Feeling strong and looking lean are worthy goals for any guy, but there’s more to being healthy than the muscles we see under your T-shirt. True health comes from taking care of your insides, too. We’ve created the Men's Health Ultimate Health Guide so you can easily manage the rest of the health stuff—like taking care of your heart, your brain, your prostate, your muscles and joints, and your nutrition—so you can live your life to the fullest.
Men’s Health ULTIMATE HEALTH MANUAL
HOW HEALTHY ARE YOU?
BE YOUR BEST AT ANY AGE 20 • Whether you’re at the top of your game or could use a little help climbing up, we’ve got better-health advice for every stage of your life.
The Checkup: 20s • You’re healthy and young. Who needs a doctor? You do. Here, your healthy-guy talking points.
FUTURE PROOF YOUR FACE • What to apply, lather on, and shave off to look your best at every age
Your First Big Injury • How it happens, how to treat it, and how to live with it for the long haul
HOW TO BUILD MUSCLE AT 20
BE YOUR BEST AT ANY AGE 30 • So your hair is a little thinner. (There are solutions, if you want them.) And you’re getting a little less sleep. (Blame it on the baby, if you’ve got one.) Arm yourself with some essential life skills, like cooking a decent meal, and prepare for the future.
Disaster-Proof Your Life • Your 30s are a volatile time for marriages and careers. This is your survival playbook.
The Checkup: 30s • Sure, you feel fine. But double-check that: Certain key issues have subtle—or no—symptoms.
HOW TO SLEEP LIKE YOUR BABY • People tell you that time goes by so fast when you have a newborn. Not at 2:00 a.m. on a Tuesday it doesn’t.
You’re 30. It’s Time to Cook. • Could a 30-something gym junkie find balance between a food-as-fuel diet and food that tastes good? Men’s Health fitness director EBENEZER SAMUEL tries not to get burned.
WHAT I LEARNED TO COOK • Salmon is a key part of my diet, so being able to make it quickly is a nightly advantage. Now that I (sort of) understand this one, I eat it two or three times a week.
BE YOUR BEST AT ANY AGE 40 • It’s not too late to get back on a good-health track if you’ve let a few things slip—the transformation on the next page proves it. And even eliminating the pain from a long-ago injury is an option now. Start paying closer attention to your ticker and remember that you’ve got more than half your life ahead of you.
HOW TO DROP WEIGHT AT 40
FUZZY, FLABBY, AND CAN’T GET IT UP
You’re Gonna Feel Some Pain • The occasional creak—or something bigger—can turn into chronic pain, which is debilitating. Consuming. And with the advent of opioids, it could take you down a dangerous path. A better treatment is within our grasp.
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR PAIN • “The best way to address chronic pain is to treat it like a team sport,” says Sean Mackey, M.D., Ph.D., chief of pain medicine at Stanford University. You need different players to manage different positions. If you don’t have access to an interdisciplinary pain clinic, here’s what to do.
WTF? Why Do I Have Hair…There?!
The Checkup: 40s • This is the age of checking: Find out what’s really going on in your arteries, es, your brain, your guts, and your skin so you get on the right preventive maintenance plan.
BE YOUR BEST AT ANY AGE 50 • Yes, you can still be active. In fact, you should be. Most elite guys in their 50s are moving more and taking more steps than in their 40s. Eat plenty of bananas. And hustle to retirement. Keep in touch with old friends. And enjoy sex more than ever now that the kids are (hopefully) out of the house.
Am I Too Old For This Sh*t? • Facing an existential question, a 55-year-old skater looks for answers.
HOW TO RESET IN...
