Healthpharmablog. About Health & Medicine

Just because you wore a size 15 shirt and size 38 jacket when you were eighteen it does not mean you will still do so at twenty-eight or thirty-eight. No matter how fit you are and how close your weight is now to that of your twenties, your body will have changed both its shape and measurement. The neck will probably have thickened, the waistline certainly, and the bottom will have sagged just that little bit. It is a sad fact of life that most men’s stomachs and waistlines will change even if they are careful about diet and what they eat. At this age only constant exercise keeps a waistline slim and a stomach flat.

The most common fault in dressing is the fit of the clothes yet it is one fault that should never happen nor be allowed to. For unless you shop exclusively in chain stores where you may have a problem, all shops readily exchange an item if it is the wrong size and most shops and boutiques expect to carry out alterations in order to get a perfect fit whether it is a matter of shortening a jacket’s sleeves or taking in the seat and waistline of a pair of trousers. Many neighbourhood dry cleaners also carry out simple, inexpensive alterations.

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It is not unmasculine for a man to want to look good and take care of the way he looks — his hair, his face or his body. There is nothing wrong, whatever his age, in wanting to look his best and using toiletry preparations to help achieve this. Exercise strengthens the body; grooming takes care of its externals.

But although many men survive on a routine that embraces a daily shave followed by a dash of aftershave (probably a relic of Christmas bounty) and a quick go with a deodorant, plus a twice-weekly shampoo, in the long run they would possibly do better if they made a little more effort and followed a sensible routine with sound guidelines. Most of us would.

At around forty — if you will excuse what sounds like a pun — only a short-sighted man ignores his face, especially his skin. At any age it is a man’s face people notice first and at this age, whether he is handsome or not, it is this face that reflects his lifestyle, his apparent success or lack of it, and it is this face that shows all the signs of wear, tear and aging. So it makes sense to concentrate on keeping the head in as good a condition as possible for as long as possible. Short of resorting to cosmetic surgery, there may not be much a man can do if he does not like the aesthetic details of his face, or to remove the bags and wrinkles once they have set in but, nonetheless, with a minimum of effort on his part the face can look healthy and glowing with vitality and so project the impression that here is a fit man, full of energy, ready for action.

A face in prime condition helps get new work, new loves and better life. And taking care of the body as a whole is the correct insurance for the future. Routines are simple and based on cleanliness. None are costly.

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Take work as an example. Aiming for a senior management position may be exactly where you would like to be and from where you think you could show the world precisely how able and qualified you are, but promotion is not something you can control or predict. The management’s rules for selection may not be governed exclusively by choosing on ability. And changing jobs by moving to another company is no easier. At forty-plus work abilities are rarely questioned, only age. Aim too high and disappointment may be inevitable.

The clue to using ambition as a means for survival lies not in fighting to beat all odds or aiming only for the highest prize, but in capitalizing on what you have already achieved and then making a few sensible compromises so that your future goals are not too high to reach.

And although we are inclined usually only to see ambition in the context of work, aspiration and expectation also apply equally to money, love, fame, travel, acquisition and future success as much as to the frivolous matters of life like sex. Of course aim high in what you wish to achieve but not so high that even on a good day disappointment is certain. Have ambition because it is vital to your life; but adjust your sights so that if you fail the blow to your ego is one you can take, not one that stuns you. Then, make plans again.

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Tooth decay is caused by eating highly refined foods and sweets and by poor dental care. By the time a man nears forty the protective enamel covering of the surface of each tooth will have worn thinner and the layer of dentin beneath become translucent. The teeth will require more care and more careful cleaning.

Gum infection, again due to diet and poor care, may become a problem too, attacking the roots of the teeth or causing gums to shrink and recede. For many men receding gums become a major problem at forty. The average man of this age will have five teeth missing.

It is fortunate for us that dentists can repair much of the damage and improve the appearance of teeth using mixtures of capping, bonding and bridging and with special gum treatments or surgery. With regular dental inspections and correct daily oral hygiene further deterioration can be prevented.

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As part of the failure syndrome a man can see everyone in his circle as having a better life than he has whether in real terms they have or not. Everyone, he thinks, has a better home, car, travel, paintings and less responsibilities. And, more to the point, more fun. It is not that what he has is not good, but life, he feels, has only dealt him a poor hand of cards. He feels cheated and missing out.

For the largest percentage there is one area in which they all feel they are missing out — sex. As they see it they are simply not getting enough when compared with some friends they know and certainly, they are convinced, they are not getting their fair share.

These M-M men are invariably contented within their own worlds. Each has a steady job he enjoys, one with prospects and a substantial pension ahead, a wife or steady relationship he is happy with, a home and children to be proud of and a friendly social life that is as hectic as he would like it. They are never bored. By anyone’s standards their lives look rosy and full of contentment.

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