Tag: male reproductive health

Invest In Your Health By Setting Health Goals

I am so not a cold weather person. I am in Pittsburgh for a couple of days and arrived yesterday to very windy and cold weather. One of my first thoughts was ‘I am not walking in this!’

 

I am asking for you to invest in your health by setting health goals.  As you think about how to do this, think about building in movement into each of your days.  What challenges do you face? You may not be able to set up an exercise plan due to medical conditions or disabilities but if your clinician has given you the green light, find something to do that makes you move more.

 

Hot, cold or rainy weather, home situations, shorter days, new COVID restrictions on gyms, malls and other outdoor venues may all impact your ability to get a workout in.

 

Look around you.  Your setting may be in a shelter,  on a couch with a friend or in your home.  You may not have the room or specific equipment (treadmills, stationary bikes, elliptical or weight lifting equipment) available to you but if you can sit or walk, you can move.  

 

 

Invest In Your Health By Setting Health Goals

  • I will talk to my clinician about starting an exercise routine.
  • I will look at YouTube videos or other online resources and find a series that I like and set a start date within 2 weeks.
  • I will look at my calendar and schedule three 30-minute blocks of time for exercise each week.
  • I will invite my spouse/friend/family member to join me in these exercises.
  • I will keep all of my appointments with myself and not cancel any of the sessions.

We have a  Monthly & Daily Health Goals  planner for you to use.  Write out your weekly and monthly goals.  Writing them down and posting them on the fridge or your mirror will allow you to see them daily.  This will help keep you on track.  You can also click on the Resources Tab to find this planner.

This is a great time to do this.  This will keep the extra holiday pounds at bay, provide natural endorphins to help you counteract the mental stressors that you face every day and make you physically stronger.  Are you ready to do this? 

 

It Is Time to Move Your Booty!

Move it, move it, move it!

Happy Monday. I hope you all had a great weekend. Were you able to carve out at least 30 minutes each day just to focus on yourself?  If you are a diabetic, a pre-diabetic, or just someone who needs to become healthier,  it is important to move each and every day. Pick an activity that you can build into your schedule.  It is time to move your booty! 

9 Ways to exercise in this time of social distancing :

  • Dancing–the beauty of the internet is that you can use any of the great music videos on YouTube or your favorite streaming apps to find music that makes you move.  My favorite ones are those by Enrique Iglesias or Luis Fonsi.
  • Zumba–a combination of dance, movement and great music.  Find a local class on Zoom or use YouTube videos.
  • Strength Training–You can do strength training by using things in your pantry if you are new to this and just need to get started.  As you build up your strength you can buy light hand weights.  Use your time during commercials or find a 5 minute block of time to do simple, repetitive arm moves.
  • Yoga–there are so many free videos on YouTube.  Pick a beginner’s level if you are new to this but if you already exercise, you may be able to move to more advanced poses or routines.  Scan through the offerings to find someone you like.
  • Bicycling–this one may be trickier if you do not have a bicycle and your local gyms are not as accessible to you.  If you have room for a stationary bike, look on local marketplaces and see what you can find.  This is a great way to exercise while watching streaming apps.
  • Swimming–more options are now available to you so head to your local pool and find a water aerobics class or empty lane to swim in.  Many places have opened with new rules in place so see what is available in your area.
  • Stair climbing–do you have stairs in your home or in your apartment building?  Make a goal of climbing 3 flights to begin with and then add 1 flight a day or week depending on your fitness level.  Local malls may have indoor stairs that you can use.  Hiking in a local park with an incline can be just as good.  Look around and see what you can find.
  • Walking–You do not need anything special to walk.  A good pair of shoes and off you go.  If the weather keeps you from going outdoors on a regular basis, you may find that using a treadmill can help you meet your step goals.  The local mall can provide a safe place to walk and provide a staircase for you to use.
  • Running–once you build up your endurance, you may decide that you want to try and begin a running regimen.  There are apps that will take you from walking to finishing a 5K in 9 weeks or longer.

barriers to finding the time to exercise

Do you have a little one at home or an elderly family member to watch over?  Are you working remotely and trying to juggle being a care provider and work at the same time?  Yes?  Well, you are not alone.  Social distancing and the isolation recommendations have many without the usual circle of support that is needed to help you carve out the time you need for this.  

If you don’t have someone in your home to work with, find someone else in your situation who can swap out with you. Yes, even in this time of social distancing. you can watch over each others loved ones with proper masking, hand washing and social distancing.  If you are not comfortable with bringing someone into your home, then you will have to find an exercise that you can do at home.  Find a time while your dependents are sleeping.  This may mean waking up 45 minutes earlier or staying up later in the evening.  Find a way to make this happen.

Others in your household need to exercise as well.  Make it a ‘family’ event or trade off caretaker duties so that each of you can build this time into your daily routine.  Change it up.  You do not have to do the same thing every day.  Do a group yoga session.  This will help with everyone’s mental health.Remember that taking care of yourself is the most important thing you can do. Only after focusing on yourself should you devote time and energy to others.

 

Yours in movement!

                                              

Fatherhood Intentions

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Having a discussion with the men in our lives about fatherhood intentions are needed to balance out our discussion on preconception care. What?  Why do we have to talk about men?

You need two to tango so if you have a male partner on this journey with you, he needs to get in shape as well. Male reproductive health is hardly ever discussed but male factor infertility is the sole factor in roughly 1/3 of the cases.

As you can see from the infographic, men have many factors that can impact the health of their sperm. Is your partner taking care of themselves? Do any of these risk factors pertain to your partner?

Infertility is a very stressful ordeal for couples. Share this information with the man in your life so that both of you can prepare to be in the best physical and mental state when you decide to begin this journey.  His health and well-being is just as important as yours is.

Have fun trying!