In our busy world today, it is pretty difficult to maintain habits that are beneficial to our health. Men, in general, are mostly guilty when this is concerned. For them, every day hustling and bustling is a perfect excuse to ignore medical advice, eat unhealthily, and live life just as it comes.

However, taking care of our health is an absolute necessity if we want to live long and be happy. A WHO report on November 16 highlights a health checklist for men-things they must do to stay healthy. While men would do well to adopt these lifestyle changes, women too wouldn’t go wrong if they make similar changes.

According to the report, here are five things to do for good health:

1. Get Active

             Being active is quite different from undergoing your daily strenuous routine. It involves engaging in moderately-intense but well-guided exercise routines that keep your body in good shape both mentally and physically. According to WHO data, engaging in 2.5 hours of exercise routines such as these helps you maintain a healthy weight, reduce the risk of stroke, heart diseases, diabetes, cancer, and helps you beat depression.

              Learn more about how exercise can increase your lifespan here.

2. Go for Regular Checkups

                This is easier said than done especially when Nigerians are concerned. However, going for regular health checks (such as blood pressure, prostate checks, and blood sugar levels) even when you feel healthy is essential to catch health problems early and stay in good health. Mental health should also not be left out; keeping tabs on the state of your mental health can help keep depression and anxiety away.

3. Reduce Alcohol Intake

                 According to WHO, alcohol alone killed nearly 3 million people in 2016; 75% of whom were men.

             Over the years, excessive drinking has been known to increase the rate of road traffic accidents, violence, and equally set people on their way to developing long-term diseases such as heart failure, diabetes, liver damage, hepatitis, and cancer. Too much drinking has both economic and social consequences. It pushes you farther away from your family and also costs you a fortune to buy.

4. Stop Smoking

                  Like alcohol, smoking does the body little to no good. In fact, tobacco use is a prime causative agent for diseases such as cancer, tuberculosis, lung and heart disease, and stroke. Tobacco usage kills at least 7 million people every year according to WHO data.

             When you quit smoking, you reduce your risk of a heart attack by half, with full lung function returning after 12 weeks of making the lifestyle change. 

5. Eat Healthily

                 You are what you eat! When it comes to living a healthy long life, eating healthy is a must. A     healthy diet will help you keep diabetes and other diseases away. So, try to eat more fruits, legumes, vegetables, nuts, whole grains daily. Minimize salt intake to the best of your ability, one teaspoon per day will do just fine. Sugar should be limited to just 5% of your total energy intake per day and saturated fat should be less than 10% of your energy intake.

World Health Organization