Men's Health - Get Fit Fast

This post is the last in our series specifically aimed at men to mark Men's Health Week. Hope you've enjoyed them. 

Today is all about fitness and good health. Finding that quick programme that works for you and gets you fast results so there's never any need to blame lack of time for not getting stuck in. Getting and staying fit not only helps your heart and keeps your waist line slimmer, it focuses the mind and encourages other good habits like better eating. It's a great way to raise your performance in all aspects of life.

The key to fitness programmes like this succeeding is all about speed and appeal. What I call Male Pattern Fitness.

We've all tried new fitness programmes that fail after 2/3 sessions and that's because they either didn't suit us or they required too much time which we weren't willing to give. Here are 3 excellent ways to get the most fitness out of half an hour - no room for "I haven't got time".

1. Interval Training

Short bursts of high intensity activity mixed with recovering on the go. twice the result in half the time.

2. Circuit

Variety of key exercises put together in quick succession to combine cardio and strength trainign in a short space of time.

3. Team sports - real or virtual
This doesn't mean playing X box Live. This is about using technology to push you further like the Nike+ for runners.  Do sports with other people like having weekly cycling sessions with friends or running half marathons.  The more motivation you surround yourself with, the greater the chance you will succeed.

I hope something you have read over the week has resonated with you and that you're trying something already - or even just thinking about it is a great start.

The Tonic offers comprehensive 'Men Only' presentations and health and fitness classes for organisations so if you think your office could benefit from greater take up by men of your health and wellbeing offerings, contact us today. Email us at: info@the-tonic.com


Photograph by The Junk (flickr)

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Men's Health - Do You Know Your Numbers

When it comes to business stats and pay packet and performance related bonuses, men tend to know their numbers. But the numbers that really matter - now there's a challenge. I'm talking about Blood Pressure, Resting Heart Rate and Cholesterol.

The numbers that really make a difference to life. But why are they so crucial and what's the best way to monitor and manage them?

Taking vital measurements such as blood pressure can be the difference between spotting a problem early on and fixing it or someone facing a major health crisis somewhere down the line. Stress in offices can be a major contributor to high numbers that need addressing but if a man doesn't visit his GP or work doesn't offer a screening programme, chances are that this will go unchecked until it's too late. We've screened clients who haven't had their numbers checked in 20 years!

3 quick reasons to get your numbers checked sooner rather than later:

1. You can't tell from the outside what the state of your health is.

2. Any problems that are spotted can be addressed quickly and changes can be made to your lifestyle to remedy them.

3. Age doesn't count when it comes to this aspect of your life. A 21 year old could have seriously high blood pressure - not just a 50 year old.

I'd advise getting checks done every 6 months and if needed, you'll be asked to come back in between.


The Tonic offers comprehensive 'Men Only' presentations and health screenings for organisations and if you think your office could benefit from greater take up by men of your health and wellbeing offerings, contact us today. Email us at: info@the-tonic.com



Photograph by DeathByBokeh (flickr)

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Men's Health - Portion Sizes

How much is too much?

In our continuing series of posts to celebrate Men's Health Week, we're looking at portion sizes today - one of the biggest issues that many men fall foul of.


Surprisingly, most people don't know how much they should have on their plate and as a result, they carry on eating after they are full and have lost touch with they need and eat what they want instead.

As a rule of thumb, each meal should be the size of 2 cupped hands and each snack should fill the palm of 1 hand. That's actually a good amount of food but is it smaller than what is normally on your plate? If it is then there's no better time than today to pay a bit more attention to what goes onto your plate and into your stomach.

The fast results you'll get with this:

1. weight loss
2. Increased energy levels after meals instead of sleepiness

So what are you waiting for. Its a great new habit and an easy one to get into.


The Tonic offers comprehensive 'Men Only' presentations for organisations and if you think your office could benefit from greater take up by men of your health and wellbeing offerings, contact us today. Email us at: info@the-tonic.com

Photograph by Laura Mary (flickr)

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Men's Health - Sleep Problems

As part of Men's Health Week, we're looking at the issue of sleep and the problems it can cause.

In short, not getting enough quality sleep is tough and it only gets harder to cope with rather than easier. How does this effect men?



Men tend to view sleep as a bonus rather than an essential part of their healthy living plan. Sleep is when the body regenerates and recharges and if we don't get enough we could be underperforming by 50% in every single area of life without even knowing it.

The problem is that men sometimes see missing sleep as a bit of a toughness test and think nothing of having 4 coffees and 2 red bulls to pep them up through the day. The limitation of this approach is that it causes the body to run on adrenalin throughout the day causing lack of focus and only serves to delay the inevitable crash. It also compounds the problem of getting a good night's sleep following each day like this.

The solution is:

1. Planning for quality sleep from the moment you step out of bed. Everything you eat, drink and do during the day will affect your sleep later.

2. Eat regularly throughout the day so that your body runs off good fuel rather than adrenalin. You'll find your energy levels are much more consistent this way.

3. Get active during the day to dissipate any adrenalin that your body produces. This will help you stay calm and focused.

4. Obvious question but do you know how much sleep you need? When you've worked it out, pick your bed time and your wake time and stick to it no matter what.

Sleep works in cycles. If your alarm goes off when you are in a deep sleep you'll find it difficult to wake up. By sticking to the right sleep routine you can ensure that your alarm goes off when you are sleeping lightly and you'll wake up refreshed and raring to go.

For more tips on getting a great night's sleep.


The Tonic offers comprehensive 'Men Only' presentations for organisations and if you think your office could benefit from greater take up by men of your health and wellbeing offerings, contact us today. Email us at: info@the-tonic.com

Photograph by DogFromSPACE (Flickr)

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National Men's Health Week Starts Here

Today marks the start of National Men's Health Week in the UK. From June 15th - 21st, the aim is to raise awareness among men of the range of health services that are available to them. Also to help improve their understanding of the health policymakers and how this effects them.

MHW exists because men take too many risks with their health from the amount of alcohol they drink, the diets they have, the lifestyles they lead etc. and the biggest issue being that they never seek help or advice from health professionals when problems arise.
Women are far more inclined to visit their GP or seek advice about their health. This is usually because services have been geared towards women with their open door policy. Women are happy to open up and talk about problems but this just doesn't appeal to men and so could explain their reduced interest in this area.

By not seeking help early, many health problems worsen for men which could have been dealt with at an early stage and MHW is all about opening men's eyes to the help that exists around them and the huge benefits they can get from using them.

So what can be done to help men engage more with their health? This week, I'm going to talk about 3 main areas and offer solutions to coping with these issues when they arise. They are the most common themes that come up when I give talks at businesses and organisations under the Men Only banner. Would love to hear your thoughts on this over the coming week.

Tomorrow- Sleep problems and issues. How to cope, what you actually need and how to break bad sleep habits.

The Tonic offers comprehensive 'Men Only' presentations for organisations and if you think your office could benefit from greater take up by men of your health and wellbeing offerings, contact us today. Email us at: info@the-tonic.com


Photograph by Thomas Hawk (Flickr)

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