5 Signs of Health In Men
From an early age we are taught to think in very abstract terms and to divide things into parts. But we are, in fact, an integrated whole. A single thing. A body. Because you are an integrated whole, there are many events in your body that cause several things. Understanding these relationships can help you to read your body and get a firmer handle on your health.
Last night I was having a conversation with a doctor friend of mine and here are 5 signs of health we talked about:
1) The smell and color of your urine
If you are eating and drinking unnatural things, your urine will stink and have a strong color (yellow, orange, etc.). The other day I decided to make an ode to my past and drank a few beers and ate a pizza and had some Chunky bars. That night, for the first time in years, my urine smelled really, really, really bad and it was very orange. If you are drinking primarily water and eating primarily natural things (fresh, natural meats and vegetables), your urine will hardly smell at all, and it will be clear, and this is a good sign.
2) Erection quality and endurance
Non-drug enhanced erection quality is actually a mirror of your heart and cardiovascular health. To get an erection, a lot of blood has to be pumped into your penis and stay there. There are many studies that indicate poor erection quality is often an early warning sign for heart disease. It can also be a sign of heavy stress levels or poor sleep. If you’re physically fit, eating well, active, low stress and getting good sleep, you should be getting hard erections. You should also regularly wake up with morning wood. In my mid 20′s I stopped getting morning wood and didn’t know at the time that it was an indicator of bad health, but it all makes sense now.
3) Regular bloat and feelings of stomach expansion after eating
After eating a meal, pay attention to the way the skin around your stomach feels. Do you get a tingly sensation of expansion? Do you feel bloated? This is a sign that your body is in a state of inflammation, most likely triggered by poor food choices. If you eat a steak and salad, no matter how much you eat, you won’t get this feeling.
4) Stool quality
Your poop should be a soft 4 to 8 inch log that’s light brown in color. It should come out smoothly. It should not be clumpy. It should not be so loose or liquid that it falls apart. It should not be green or have chunks of food in it. Monitoring the quality of your stool gives you great feedback on how well you are eating. Lots of processed food will wreck havoc.
5) Strength and energy
Do you feel strong? Do you feel prepared to carry something heavy? Can you run a mile without breaking a sweat? Is it easy to motivate yourself to initiate a new activity? Or do you find yourself putting things off because you don’t have the energy? Do you get tired walking up a simple set of stairs? Do you feel tired all day? These are all signs of poor health: to address these issues you should 1) get more sleep 2) take a daily walk 3) lift heavy things more often (just doing some daily pushups will go a long way) 4) rather than thinking about what needs to be done, force yourself to “just get started” and get done what needs to get done … getting things done will give you a sense of accomplishment and invigorate you with energy.
