Men, have you had your yearly checkup? June is Men’s Health Month, and it is pretty important that there is a month dedicated to Men’s health – do you know why? According to Everyday Health, Cleveland Clinic surveyed more than 500 men ages 18 to 70 across the United States and found that only three in five men get an annual physical, and just over 40 percent go to the doctor only when they fear they have a serious medical condition. Did you know that Women are 100% more likely to visit the doctor for annual examinations and preventive services than men? It’s time to change those statistics!
So in honor of Men’s Health Month, here are three things you can start this month to “celebrate” your health and raise awareness:
Get it Checked – This is the perfect time to set your routine doctor’s appointment and get peace of mind! Prevention is key; don’t be like 40 percent of men and wait until a problem or symptom becomes unbearable before having it checked by a physician.
Exercise Regularly – The right kind of exercise is the best form of prevention for many health conditions – and not only that, it helps maintain a healthy weight. The CDC recommends a cardio routine that is 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise a week. That’s only 20 minutes a day!
Eat Right – Depending on age and level of physical activity, men should eat between 2-2.5 cups of fruit and 2.5-4 cups of vegetables every day. People who eat generous amounts of fruits and vegetables as part of a healthful diet are likely to have a lower risk of chronic diseases than people who eat only small amounts of fruits and vegetables.
You can find more information about Men’s Health Month online here. Don’t keep the information to yourself, be sure to share with those men around you; you could help save a life!
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) just launched a one-of-a-kind collection of 10 essential personal care products (toothpaste, shaving foam, shampoo, face wash, lotion, deodorant and more) especially for Men’s Health Month and it is the first ever EWG verified Men’s Health Pack. Being verified by the Environmental Working Group means that these products meet EWG’s most stringent requirements for your health.
That means all the products included in this pack avoid EWG’s ingredients of concerns (like phthalates, which have been associated with lower sperm counts and sperm damage, including impaired movement and abnormal shape). They also provide FULL transparency and use good manufacturing practices.
With Father’s Day being only a couple of days away, this may not make it in time to be a gift for your dad, but it is a great gift for any man in your life. This was made in limited quantities, so if you are interested – check out all the products and more information on their website here.
Reme
mber to stay safe out in the sun. Clothing and shade are the first line of defense against UV rays (think big hats and beach umbrellas!), but sunscreen works well if you apply it correctly. Reviews.com came out with 2017 best sunscreens for this year along with some really great reminders about how SPF works, how often to reapply your sunscreen, and a host of other really important information. You can find the whole article here.
Something that the article above does not include is the ever-so-popular spray sunscreen. It is especially popular with kids because it is (seemingly) easy to apply. I’ve been on the beach where you see a mom running after her child spraying sunscreen as he is running into the water. Well, that really isn’t efficient. If you are going to use spray sunscreen, remember to spray close to your skin – don’t allow the wind to take off with your sunscreen! It is best to shake the contents, and also to rub it into your skin after spraying. And again – reapply every couple of hours.
The report I always look forward to every year is the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) report on sunscreens. In addition to loads of information of low-chemical sunscreens and lots of helpful information, they also list the best sport and beach sunscreens, the best scoring kids sunscreens, the kids’ sunscreens to avoid, and even a downloadable guide to safer sunscreen.
There is a lot of really good information out there on sunscreen and a lot of opinions as well. Bottom line – protect your skin. There is no such thing as safe tanning without sunscreen. You have one body given to you at birth; take care of it!
Speaking of the sun and all the heat that comes with it – June is National Tea month! Tea is so much fun, and in the summer you can do so much with iced tea.
Sun tea is pretty amazing. No boiling water, no measuring, no nonsense. Just take your favorite tea bags, put them in your favorite (closed) glass container and put it on a sunny area outside on your porch. You let the sun do the work from there. Leave it out for a day and transfer to your fridge overnight.
Black tea and lemon is always a great go-too, but what about Peach tea, Ginger, mint and lemon? Yum! Adding fresh watermelon and lime to green tea is a refreshing drink in the summer as well.
You can also try my popular recipe for Detox Tea. It is a cold tea that will get you moving through the day and help jump-start your metabolism:
Christine’s Detox Tea
Ingredients
- 3oz fresh ginger (peeled and sliced)
- 3 dandelion root tea bags
- 3 milk thistle tea bags
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 30 drops artichoke extract
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice…
Click here for full recipe and instructions
June is an amazing month for fresh fruits and veggies. Local Farmer’s Markets are open and the variety is awesome. In June, just look at the incredible things you can find in season:
One of the best things about summertime is ripe, fresh, sweet fruits. You could try to make this dessert in the Winter and it would be pretty good. But in the summer, when the peaches are just bursting with sweet juice and the cherries are blossoming your taste buds are going to freak out! So, after visiting your local store or Farmer’s Market and picking up some fresh, in-season fruit, treat yourself with this incredibly tasty (if I do say so myself) recipe for Peach-Cherry-Cobbler.
Ingredients
Filling
4 Medium white peaches, peeled, pitted and cubed
2 cups Bing cherries, pitted
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup organic palm sugar
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground…
Click here for full recipe and instructions
“Love is to the heart what the summer is to the farmer’s year — it brings to harvest all the loveliest flowers of the soul.”~Author Unknown
Christine