maintaining blood levels of calcium. Other studies have linked vitamin D to reduced risk of colon cancer and inhibiting the growth of other cancer cells. It takes just 10 to 15 minutes of sunlight two or three times a week to get what your body needs. No Longer the 'Fat Kid' I dealt with the spiritual roots of my weight problem—and now I am 65 pounds lighter. I was always the fat kid in school. The object of ridicule, the brunt of jokes, the target of a bully wanting to prove something. As the years passed, I learned to laugh on the outside, trying my best to ignore the pain of embarrassment on the inside. The cruel ridicule of childhood dissolved as I grew up, but my blubber remained.
Nobody confronted me about my weight problem in my early years as a minister and a therapist. I did not realize how much my weight problem corrupted my sage advice on how to escape various addictions. Finally, it dawned on me: I was a glutton. I prided myself on the ability to go to the food buffet at a restaurant and eat more than five plates full. I even had the arrogance to insist that everyone at the table pray for God to bless the food that we would be gorging.
I knew that something must change, and it did. It started when I was counseling a man who, as a child, had lost his out-of-shape father to a massive heart attack. Aggressive vs. Assertive In the face of stress, many men respond with aggressiveness or passivity. But either response can wreak havoc on your health. According to Dr. Don Colbert, author of the book Stress Less, stress affects both men and women, but men typically are much easier targets.
For men, one of the biggest culprits responsible for stress is aggressive behavior that is identified as a demanding and sometimes bullying attitude. For many it's simply an outgrowth of their everyday lives.
“Men literally don't have the time,” Colbert says. “They're trying to cram too many activities into too little time which creates tremendous frustration and irritation which shortens our fuse.” Ask Dr. Dave: Pain in the Chest? Get Help No matter what type of chest pain you have, don’t assume it’s harmless. Q: I felt an ache in my chest when I was shoveling snow the other day. But it only lasted a few minutes. I’m 40 and my dad had a heart attack when he was 55. Should I be worried?
A: Walk—don’t run—and see your doctor as soon as possible. You may be having angina, which means your heart muscle is not receiving enough blood. If so, you are at high risk for a myocardinal infarction (MI), where the blood supply is completely blocked to part of your heart muscle.
But don’t panic! It may be nothing more than a muscle strain. I don’t want you to take a chance, though. You have at least two risk factors: (1) You are a male and (2) your dad had an MI at an early age. Stoke Up the Fat Burner You play basketball every weekend, you even go for a jog and lift a few weights once or twice a week. But it doesn’t seem to change the paunchy image you see in the mirror. What’s the deal?
Men have the misguided belief that exercise alone will control their weight no matter what they eat. But as a man approaches 40 he must also face the face that his metabolism is slowing down.
Metabolism is the rate at which a person’s body uses the calories he eats. It plays a vital role in the body’s ability to control weight. We certainly need to exercise regularly, but what and how we eat affects our metabolism more than how much we exercise. Benefits of Weight Training It doesn’t take an NFL linebacker to use the TV remote control, press the garage door opener, or operate a computer. So why should anybody care about muscular strength to cope with life in the new millennium? Why can’t we limit our exercise to a nice artery-clearing aerobic workout? Who really needs muscular strength, except for athletes and laborers? Rev it up! Challenging your body more during each workout builds conditioning, muscle tone and strength. This will make your overall physique far superior than it was back in January. (It better!)
But those who started too hard, too fast or too soon have probably burned out by now. Know your limits while pushing further with each workout.
In this phase, we're going to take it up a notch with circuit training. Circuit training breaks plateaus--sticking points in muscle growth--while revving metabolism, burning fat and stimulating muscles. By the time November approaches, you can expect more endurance, more muscle definition and faster recovery. The Doc's Top 10 Summer Sports Keep in shape and sharpen your competitive edge in the backyard or on the field. This summer, you have a chance to get outdoors, pump some fresh air
into your lungs, work up a sweat and bond with the guys or your
family. Without further adieu, here are my top 10 summer sports for
shaping you into a "new man:"
10. Australian-rules football: Wear no pads, play with friends
and build solid calves.
9. Be a fish, not a fisherman: Put down the pole and lures,
anchor the boat and jump in. Swim and work out your shoulders, back
and chest.
The Source of Strength The death of my father refocused my health priorities. Well, I have to admit, the things that make a hero in my mind ironically don't come from toughness. As we strive to be our best in developing a healthy body and getting our pectorals the size of Arnold Schwarzenegger's, it is vitally important that we look beyond what may be the least fulfilling single-dimensional viewpoint--being self-centered.
This is a valuable lesson I learned from my father before he passed away.
The Winner's Edge According to Dr. David Cook, the two greatest predictors of success are "Goal Orientation" and "Mental Toughness." Having worked with the highest-achieving professional athletes, he should know. Take a look at Dr. Cook's quick tips on how you can gain a mental edge in your life. It's All In Your Head David Cook is one of the most sought out sports psychologists in America. Now, he wants to help men of God reach their potential by understanding the body-mind-heart connection David Cook is one of the most sought out sports psychologists in America. Now, he wants to help men of God reach their potential by understanding the body-mind-heart connection The War in Your Body If you look at a drop of blood under a microscope, you would see several million small red blood cells. These are the transport systems of the body, the trains and trucks that move energy stores, oxygen and waste products through the body. Scattered among the red blood cells are a few larger cells, the white blood cells of the immune system. These are the foot soldiers of the body's defenses. Their mission is to cruise the bloodstream, find invading germs, viruses or cancer cells, and attack and destroy them. Basic Fitness Facts I hope these facts don't ruin your day: A man's aerobic capacity begins to decline at age 25 at a rate of 1 percent a year. At age 25 or 30, muscular strength begins to decline 1 to 2 percent per year. Generally, between 25 and 50 years of age you can expect to lose a half pound of muscle and gain one pound of fat per year. Bone loss in men begins around age 25 and declines about 3 percent per decade. This bone loss leads to fractures in old age. The Weighty Resolution How to support your wife’s weight-loss goals You’ve seen your wife go to battle on the bathroom scale. Win some. Lose some. And, alas, gain even more. That’s why she makes the same resolution every summer—to lose weight. With nearly 90 percent of diets failing and 70 percent of those who begin an exercise program quitting, getting in shape is becoming the “swimsuit season” goal that few can accomplish.
“The reason so many diets fail is because men and women are not willing to change their lifestyle,” explains Carole Lewis, national director of First Place, a Christ-centered health program based in Houston. “As soon as a person stops dieting, it’s easy to return to old habits and immediately gain weight. Thos who are serious about long-term weight loss need to contemplate changing their lifestyle.” While a woman may resolve to lose weight on her own, she can’t do it alone. Whether the challenge is to lose inches, sizes or pounds, success largely depends on you, the male partner in the relationship, and your support. Changing eating habits isn’t always easy. It is often accompanied by strange recipes, emotional fluctuations and a silent need for approval. As a supportive spouse, your sensitivity and prayers can help her achieve her weight loss goals. Here’s how. The Doctor Will See You Now! Men have good reason to hate physical exams. But running from the doctor can be a serious mistake. There are three statements that seem very difficult, if not impossible, for most men to make:
I am lost and I need directions.
I’m afraid I can’t fix this leaky faucet. The Cancer You're Gonna Get! If you live long enough, you are going to get prostate cancer. Half of all men have it by age 70 and 90 percent by age 95. Before you start reviewing your will, let me slip you the good news. Though prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and the second leading cause of death, only one in six men will have it diagnosed and only one in 32 will die from it.
Many men's prostate cancer is so insignificant that it is never diagnosed. When your doctor does find it, you are still more likely to die from some other cause.
That doesn't mean you can say, "No worries, mate!" In 2003, 189,000 men will be diagnosed with this disease and 32,000 will die. It is much more common and deadly in African Americans and seems to run in some families. Man of Steel Dennis Rogers: From 79-pound weakling to world-class strongman. Dennis Rogers doesn't need a red cape and a blue spandex suit to perform seemingly superhuman feats. He does it the old-fashioned way: brute strength.
As an internationally recognized strongman, Rogers can lift refrigerators with one finger, roll up frying pans in his hand and even stop planes from moving forward. The 49-year-old does all this (and more) at 5 feet 9-1/2 inches tall, weighing in at a slight 169 pounds.
The feats are a far cry from his youth. When Rogers entered his freshman year of high school, he was 4 feet 11 inches tall and weighed a mere 79 pounds. More Frightening Than Cancer This guy nearly worked himself to death. He says that it could happen to you. It was 5:30 p.m. and Mark Phifer-Houseman was gearing up for the second half of his usual 17-hour workday. The InterVarsity campus ministry leader chugged a Big Gulp Diet Coke to fuel his 34-year-old body for another weekly large-group meeting and late-night dinner with university students.
Between bites of burrito and Saturday Night Live jokes, Mark was energized by guiding students to healing from the driven lifestyles that had gotten them into Stanford University in Stanford, California. Yet the same hunger for achievement in his own heart proved to be the spiritual snag in his plans.
In the core of his being, Mark lived under the law that effectiveness was next to godliness. His definition of a vacation was a weeklong retreat to strategize for the ministry. Weekly Sabbaths were a method of storing up energy to work harder and faster the other six days. 100 mph: With My Hair on Fire! This man had a heart attack at 36. Are you next? At age 36, Bob Benson thought he was on the fast track to success. Instead, he was heading for a brick wall.
A young executive with a Fortune 500 company in Atlanta, Benson was on his way up the corporate ladder—"thinking I wanted to be president of the United States," he says only half jokingly. He had a beautiful wife and two young daughters—though he now admits that he didn't cherish them nearly as much as he should have. And, at 6 feet 2 inches tall, 190 pounds, he was in decent shape.
"I was running 100 mph with my hair on fire," he remembers. "I was blowing through life, baby, not even looking back. Even God wasn't getting in the way back then. Oops." Stressed Out? Dr. Richard Swenson has a prescription for you: Cut yourself some slack! Richard Swenson has a message for men living in today's fast-paced, make-a-buck, be-all-that-you-can-be world: Cut yourself some slack. Swenson, the author of the hugely successful book Margin and related titles, learned this lesson the hard way in 1982. A respected physician with a loving family and a beautiful home in Wisconsin, Swenson and his wife had nearly everything a couple could want, except for the time and energy to enjoy it. "We were overcommitted. We were not only tired--we were exhausted," he recalls. "Everything had become a burden: medicine and ministry, patients and caring." Scouting Report Heart Disease: Find an exercise you like, and do it for at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Cancer: Smoking is like wearing lead shoes onto the court. You're almost sure to lose the game. How to Beat 'The Killer 5'
You're going to die. Trust me; I'm a physician--I'm an expert on these things! But you don't have to go to medical school to know that the mortality rate for men is holding steady at 100 percent. Intellectually you agree, but you probably don't act like you believe it. The 17th-century English poet, dramatist and literary critic Edward Young hit the coffin nail on the head when he said, "All men think all men are mortal but themselves." That is what gets men in trouble. We think we can cheat the grim reaper by ignoring him, but it doesn't quite work that way. To perfect a good jump shot, you have to work hard and know the basics of the game. It's the same with your health--you can take the game of life into overtime by working hard at the fundamental elements of healthy living. |
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