Tips for improving men’s health and vitality

To be honest, if you want to maintain your health and vitality for a long time, the key is not to stock up on supplements worth thousands of dollars and force yourself to go to the gym five times a week, but to do 70% of the most basic things of "diet, exercise, sleep, and mood" correctly. Even if you are busy 996 every day without even touching the floor, you can obviously feel your condition improving after half a month.

I met a 27-year-old guy who works in operations a while ago. After working on a project for more than half a year, he was out of breath after climbing the third floor. He stocked up more than 3,000 oyster extracts, zinc tablets, and testosterone supplements. After two months of eating, there was no improvement at all. So he went to the nutrition department. After asking the doctor, he found out that he was eating takeout that was high in oil and salt. His staple food was all refined rice and noodles. He could not even eat cereals once a week. The trace elements he supplemented were not enough for him to survive for two nights. Nowadays, the opinions on eating on the Internet are actually quite divided. Bloggers in the fitness circle will make you pile on high protein and low carbohydrates, and you can’t wait to eat chicken breasts and broccoli. However, traditional Chinese medicine will remind people with weak spleen and stomach that eating too much high protein at once will easily accumulate food and waste energy and blood. There is no need to follow a rigid formula. The most worry-free method I have tried on my own is to add a punch of grains to each meal and eat deep-sea fish or shellfish 2-3 times a week. If you are too busy to cook, carry a boiled egg and a handful of original nuts with you. It is much better than ordering milk tea and fried chicken for thirty or forty yuan for afternoon tea.

Oh, by the way, when it comes to exercise, many people still have a misunderstanding. They think that you must develop eight-pack abs and have your body fat rate below 15% to be healthy. A while ago, I accompanied a friend for a physical check-up, and I met an older brother who goes to the gym all year round. His body fat rate is only 9%, and he is covered in tendons. The results of six hormone tests showed that his testosterone level was almost one-third lower than the normal value. The doctor said that he had a long-term extreme fat control and over-training, which messed up his endocrine system. People who love strength training always say that the higher the muscle mass, the stronger the energy. This is true, but the prerequisite is not to overload. Doctors who deal with chronic disease management will instead recommend that people who sit for long periods of time should not rush into high-intensity interval training or strength training. Instead, start by walking 10 minutes more every day and stretching for 2 minutes after sitting for a long time. I personally tested it and took two bus stops less after get off work every day and walked 20 minutes home. For two weeks in a row, I didn't feel confused when I got up in the morning. It is much more effective than two hours of sudden training on weekends.

No matter how regular you eat and exercise, staying up all night is basically useless. I have really stepped into this pit. I used to stay up until past three o'clock for a week working on projects. Not only did I often get distracted during meetings, my legs felt weak even when I climbed the fifth floor, and I couldn't suppress my sleepiness even after drinking three glasses of American food. There is a saying on the Internet now that "as long as you sleep for 8 hours, it doesn't matter what time you stay up." I specifically asked my friends in the endocrinology department. In fact, this is not the case at all. The peak period of male hormone secretion is from 11 pm to 3 am. If you miss this time to fall asleep for a long time, even if you sleep until noon the next day and sleep for 10 hours, your testosterone secretion level will still be 15% to 20% lower than that of people with a normal schedule. Of course, if you do work at night or have to work shifts, try to fix your sleep time. Don't stay up until three o'clock today and go to bed at nine o'clock tomorrow. Disruption of your biological clock will be the worst thing.

What many people tend to overlook is that sometimes when you feel tired and unmotivated, it is not a physical problem at all, but an emotional drain. I have a sales buddy who worked hard for three months in a row. He collapsed on the sofa every day when he got home. He didn't even want to touch his favorite ball. He went to the hospital to check and found nothing wrong. Later, he took one afternoon a week to go fishing in the suburbs without reading any work news. Within two months, his overall condition returned. Nowadays, people on the Internet always say that I should do mindfulness meditation when I’m under pressure. To be honest, I can’t sit still. I tried it twice and my mind always wandered. Later, I found that even if it takes half an hour to play basketball or play Lego for a while, as long as I can completely relax and not want to work, the effect is not bad at all.

In fact, all told, there are really no magic tricks. They are just small things that can be done casually. There is no need to pursue any 100% standard. I walked ten minutes more today and stayed up less late tomorrow. Slowly my condition improved. If you really feel tired and unmotivated for a month or two in a row, don't just check and make up for yourself. Go to the hospital for a hormone test first, which is more reliable than anything else.