Being a man myself and a medical doctor, I believe I am in a good position to discuss what most men want. I’ve found that these are simply three basic things:
- Sexual relations until they are old (I know this to be true having much experience in treating erectile dysfunction in men well into their 80s).
- To be successful in whatever area they choose.
- To be loved and admired by those they lead at home, in church, in the community, and in society.
Now, men, to obtain and maintain these fundamental things, you need good health—mental, physical, and emotional. So, I’m going to share with you five of the major elements needed to get/ maintain that good health, which will help you obtain the three things all men want.
- PHYSICAL EXERCISE
You must develop your body as much as you can by playing ball, going to the gym, cycling, running, farming, lifting, etcetera. There is no excuse for not exercising. You can’t be too busy. You can’t be too tired, and you can’t be too hungry. Develop yourself to the point where you have the ability to defend those in your care. Strong men have the capacity to respond aggressively in the defence of those in their care. Anything else is a dereliction of duty. Working on yourself physically helps you to develop not just physical strength but mental fortitude, discipline, perseverance, and focus, even in the face of significant physical discomfort.
Physical exercise makes you a better man in every way, whether you are single or married.
Now, there’s one secret exercise I must share with married men. One day, one of my medical staff barged into my office and said, “Doc, you have to tell me the secret! I just finished with a gentleman who said he saw you last month. He had a problem with his “bedtime rituals,” and you gave him an exercise to do. He said to tell you you’re the best doc ever, for your advice has changed his life. His wife is always waiting up for him, and they are both kept busy for more than an hour now. What did you tell him?”
Married men, do you want to know?
Go to YouTube and type in pelvic floor exercises for PE, choose the first video you see that exceeds 10 minutes, send that to yourself, and thank me later.
- SLEEP
How many persons appreciate the many functions of sleep and even get enough—six to eight hours in a quiet, dark area? This is essential for your brain function, so you can have a good memory, avoid diseases, and strengthen your immune system. Nighttime snooze is better than daytime sleep.
If you do shift work, it’s proven that you’ll have a shorter life span than your counterpart who works during the day and sleeps at night.
If you regularly miss sleep during the hours of 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m., you are doing enormous damage to your health.
Did you know that your brain works like a computer? You can transfer experiences and things you learn from your temporary memory to your permanent memory, or from your RAM to your ROM or hard drive. In the human brain, this occurs only during sleep. So, if you don’t get sufficient sleep, you are going to remember fewer of your experiences and less of what you learn…guaranteed! This is especially significant if you’re a student.
Do you have problems sleeping? Try to create the right temperature (don’t be too hot or too cold), use essential oils like peppermint (it can be as simple as adding a few drops to some olive oil and lotioning the soles of your feet before donning a pair of socks), drink calming teas like soursop leaf and camomile, and turn off every light in your room. Magnesium or melatonin can also help you sleep better.
- SUPPLEMENTS
To nourish your body generally and boost low levels of testosterone, three supplements are recommended:
- Vitamin D, 5000 units daily – this is absolutely the most important vitamin that every man should take, as we are more adversely impacted than women are by low levels.
You can also get Vitamin D directly from the sun; for black people, that’s the equivalent of about 90 minutes of sunlight. Vitamin D is important for your immune system; it controls calcium entry into your bones. It promotes gene expression, so good genes are turned on in its presence and bad genes (that cause cancer, for example) are turned off. Vitamin D levels can impact your heart, liver, and kidneys.
- A mineral supplement – I don’t recommend cutting out salt from your diet, but I support salt reduction. Regular table salt contains three minerals, while Celtic Sea salt and pink Himalayan salt contain over 80. I prefer using either one in order to get my trace minerals like selenium and zinc, which are essential for the prostate and sperm count. Add these salts to your water or juices daily.
- I take the herb tribulus terrestris to increase my testosterone naturally. After the age of 20, testosterone begins declining. Some benefits of increased testosterone are increased muscle mass, better physical and mental energy, stronger bones, and reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
- Testosterone robbers include less sleep, little exercise, drinking and eating from plastic containers (plastic contains hormone disruptors), stress, being overweight, and consuming gmo, hybridised, and processed foods.
4. EAT LESS
My philosophy for food is based on Biblical principles (for example, those in Genesis 1– first chapter of the first book and Revelation 22 – last chapter of the last book).
Combining a primarily plant-based diet with intermittent fasting and sometimes 24- and 36-hour fasting is the best way to increase lifespan, prevent illnesses, and keep weight away.
Subjecting your body to physical stress like pain and hunger has been shown to increase the expression of genes called sirtuins that increase your lifespan and prevent diseases.
Nothing heals you faster from diseases like fasting. Even your gastrointestinal system at rest allows your immune system to function at its optimum level to eliminate damaged tissues, and repair and regenerate those getting worn out.
Food substances generally not beneficial to our well-being:
- Sugar
- Flour, cornmeal, and oats are just high in gluten. And because they are habitually genetically modified, they have become not health-giving but disease-causing.
- Processed meats like sausages, salami, and corned beef are known causes of cancer. If you eat these foods regularly, it’s just a matter of time before you get sick.
Go for coloured foods
Green, red, yellow, purple—bright colours in foods represent particular nutrients that your body absolutely needs to function at an optimally high level, especially your brain. Beetroot, celery, berries, cherries, pomegranates, apples, spinach, and callaloo are some top foods that you should consume almost daily.
Nuts like cashews and almonds, as well as seeds like chia and flax, contain essential nutrients difficult to find in other food groups.
Type my name in Tik Tok, and you will see my menu for what I consider the perfect breakfast using some of these top foods.
Circulation tonic
Men, there is also a tonic that you can make to improve blood flow, primarily to your reproductive centre, although every organ in the body stands to benefit.
It includes melon skin, celery, and beetroot. Make this drink, consume it every single day, and thank me later.
5.FUN AND LAUGHTER
Finally, fun and laughter in your life. This is so vital that if you’re eating healthy food by yourself and you’re bored and lonely, you will not benefit as much as someone eating junk while having fun with friends.
Proverbs 17:22 teaches that “laughter is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries out the bones.” This is scientifically sound, as laughter increases hormones that reduce pain, increase immune system function, boost memory, and boost blood flow, while stress releases cortisol, which robs your bones of calcium, makes them weak and thin, and robs every vital organ of this essential nutrient.
Proverbs 17:22 is a keeper; study it.
So, make time for recreation. Have fun with family and friends. All work and no play make Jack a dull boy and leave you stressed. And when men are persistently stressed, their testosterone levels fall, and over time, they grow weak, fat around the waist, have no interest in sex, and have brain fog.
But…
If you want to be full of vim, vigour, and vitality, then live, love, and laugh!
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Dr. Orlando Thomas is a certified functional medicine physician.