Men’s Health Month takes place in June, and here’s my message for men: Make time for fun in your life. There will always be serious aspects of men’s health that need attention, but let’s not forget the fun element. Having fun is just as essential as pumping iron or eating your vegetables. Even the ancient Greek philosopher Plato wisely knew the necessity of fun when he said, “Life must be lived as play.” Or, as playwright George Bernard Shaw aptly stated, “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”
These iconic men were right on target – having fun is a requirement for feeling energetic and youthful. Fun reduces stress, improves our relationships by connecting with others, and makes us smarter by enhancing memory and concentration. But there’s one other aspect of how having fun improves our lives – it’s also a requirement for good health. And for men, this is good news they need to hear.
That’s because men who live as all work and no play are more likely to get sick. Living a life filled with stress, anxiety, little time for themselves, hopelessness, or despair, quickly drains ambition, dreams, and desire for success. It’s also what crushes the drive to embrace good health habits. Ultimately, within time, chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, or chronic kidney disease only exacerbate and accelerate poor health, limiting men’s ability to have fun. For instance, a critical aspect of fun men need is sex. And if erectile dysfunction has put a lid on that part of the fun in a man’s life, that’s what brings them to me for help.
So, what can men do to add fun to their lives? It depends on each man to make that determination. For some men who’ve put “having fun” on the back burner for quite some time, reevaluating their values as to what makes life worth living may need revisiting.
In the meantime, here are a few ideas to get the creative juices flowing by putting the fun back into the equation every day. Yes, every day, do something fun reminding you of life’s joys and pleasures. Not only will having fun be fun in and of itself but it will also promote and protect your health long term:
Exercise and move more by having fun with these ideas:
- Go to a zoo
- Play Top Golf or Minigolf
- Go bowling with your family or friends
- Hike a nature trail you’ve never been on before
- Have a day of swimming
- Play paddle ball, badminton, or tennis
- Play soccer with your kids in the backyard
- Go to a museum
- Take a walk or run on a beach or sand dunes
- Take a long walk in the woods
- Fly a kite
- Go kayaking or paddle boarding
- Try a different exercise you’ve not used to, such as boxing or battle ropes
- Take a dance class
Other inspiring ideas for putting more fun into your life:
- Play board games with the family
- Go to a Farmer’s Market, buy foods you’ve never eaten before to try out
- Take a community college course
- Garden
- Find a spot to view a sunrise or sunset weekly
- Learn or work on a skill you’ve always wanted to master
- Try out a new restaurant
- Take cooking lessons
- Once a month, do a day trip to an area you’ve never been to before
- Go to the movies or theater
- Go fishing
- Have a game night
- Read a book you’ve been putting off
- Visit a botanical garden
- Visit a car show
- Attend an educational lecture
- Set aside time for hobbies
- Keep a sense of humor
Dr. David Samadi is the Director of Men’s Health and Urologic Oncology at St. Francis Hospital in Long Island. He’s a renowned and highly successful board certified Urologic Oncologist Expert and Robotic Surgeon in New York City, regarded as one of the leading prostate surgeons in the U.S., with a vast expertise in prostate cancer treatment and Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Prostatectomy. Dr. Samadi is a medical contributor to NewsMax TV and is also the author of The Ultimate MANual, Dr. Samadi’s Guide to Men’s Health and Wellness, available online both on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Visit Dr. Samadi’s websites at robotic oncology and prostate cancer 911.
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