Let’s face it, men and women are different. It’s a fact. And when it comes to taking care of their bodies, men and women are very different.

Men drink more (alcohol), smoke more and see their doctors less than women do. They are less likely to wear a seat belt (22% of teen men say they rarely or never wear a seatbelt v. 15% of teen women). And they consume red meat at an alarming rate.

All that said, those facts refer to the “average” American male. There are plenty of men, who eat their vegetables, drink the requisite eight glasses of water a day, and kiss there wives and children before they go to bed precisely at 9:30p.m. every night. If you belong to this group, you are perfect, and you need not read a word more.

If you think you might belong to the first (average) group, though, read on. You might just get a peek at what the future holds for you.

The Wake Up Call – 7:00p Thursday

Whether you are a man or a woman, an average Joe or not, at some point, you need to decide to take your health seriously or you may just get an unwelcome wake up call.

Nothing pains me more than to visit my local city park on a week night in early spring. It is there where I will find many of aging brothers hitting the ball around for the first time after a long winter of sitting. It is usually Tuesday or Thursday when the over 40 recreation softball league has its games. It’s a bunch of guys from all walks of life. Some are business men taking a few hours away from the kids and the office to toss the ball around. There might be a high school baseball coach getting his playing time in. You might see the produce manager from your local grocery store and a fireman or a police officer or two.

Before the game starts, you see some stretching, some talking, and one or two having a beer. Then the game begins, and they get to work. The guys are chatting it up, laughing about nothing in particular and razzing the batter. Good clean guy fun. But inevitably at some point, one of those guys pulls something, tears something or pops something out of alignment. The game stops while they help him off the field. And once he’s on the bench (or on his way to the hospital), the game starts up again.

I always wonder what happened to that one guy. Was the injury serious? Or did he spring back in a couple of days? Did he wake up to the fact that he is 47 years old and start working out regularly and stretching before games? Or did he decide he was “suddenly” too old to play kids games anymore and quit?

Over 40 And Going it Alone

Now, if I were more of an opportunist, I would make a point of going to those first few games of spring. And I’d bring my business card and a sign up sheet for treatment. But I can’t bring myself to do it. And anyway, I would really rather get new patients BEFORE injury strikes.

Now, ask yourself, am I the guy on the bench or one of the guys still playing? Don’t know?  

Well, if it’s been awhile since regular exercise and stretching were a part of your routine, you might just be the guy on the bench. You see, within the human body, there is something called “Fascia”, a pliable, protective sheath that covers every cell. To your muscles and  joints, Fascia is like the elastic in your underwear. If it is kept intact and healthy, it holds them up and holds them together, giving them strength and stability. As it ages, though, and if not cared for properly, fascia loses its elasticity, and you lose range of motion and strength. Before you know it, you can’t bend down far enough to catch a ground ball, and throwing to first base feels like a hot poker in your shoulder.

If that is you, don’t walk to my office, run (or move as fast as your tight muscles will allow). I will work with throughout a 10-session series to soften and strengthen your fascia, and ultimately to bring back movement and muscle you forgot you had. By next softball season, you will be in game shape.

Information for this article came from these additional sources:

Test Your Knowledge about Men’s Health; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services.
Found August 8, 2007 http://www2a.cdc.gov/od/menshealth/test.asp