3 Important Health Tips for Men Over 40

health-tips-men-over-40It goes without saying but men are living long, productive lives well into their later years. There truly are no limitations on what is possible in today’s world. Activities once considered exclusive to younger generations are being adopted by more and more men in their early 40s and beyond. Indeed, there are many middle aged men in much better health than those half their age.

Unfortunately, good health comes with a price. There are health related realities that every man must face when they reach a certain age. In order to remain active and vibrant, managing these realities must become a priority. Devoting sufficient time and energy towards proper healthcare, however, becomes harder as one gets older. Careers, family and a host of other factors drain time and energy. By taking just a few key factors into consideration and changing certain behaviors, it is more than possible to improve or sustain a healthy lifestyle for many years to come.

DIET SUPPLEMENTS

A man in his 40s has a greater chance of acquiring illnesses that younger generations don’t have to be concerned with. Cardiovascular disease, for one, may have lethal results if contracted. For this reason, every effort should be made to prevent such diseases from developing. Integrating organic dietary supplements is a great way to boost immunity in middle aged men. Vitamin E and C, in addition to fish oil packed with omega-3, are good starting points. Because bone and joint illnesses like osteoporosis are common in older men, supplements with natural calcium should also be considered when developing a supplemental diet.

SMARTER EATING

Being 40 means taking control of eating habits. Ingesting whatever you want, whenever you want begins to have serious consequences. Healthy eating habits are intricately woven into the benefits of a proper supplement diet. Ten fruit and vegetable servings can go a long way with older men. Risky foods, on the other hand, should be avoided or reduced. Take sodium for instance. Foods high in salt, which had little or no effect in youth, become harder to process as men get older. The amount of sodium in a diet should be cut significantly to reduce harmful or unwanted developments. With less salt, water retention decreases, which in-turn lowers the chances for elevated blood pressure. Fat is another risk that should be avoided or reduced at all costs. Consuming too much fat has proven links to heart disease. Simple choices, like using margarine instead of butter or cutting away fat from meats prior to consumption, are easy ways to avoid problems down the road. This article is a good resource for additional dietary information.

PROPER EXERCISE

Possibly the most well-known deterrent to poor health in middle-ages and older is consistent exercise. Working out regularly has very significant benefits associated with it, including reduced chances of heart disease, slower artery hardening, weight reduction, and even slowing the aging process itself. With all these advantages, exercise is by far the hardest for men in their 40s to adopt. Time commitments and the overall effort involved often make a workout less than desirable. Getting started, however, and making a habit of it will quickly change even the most skeptical of minds. This article is a helpful workout plan to get you started today.

Life does not have to stop as men get older. With a positive attitude and proper care, a healthy, energetic lifestyle can continue or even begin. With just a little work and discipline, middle aged men can make this new slogan valid; 40 truly is the new 20!

Tattoos: Making a Permanent Mark on the World

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Tattoos: Making a Permanent Mark on the World

The modern word “tattoo” was derived from the Tahitian word “tatatau” or “tattau” meaning to hit or strike.

Tattoos in the Ancient World

● The Iceman from the Italian-Austrian border – earliest known example of tattoos

○ Discovered in 1991
○ Iceman is carbon-dated at around 5,200 years old
○ Iceman’s tattoos consist of dots and small crosses on his lower spine, right knee and ankle joints

■ These locations correspond to areas of strain-induced degeneration
■ They may have been applied as therapy to alleviate joint pain

● Egyptian tattoos date back to 2000 B.C. – considered the oldest examples before the discovery of the Iceman

○ Evidence suggests that Egyptian tattooing was predominantly for females
○ These females were once thought to be royal concubines

■ One has been revealed as a high-priestess named Amunet

○ Some archaeologists believe the tattoos were meant to ward off sexually transmitted disease
○ Some believe the tattoos played a more therapeutic role

■ A permanent amulet for pregnancy and birth

○ The tattoos were usually distributed around the abdomen, on top of the thighs and breasts

■ Abdomen – Net-like dots were applied

● these would expand during pregnancy – amulet of safety

■ Thighs – Small figures of the household deity, Bes

● Bes was the protector of women in labor
● suggests a symbol of safeguarding during birth

■ These explain tattoos as a mainly female custom

● The Scythian Pazyryk of the Altai Mountains – another ancient culture which used tattoos

○ 1948 – a 2,400 year old frozen body of a Scythian male was discovered in Siberia

■ His limbs and torso were covered in ornate tattoos of mythical animals

○ 1993 – a Scythian woman with tattooed mythical creatures on her shoulders, wrists and thumb, was found in a tomb in Altai
○ 450 B.C. – Greek writer, Herodotus, stated Scythian and Thracian tattoos were a mark of nobility

● Ancient Britons were also thought to use tattoos as a mark of high status

○ their tattoos were often of diverse shapes of beasts
○ Romans named one Briton tribe “Picti” – “the painted people”

● Greeks and Romans often used tattoos as a mark of “belonging”

■ Belonging to religious sects
■ Belonging to slave owners
■ A punitive measure to mark some as criminals

○ Roman soldiers also adopted the practice of tattoos
○ Tattoo fashion spread across the Roman Empire

■ With the emergence of Christianity, tattoos were looked on as disfigurement
■ Tattoos were banned by Emperor Constantine (A.D. 306-373)

● Native Americans, such as the Cree, used extensive facial tattoos

○ Six mummified Inuit women from A.D. 1475 were discovered with facial tattoos

■ Examination revealed five of the women had been tattooed in a line

● Lines extended over the eyebrows, along the cheeks
● Some also had a series of lines on the chin

Tattooing Tools; Old and New

● Tools that are thought to have been used for ancient tattooing

○ 1450 B.C. – Small bronze instruments resembling wide, flattened needles
○ 3000 B.C. – a sharp point set in a wooden handle
(both above discovered by archaeologist W.M.F. Petrie)

● 19th century Egypt – they also used several flattened needles

○ According to English writer Wlliam Lane (1801-1876)
○ Tattooing was performed with several needles tied together. The ink was a mix of soot or oil and breast milk of a woman

● Today’s tattoo tool is an electronically powered machine resembling a dental drill. It injects ink into the skin.

● The machine moves a solid needle up and down to puncture the skin
between 50 – 3,000 punctures per minute.

● The needle penetrates the skin by about a millimeter deep and deposits a drop of ink into the skin with each puncture

● The tattoo machine has remained relatively unchanged since the 1800’s

○ invented by Samuel O’Reilly and based on the autographic printer

■ an engraving machine invented by Thomas Edison

● The ink is deposited into the second layer or skin; the dermis
● Non-sterile tattooing can lead to diseases such as Hepatitis, tuberculosis, HIV and syphilis

Drawing Lines to the Modern World:

● Today, the country with the most tattoos is Brittain with an estimated 20 million designs

○ 2013: David Beckham unveiled his newest tattoo in China

■ The Chinese characters say, “Life and death are determined by fate, rank and riches decreed by Heaven.”
■ Beckham reportedly has a total of 15 tattoos

● Most tattooed man: Lucky Diamond Rich

○ Lucky holds the Guinness World Record for the most tattoos
○ He has spent over 1,000 hours being tattooed by more than 100 artists
○ Lucky has been 100% tattooed including his eyelids and between his toes

● One of the strangest modern tattoo is the eyeball tattoo

○ David Boltjes was the first to let his prison mate stab him in the eye with this unconventional, untested tattoo method
○ The tattoos change the color of the sclera (white part of the eye)

● Not just for skin: One of the newest tattoo methods is tooth tattoos

○ Dental technician/tattoo artist, Steve Heward founded Heward Dental Labs
○ He and his team of artists/technicians paint minute works of art onto dental crowns
○ The price is anywhere from $75 – $200 USD

Statistics about tattoos today

● Americans spend $1.65B on tattoos per year

● Percentage of US adults with at least one tattoo

○ ages 18-25: 36%
○ ages 26-40: 40%

● 45m Americans have at least one tattoo
● There are 21,000 tattoo parlors in the US
● Average cost of a tattoo is $45 (small) to $150/hour (large)
● 32% of Americans claim to be addicted to ink
● 11% have had a tattoo removed
● 43% consider personal meaning to be the most important factor
● 29% say their tattoos make them feel rebellious
● 31% say tattoos make them feel more sexy

Sources:

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