Happy Father’s Day 2020: Health Tips For Fathers To Lead A Healthy Life

1. Exercise regularly

Moderate to high-intensity physical activity is an important component of a healthy lifestyle. Practising exercise daily will improve physical fitness and assist in the prevention of many diseases.

Studies have shown that physical activity has several health benefits, which includes helping in managing weight, improving insulin sensitivity, lowering blood pressure, reducing inflammation, improving coronary blood flow, enhancing endothelial function and increasing HDL (good) cholesterol and decreasing LDL (bad) cholesterol [2].

2. Maintain your weight

Being obese can increase the risk of many chronic diseases and conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, high blood pressure, dyslipidemia (abnormal levels of cholesterol and fat in the blood), reproductive dysfunction, psychiatric conditions and certain types of cancers [3]. Eat healthy foods and exercise regularly to keep your weight under control.

3. Eat a nutritious diet

Good nutrition plays an important role in promoting physical and mental well-being. A healthy diet combined with physical activity will help you maintain a healthy weight and prevent the risk of chronic diseases. Eat more whole-grain foods, vegetables, fruits, legumes and limit the consumption of red meat, refined starches, full-fat dairy products and foods and beverages high in added sugars [4].

4. Limit alcohol consumption

Men drink more alcohol as compared to women. Studies have shown that heavy drinking can lead to many diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, infectious disease, neuropsychiatric disease, liver and pancreas disease and even cause injury. It is advisable to limit the consumption of alcohol to one to two drinks per day [5], [6].

5. Quit smoking

Cigarette smoking has adverse effects on health. It increases the risk of serious diseases such as lung cancer, oral cancer, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, head and neck cancer, urinary and gastrointestinal tract cancer, heart disease and gum disease [7].

6. Get good sleep

Sleep serves multiple functions; it aids in regulating appetite, assists in the functioning of immune, hormonal and cardiovascular systems and improves cognitive performance, attention and mood. Try to get seven to eight hours of sleep at night [8].

7. Lower stress

Fathers prioritise their work and family over anything and in this process, they tend to ignore their health and take a lot of stress. Increased stress has been shown to elevate the risk of heart disease, chronic pain and gastrointestinal problems. If you are stressed out talk to someone, keep a stress diary, meditate and indulge in physical activity and get a good night's rest [9].

8. Go for regular check-ups

With age, the susceptibility to diseases rises. So, it is important for fathers to go for regular health check-ups to ensure that you keep the onset of some diseases at bay and prevent them from increasing when you see the first signs and symptoms. Some of the health check-ups are cholesterol level test, eye test, dental examination, blood pressure test, diabetes screening, colon screening, prostate specific antigen (PSA) test, and weight check-up [10], [11].

To Conclude...

On this Father's Day, encourage and support your father to incorporate the above-mentioned tips in order to lead a long and healthy life. Here's wishing all the fathers a Happy Father's Day!