This Father’s Day, don’t forget to share these 9 Precious health tips with him
Age might just be a number, but there are a few ramifications that follow. There is a reason why the 40s is considered to be the vulnerable age group, one that is susceptible to a battery of health afflictions. This age is generally when you have your kids finishing their schooling and revving up for their university days, aging parents (most likely to be down with one disorder or even more) and demanding jobs that keep on chugging away at your time. Amidst all of these, we don t blame you for having put your health aside. But remember that lifestyle disorders as well as other medical issues don’t knock you down with a prior forewarning. 40s is the age when you should sit back and introspect just a little bit about where exactly you’re headed down the Health road. However, if you don’t think you’re there just yet, there isn’t any particular reason for you to wait.
This Father’s Day, make sure that your dad is taking stock of his health and starting to get the act together. And while he’s at it, you could give him these 10 precious health tips he is sure to benefit from. Remember, the sooner you both start, the better it’ll be. Read on:
How can you help him#1: Get your father to go for a thorough eye check-up
Things people say, ‘age makes you farsighted’. Alas, what nobody says is that farsightedness can also happen to a blind man. If you have trouble reading the medicine details on the labels, you should go for a thorough eye check-up. The thing is, you could wonder about the whole futility of it because you think not being able to read the little medicine details is just fine; however, this can only be the tip of the iceberg. There cannot be anything better than having all your faculties at their finest as you age. Although just one of the primary five senses, it’s difficult to not believe that the sense of vision does take away maximum importance. Sunglasses can help reduce the risks of cataracts by cutting out on the UVA and UVB rays of the sun. All the more, (if your dad isn’t one of the very healthy eaters), encourage him to follow an eating plan that highlights the inclusion of green leafy vegetables and fruits. This will certainly help slow down macular degeneration, one of the very common eye afflictions that happen with increasing age.
How can you help him#2: Make sure he knows his numbers
This age is just the correct time for you to ensure that the hero in your life has got all the numbers checked and sorted; and by numbers, we are talking about blood pressure, sugar, cholesterol and weight.
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How can you help him#3: Care for his muscles
Your muscle mass is at its peak when you are 25. However, with age, your muscle mass and tone start shrinking in a process referred to as sarcopenia. It generally starts at a rate of one tenth of a kilo (of your muscle mass) once you hit 40, and then by the time you reach 50, the rate of loss is almost Godspeed (bleeding your body to about ½ a kilo every year). This is where you can give back to your dad by introducing him to resistance training. Also known as strength training, resistance training exercises make sure that the rate of muscle loss is arrested. Ask your father to couple it with cardio-vascular exercises so that his heart doesn’t get left out in the bid to guard his brawn.
How can you help him#4: Stack his dinner plate with fibers
The glory days of reckless eating without having to bother much about weight aren’t here anymore. Metabolism takes a hit as you age. So the idea here would be to eat fewer and healthier calories to boost health. All the calories you must do away with should mostly concern the ones from sweets while retaining foods loaded with fiber. This is where you come in; make sure that your dad can see half his plate covered in green vegetables (that’s where you get your vitamins and minerals from) and the other half with protein rich foods (low fat dairy, eggs, lean meat) and healthy carbs (primarily whole grains).
How can you help him#5: Help him stub the cigarette butt and cut down on alcohol
The thing with cigarettes is that unlike alcohol, it does nothing for your body other than piling up the bads. If ever one needed to quit, it is now. Help the most important man in your life live better and healthy by making him quit tobacco in some way, form or shape, or the other. Sure your dad understands that it isn’t easy, but you have got to reinstate the belief in him that if and when he quits, the benefits of it just won’t stop coming. Also, a peg or two of alcohol each or every alternate day isn’t going to do any bad, as long as he’s keeping it to that.
How can you help him#6: Make him take the stairs more often
Research states that climbing a weekly 55 flights of stairs could cut bad cholesterol in half and shift nearly 3-5 kgs in a year. What it will also do is step up his aerobic (lung functional) capacity, better the condition of the body’s nucleus, while keeping his leg muscles active and fit.
How can you help him#7: Get him running shoes, today!
Surely contrary to mass belief, running doesn’t worsen or damage the knee joint. On the opposite, activities that involve a lot of twisting and turning (such as soccer, rugby and tennis) are the ones that can ring the SOS for your knee joint, increasing the possibility of osteoarhtitis. Go and hit the local jog track with your dad early in the morning; trust us when we say that there are only a handful of things better than a runner’s high!
How can you help him#8: Correct his posture while he’s doing Push-ups (considering how important they can be)
Push-ups, if done correctly, can be one of the best exercises your dad could be doing right now. It engages almost the entire body, focusing on the legs, chest, shoulders, abdomen and the core. Most fathers are likely to get the posture wrong because of the back and leg muscles weakening with age. These provide the strength and stability to prevent a fracture while breaking a fall.
How can you help him#9: Recommend a thyroid check
This butterfly shaped gland in your neck regulates most of the hormones, thus calling the shots on one’s energy and weight management. Take your father for a thyroid check-up as this is the time when thyroid concerns could rear their ugly head. A thyroid check-up can certainly help as medications can be then prescribed to stave off any future complication. You can gift a comprehensive health package to your father that is inclusive of Thyroid check along with other important tests. Click here to know more and book the test.
