{"id":11122,"date":"2020-10-18T09:53:09","date_gmt":"2020-10-18T14:53:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=11122"},"modified":"2024-04-25T09:27:49","modified_gmt":"2024-04-25T14:27:49","slug":"6-health-tips-for-men-over-50","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/6-health-tips-for-men-over-50\/","title":{"rendered":"Six health tips for men over 50"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Age 50 is a health milestone for men. Many men have spent their lives feeling indestructible, and, therefore, unconcerned about their health. But when the bulletproof confidence that comes with youth starts to fade, thoughts about their wellbeing slowly begin to come to the forefront \u2013 or at least they should.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re all constantly changing,&#8221; said Dr. Zack Fulton, physician with OSF Medical Group &#8211; Primary Care. &#8220;As we get older, more things go wrong, and we have more problems. One of the reasons why the 50s is a magic number is because there\u2019s a lot of new screening tests that start in your 50s for a vast majority of the people, especially men over 50.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>1. Staying ahead of the game \u2013 prevention for men over 50<\/h2>\n<div class=\"alignright cta\">\n<p>Ready to get started?<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/providers?specialtyfilters=Family%20Medicine,Internal%20Medicine\">Talk to a primary care provider<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Preventive care is crucial to overall health. Dr. Fulton stresses the importance of getting an annual physical. Among the health screenings you can expect:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Blood pressure screening<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/cancer-screening-recommendations-and-what-can-affect-them\/\">Cancer screening<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/colon-cancer-screening-easy-and-worth-it\/\">Colonoscopy<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Cholesterol screening<\/li>\n<li>Prostate exam<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cI think the biggest thing with any patient is getting to know them and what their concerns are first and getting to know their family history, so you know what is most likely to cause a problem for them,&#8221; said Dr. Fulton said. &#8220;You want to gear their medical care to what they need the most.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>2. Sleep<\/h2>\n<p>Men over 50 need between seven and nine hours of sleep each night to function properly.<\/p>\n<h2>3. Healthy eating<\/h2>\n<p>Dr. Fulton says making smaller changes, rather than bigger ones, will stick over a longer period. That includes giving up junk food and opting for more fruits and vegetables, which will help with excess weight around the midsection.<\/p>\n<h2>4. Smoking<\/h2>\n<p>It&#8217;s never too late to quit. According to Dr. Fulton, putting an end to smoking can improve overall health, including breathing and endurance, and decrease cancer risk.<\/p>\n<h2>5. Alcohol<\/h2>\n<p>Watch your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/know-drinking-problem\/\">alcohol consumption<\/a>. Most men tend to drink too much in one sitting. Moderation is the key.<\/p>\n<h2>6. Exercise<\/h2>\n<p>Dr. Fulton recommends a combination of strength training and cardio workouts, especially for men who are sedentary due to work and lifestyle. Men lose bone mass and flexibility by their 60s, so strength training takes on added importance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s never too late to change a lifestyle,&#8221; Dr. Fulton said. &#8220;I think wherever you\u2019re at, you\u2019re at a different starting point than you were. It\u2019s always better to start sooner, but you\u2019re never too late to start changing bad habits. Sometimes you have to find what works for you. We can\u2019t all go to the gym like we did and lift weights and pump iron, maybe the same way when you were in high school and college. But there are exercises you can do to strengthen your muscles and get some of that back.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Where to start<\/h2>\n<p>The first step is to visit your primary care provider, who can help devise a plan to get you pointed in the right direction.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo often we have trouble just getting people to make that first step and come in when they have underlying problems they don\u2019t even know about,&#8221; Dr. Fulton said. &#8220;Once we get some of the measurements \u2013 check their weight, check their cholesterol, then we can really gear the focus toward what they need the most and what they want the most.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And visiting your primary care provider once a year for your annual wellness visit is a great way to stay on track with your goals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Age 50 is a health milestone for men. Many men have spent their lives feeling indestructible, and, therefore, unconcerned about their health. But when the bulletproof confidence that comes with youth starts to fade, thoughts about their wellbeing slowly begin to come to the forefront \u2013 or at least they should. \u201cWe\u2019re all constantly changing,&#8221; [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":6571,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[736,735],"tags":[887,638],"coauthors":[687],"class_list":["post-11122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mens-health","category-preventive-health","tag-aging","tag-screening"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Six health tips for men over 50<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Age 50 is a health milestone for men. 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