better
HEALTH
Eye on Him
Help your man stay healthy by
keeping track of these hve signs.
h e a l t h y g e a r f o r
h e a l t h y g u y s
i
by
AVERY HURT
photos
KATHRYN GAMBLE
W H E N Y O U H E A R
T H A T W O M E N
are the
w eaker sex, th at re a lly o n ly
m eans th e y aren’t as good at
p ick in g up heavy things, such
as b ro th e rs-in -la w . M en,
healthw ise, tru ly are n o t the
m ore ro b u st gender: T h e y
have h ig h e r rates o f all m ajor
diseases and a lo w e r life
e xpectancy b y ove r five years.
Y ou, th ough, as his closest
observer can spots signs o f
tro u b le sooner than anyone.
IRRITABILITY
I f he grum bles and g ro w ls a
lot, ask y o u rs e lf if th a t’s p art
o f a recent pattern. Irrita b ility
and p e rso n a lity changes often
indicate a d rop in testosterone
levels, says D r. M a ria n n e J.
Legato, fo u n d er o f the
P artnership fo r G e n d e r-
Specific M e d icin e at
C o lu m b ia U n ive rsity. I f the
decline is ra p id enough, m en
m ay develop an a rra y o f
p o te n tia lly dangerous
sym ptom s, in c lu d in g th in n in g
bones and a risk o f depression.
d ysfu n ction . I f the co n d itio n
has becom e an issue, he needs
to be checked fo r heart
disease, w h ic h n o t o n ly blocks
m ain b lo od vessels b u t also
sm all arteries responsible fo r
causing erectile dysfunction.
LOUD SNORING
I f he snores lo u d e r than his
old ’74 Im pala o r w akes up
tire d all the tim e, he m ay have
sleep apnea, a co n d itio n in
w h ic h b re a th in g repeatedly
stops fo r b rie f periods d u rin g
the n ig ht. It also raises the
risk o f heart disease.
INCREASED DRINKING
M e n often d on’t deal w ith
negative em otions v e ry w ell,
says Stafford. A n d th e y tend to
self-m edicate— in other w ords,
th e y d rin k m ore. U p to tw o
drinks a day is actually healthy.
M o re th an that is a risk factor
fo r m any diseases and m ay be
a sym ptom o f an em otional
d iso rde r such as depression.
BATHROOM TROUBLES
BIKE TO GO
A fit
man is a healthy man
The folding
Montague CX
crossover bike tucks
in a car’s trunk, on a
boat, or in an RV,
making a quick ride
easier than ever.
About $600,
'S
montagueco.com
2
A PRINCE ON THE
COURT
If he hasn’t
played tennis in a while,
coax him back with a new
Prince Silver or Red EXO3
racket. They have an
extra-large sweet spot,
making them very
forgiving for rusty
servers. About $250,
princetennis.com
HEART AT A GLANCE
No more cumbersome
chest straps or wires
with the Heart Rate
Ring. It simply slides
over any finger and
gives continuous heart
rate info, plus the ability
to program max and
target heart rates.
$40,
brookstone.com
BEDROOM PROBLEMS
H e a rt disease is often called a
silent k ille r because the first
sym ptom is often a heart
attack, says D r. M a rk Stafford,
professor o f inte rnal m edicine
at the U n iv e rs ity o f Alabam a
at B irm ingham . B u t th ere ’s a
sym ptom that m any people
don ’t re co g n ize — erectile
A s he ages, his prostate
enlarges and squeezes the
tube u rin e passes th ro u gh . F o r
som e m en, the stream gets
w eak and com es in fits and
starts. T h e y also end up going
m ore often. T h e re are good
treatm ents, b u t his docto r also
needs to ru le out a m ore
serious co n d itio n w ith sim ilar
sym ptom s— prostate cancer. ffl
MANC
I ON A ROLL
The
Rollerblade Fusion X5 is built
for an urban environment.
But we like these inline skates
on suburban trails because of
great shock absorbers that
smooth out bumpy
pavement. About
$200,
rollerblade.com
2 1 4 JULY2009 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
