Dr. Mehmet Oz, the telegenic, personable and authoritative cardiothoracic surgeon who first stretched his TV legs on The Oprah Winfrey Show and now has his own popular network show (check your local listings), covers the September issue of Men’s Fitness. In the issue, Dr. Oz offers health, fitness and nutrition tips to help your man live life to the fullest. Here, health tips from Dr. Oz (with a tiny bit of editing from me because some of these tips are appropriate for you too.):
For Guys in their 20s
Twentysomethings’ testosterone levels are high, so they have a desire to be sexually intimate and a need to build muscle mass. They should emphasize muscle-building activities and should work out every other day, building up their core, arms, and legs. The one activity they should definitely be doing is pull-ups. You know you’re fit if you can lift your own body weight at least 10 times—that’s the bare minimum.
Self Test:
No. of push-ups he should be able to do: 35+
No. of sit-ups he should be able to do: 45+
Health screenings he should be getting:
Tetanus vaccine (every 10 years)
Influenza vaccine (every year)
Height, weight, waist, and BMI (every year)
Blood pressure (every year)
Oral exam (every year)
HPV vaccine (before 26)
Guys in their 30s
Once your guy hits his 30s, he can start to move away from muscle-building activities a little bit and focus more on fitness. Young guys are more able to move around, but thirtysomethings are a little stiffer and start putting on more weight and now have to worry about not burning as many calories.
Self Test:
No. of push-ups he should be able to do: 25–29
No. of sit-ups he should be able to do: 30–34
Health screenings he should be getting:
Cholesterol (every 5 years)
Thyroid stimulating hormone (every other year)
Eye exam (every two years)
Guys in their 40s
By the time your guy is in his 40s, it all becomes about his body’s pliancy. Once he loses the ability to stay flexible and balanced, he starts to develop frailty—and frailty is what really hurts us when we get older. So I would spend more time doing yoga or balance activities, like doing exercises with his eyes closed. To improve balance, you can both do this simple exercise. Stand up straight with your arms folded across your chest, close your eyes, and raise one foot, bending the knee at a 45-degree angle. Set a goal of balancing for 15 seconds.
Self Test:
No. of push-ups he should be able to do: 20–24
No. of sit-ups he should be able to do: 25–29
Health screenings he should be getting:
Prostate exam (every year)
Skin cancer exam (every year)
Guys in their 50s
Dr. Oz says that the fitness level of someone who is 17 years of age is no different from someone who is 65 years of age. So your man has to be able to stay physically active throughout his life. Guys past the age of 50 should focus more on endurance activities as they get older — things like biking, running, the elliptical if he has weak knees, and swimming.
Self Test:
No. of push-ups he should be able to do: 15–19
No. of sit-ups he should be able to do: 20–24
Health screenings he should be getting
Pneumovax vaccine (repeat at 65)
Colonoscopy (every 10 years)
Osteoporosis
Forever Young
Here are some other factors that Dr. Oz says can help extend your man’s warranty. He should be doing these every day … (You should be doing these things too.)
Floss: This lengthens life for a couple of reasons. Heart attack rates are linked to gingivitis. Floss teeth regularly and you have a 50% less chance of having a heart attack. You’ll also have better-looking teeth, which leads to better-paying jobs and people perceiving your IQ as being higher, so there are many long-term health benefits.
Have more sex: Just going from the average of once a week to twice a week increases life expectancy by three years. The penis is actually a good barometer for how healthy your man is. If his erection’s not strong, it reflects a lot of physical issues with his heart, brain and kidneys. And don’t just have more sex — have safe sex. Infections and viruses might be linked to prostate cancer, and oral sex has been linked to throat cancer.
Pop some pills: A multivitamin, 1,000 IU of vitamin D, 600mg DHA omega-3, and for guys over 40, two baby aspirins a day. The latter are the most important inflammatory medications one can take. Aspirin can decrease the risk of getting colon cancer and prostate cancer by 40%. Plus, it thins the blood if you’re worried about strokes and heart attacks.
Don’t stress: A major stressful event, like bankruptcy or divorce, wipes seven years off your life, but having a good support system can soften the blow. Also, ID and resolve the nagging unfinished tasks in your life.
Sleep: People who sleep fewer than six hours a night have a 50% increased risk of viral infections and increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Lack of sleep is also associated with mental decline and overeating. Half of men over 50 have trouble sleeping. If that’s the case with your man, create an environment where it’s easy to sleep. Dim the lights 15 minutes before going to bed and wear loose-fitting clothing, or none at all.
Anti-Aging Diet: And of course there’s nutrition. Tell your man to listen up and eat these five superfoods to reverse aging …
Broccoli: (Or other cruciferous veggies like cabbage, cauliflower, bok choy, kale, and Brussels sprouts.) They’re great because they have chemicals in them that help detoxify the body and prevent cancer.
Eggs: A powerful source of protein, they cost just pennies each. Many people think eating eggs increases blood cholesterol. Not true. Eggs contain choline, a B vitamin shown to reduce inflammation in the brain, which may lessen the chance of developing Alzheimer’s. And these protein powerhouses protect your bones and fight frailty, too. Antioxidants and other nutrients in egg yolks help prevent macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness, and protect the retina from UV sun damage.
Beets: Beets help dilate blood vessels, which improves blood flow throughout the body. They’re also packed with iron, which helps deliver oxygen throughout the body and ward off anemia.
Blueberries: Its antioxidants can help fight the free radicals that cause cancer. Other purple-colored foods — such as purple potatoes, blood oranges, and eggplant — provide a similar anthocyanin benefit.
Tomatoes: They’re packed with lycopene, a red carotene that’s extremely protective against colon, lung, skin, and prostate cancers. They’ve also been shown to lower the risk of heart disease, cataracts and macular degeneration.
To your – and his – health!
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Great article, will pass it on.
Thanks Gail! (And Dr. Oz!)