How To Avoid Dropping Dead

My cousin in California told me that she has gone to the doctor solidly once per year since she was 17 or 18.

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DORCHESTER - APRIL 05:  Dr. Salvatore Molica takes the blood pressure of Sylvester Johnson during a routine checkup at the Codman Square Health Center April 5, 2006 in Dorchester, Massachusetts. State lawmakers approved a health care reform bill March 4 that would make Massachusetts the first state in the nation to require all its citizens have some form of health insurance. Governor Mitt Romney is scheduled to sign the bill next week.  (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)


Kind of a morbid topic, I know, however in light of my birthday and the fact that my moms passed recently, I had to explore and write on this topic. First of all, in talking to all of my women friends, ladies stay at the doctor from the time they hit puberty for the rest of their lives with annual pap smears and other types of check ups. My cousin in California told me that she has gone to the doctor solidly once per year since she was 17 or 18.

I was shocked at this to say the least. As a man, about the only time I ever have even considered going to see a doctor was due to sports injury. Honestly, I can count on one hand how much I’ve gone to see a doctor. I ruptured my achilles tendon playing basketball at San Bruno Park, San Bruno, California. I saw an orthopedic doctor, Dr. Leslie Anderson, in San Francisco who repaired and sewed up my ruptured achilles.

Then, playing in my fast pitch baseball league at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, I reached on an outside fast ball and pulled my back. I went to a doctor and saw a chiropractor. Another time, I was playing hoops in Mosswood Park in Oakland, California and came down on my dudes ankle which rolled my ankle. My ankle looked like a tennis ball had been inserted inside of it. Again, I went to the doctor.

Y’all seeing where I’m going right? I never, ever until 2010 have said “Hey, let me go for an annual checkup just to make sure everything under the hood is good”. So, I went to the doctor. The doctor checked my blood pressure, checked for diabetes, checked my liver and my kidneys, and in two weeks I go to get my colon checked.

I am convinced that the way to stay alive and not inadvertently drop dead from something that you do NOT know about is to go see a doctor routinely once per year. Just get a physical. Pretend it’s for sports and pretend you are still playing high school or college ball and you have to have a physical before the football season starts. At least you will have the knowledge that you will NOT pass out and die and leave people behind in a surprising fashion. Better to know you are leaving than not to know.

Happy health.

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How To Build Resilience And Be Healthier

Our ability to maintain good physical and mental health is critical to our success and wealth.

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Amber Rose was spotted in West Hollywood, CA on September 1, 2009 in her work out gear leaving the gym Equinox. The model best known for being Kanye's girlfriend didn't waste any time after focusing on fitness to light up a cigarette the moment she got into her car! Fame Pictures, Inc

Our ability to maintain good physical and mental health – manage stress, eat a nutritious diet, spend time building positive relationships, get regular exercise and sufficient sleep – positively effect our overall quality of life. How well we achieve these goals is influenced by our resilience; our ability to return to normal by bouncing back from the ups and downs of life. In other words, when we face life’s challenges we can bend without breaking.

An important tool in building resilience is creating and using a personal stress management plan. Here are some tips:

  • Examine your attitude and set realistic expectations of yourself and others.
  • Learn to prioritize your time based on a healthy, balanced lifestyle.
  • Pay attention to your job, family, health and social needs to maintain balance.
  • Spend time with loved ones. Value those relationships.
  • Learn to say no and set limits with others to take care of YOU.
  • Develop and use positive and healthy stress reducing tools.
  • Take charge of your health before it takes control of you.
  • Understand that change is a part of living. Stop being angry at things you can’t change.
  • Accept things you can’t control.
  • Recognize your mistakes. Admit them, learn from them, and move on.
  • Focus on seeing the big picture.
  • Practice healthy detachment – distance yourself emotionally and physically from sources of stress and trouble.
  • Know when you’ve reached your limit and when it’s time to get help from fam/friends.
  • Exercise To Beat Depression

    The best treatment for depression generally includes talk therapy and medication. Exercise also appears to be an important part of combating depression.

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    A man practises shuttlecock kicking during a morning exercise session at the Temple of Heaven Park in Beijing September 2, 2010. REUTERS/Grace Liang (CHINA - Tags: SOCIETY)

    Depression is a fairly common medical condition. It is estimated that more than 15% of us will experience depression at some time in our lives. Depression has been defined as a “whole body” illness because it involves our physical body, mood, thoughts, and behavior. It impacts concentration, energy level, work performance, personal and family life, and work relationships.

    The best treatment for depression generally includes talk therapy and medication. Exercise also appears to be an important part of combating depression. We know exercise has tremendous benefits and helps us maintain our overall health. We don’t always recognize the importance of exercise to our mental and emotional well being.

    Our bodies produce a natural substance called endorphins that create feelings of pleasure and well being. You can create endorphins through exercise. Our endorphin system seems to help us battle stress.

    A good exercise routine and the power of positive thinking can be important additions to an quality treatment program to improve mental health. You do NOT have to be a great athlete. Exercise can be as simple as taking a Yoga class or Pilates class or walking 5 miles outdoors.

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    Why Do Old Men Wear Dress Socks and Shorts?

    …why older men start rockin’ men’s hose with khaki shorts and some reeboks.

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    Poster entitled 'Make Our Men As Fit As Our Machines' (Karsakov, artist) depicts the silhouette of a man overlaid with a partial circulatory system map while two small doctors in surgical scrubs take samples as they stand on the phrase 'Regular physical check-ups...with blood tests,' early 1940s. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

    I was talking to my great friend Abiola Abrams last night about technology, books, film, her web series, our websites and we started to discuss how sometimes parents become disconnected from technology and don’t know what it is. As our conversations go, we digressed, and ended up talking about why older men start rockin’ men’s hose with khaki shorts and some reeboks.

    I pondered this question to Abiola and to myself: Is there some mystical time that men just give up on fashion and just say “Screw it….I’m going to keep my dress socks on and throw on some shorts and go outside for a walk?” How does it come to this? Why does it come to this? I see myself as fashion forward and never want to become outdated in anything. I don’t want to become outdated in technology, music, fashion, sports, anything.

    So, again, I ask the question: Do men just give up on themselves? Have we always just given up on ourselves at some time? Women typically always care about their appearance and overall men don’t care nowhere near as much about how they look when they walk outside the door. I’m a rare exception to be hetero and actually care about my appearance as soon as I walk outside. I never want to get to that place where I just give up on self. Does this have any connection to sex, money, power, success?

    Model Jessica White Sports Illustrated Body Painting

    Jessica White Bodypainting, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2009

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    Sports Illustrated 2009 Swimsuit Model Jessica White Body Painting photo shoot.

    The Cure For Man Breasts

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    Model Released: Man doing sit-ups (Photo by Mike Powell/Getty Images)
    I’ve been seeing a lot of women complain about men and being out of shape. For all men, this is completely unacceptable. First of all, no woman should ever be the one telling a dude about himself. I know this is somewhat sexist and women respond because dudes always have something to say about a females shape, however, MAN UP! In a world that’s full of chaos, struggle, lack of jobs and income and everything else, it’s time to get a reprieve from all the madness and workout.

    I must admit that I do see a lot of dudes with these so called man breasts and it is not a good look.

    Listen up men and follow me on this. Here’s a list to cure this crazy madness and have your woman be proud of you. Believe it or not, women like a man who is in shape and who other women like to look at. Women like a man who has a nice physique and a great body, smile, look and everything that we like in a woman. Here’s what to do to cure this problem that seems incurable:

    1). Everyday get up and do 20 pushups. This will help to start to firm up the major and minor pectoral muscles. Just do 20 to start with and gradually build up to doing 5 sets of 20 reps per day.

    2). Everyday, do 20 free hand squats if you are not around weights. Do the same as above and lead up to 5 sets of 20 reps.

    3). Run or walk 2 miles every other day. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday go running even if you hate it. If it is tough to run, walk but do it regardless of what you’re going through.

    4). This is the most important and hardest part of it all: nutrition. In order to remove these breasts, you must reduce the fat on your body. Reducing this fat has two components: nutrition and resistance training to firm up the muscle as you replace the fat. So, you must stop consuming greasy and fried foods and stop drinking sugar based drinks.

    5). Once you get past these easy exercises in step 1 and 2 above, you must start doing resistance training again. Flat bench and incline bench press workouts work the best for firming up both the major and minor pec muscles. Always bench press with dumbbells or use the smith rack to do this. Flat bench press with the straight bar can lead to shoulder injury so be careful. Do 3 sets of 20 reps with dumbbells on the flat bench press and likewise on the incline bench press. The key is to always do resistance training and build up the muscle mass while deleting the fat stores around the chest.

    6). Get in a routine and a rhythm and you will start to really love the workout. Most importantly, this increases the blood flow in the body and increases adrenaline. It raises the heart rate and increases metabolism. The only thing the effectively does this is resistance training and weight training. You will never lose the weight if you just simply run.

    7). Most importantly, have fun and get peace of mind. This leads to a long life and a wealthy life. After all, good health is wealth. You don’t want to find this out the hard way when your health is gone.

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    Get Fit Atlanta with FitZone and Lori Palmer @LoriCPalmer

    Fitness at FitZone in Atlanta with Fitness Instructor Lori C Palmer.

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    All posts are original content by Gerard Spinks Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, GA USA 678-993-7743