Who would want to be a guy! We die earlier than women and we have far more health problems along the way. Yet it doesn’t have to be that way. There is strong evidence that most of the causes of men’s health issues are related to lifestyle choices. Too much hard living, drinking, eating and not enough exercise. A majority of guys start out healthy with lots of sports and activity. Often this diminishes through the 20’s and early 30’s as other areas such as work and family take priority.

By the time men are moving through their 40’s, the previous 20 years of neglect can begin to manifest in health issues such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and kidney disease. The factor that binds these issues together is often too much weight, especially around the gut. Sensible eating and drinking and having a thorough medical check-up, including blood pressure and kidney function followed by an exercise program will pay big dividends.

Exercise doesn’t mean going out and running marathons. Starting an exercise program by walking briskly for 30 minutes, three to four days a week will make a big difference. Combine this with sensible food and drink choices and your weight will begin to come down and your energy levels will increase, often in just two weeks. The key though is that this has to be a long term commitment. It took a long time to put on all that weight and it will take a while to get it off. Slow and steady wins the race here.

Whether you are starting a walking or a running program you will maximise your chances of success by having footwear that fits you properly. A proper fit means that both the fit and the structure of the shoe suits your feet and how you move. At The Athlete’s Foot St Ives, we specialize in fitting people with shoes that will help them to achieve their activity goals whether through walking, running, hiking, tennis, gym work or football. We can also point you in the right direction to local support groups which can help you achieve your goals. There is no better time to start an activity program than now. Shake off the winter blues and give yourself a head start. Come in and see us at The Athlete’s Foot St Ives and let us help you get started on achieving your activity goals for better health.

The Athlete's Foot is located at Shop 41, Lower Level, Phone 9440 5614.

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Men are often over-looked when it comes to preventative health and complementary medicine. However there is a lot that preventative health has to offer them. For those who are motivated, natural remedies can not only help to reduce symptoms of ill health, but improve overall energy, stamina and ultimately quality of life.

Initially, men may become interested in complementary medicines when they notice they are feeling burnt out and stressed from work and a busy life. There are many excellent remedies for men that will support energy, concentration and endurance. In particular the herbs Korean Ginseng and Tribulus are very effective for men in this area. Furthermore, these herbs are also specific tonics to help with stamina for sport performance and act as a mild, natural energy lift to enhance exercise performance.

Another reason men may turn to complementary medicines is fertility preparation for conception. Male hormones and sperm production are particularly sensitive to oxidative stress. Oxidative stress occurs in the body naturally in manageable amounts, however it is accelerated by ageing and especially as a result of poor diet, lack of exercise, stress, binge drinking, smoking and more. Adding antioxidants to the diet in the form of fresh fruit and vegetables, any berries especially Goji berries, Vitamin C, Zinc and Selenium can improve healthy sperm production and overall health. Optimising the health of both parents before conception will give the developing foetus the best chance to a healthy start to life. Doing a general detox and improving nutrient intake with dietary changes and additions can do wonders for improving preconception health.

With ageing and gradual weight gain, men may also seek a natural remedy to help with weight management. Unfortunately there is no magic bullet for weight loss, but there are many useful remedies that can help with aspects of weight loss like diet advice and assessment, managing cravings and blood sugar levels, aiding metabolism, improving sleep and managing stress.

Complementary medicine has so much to offer men to improve their health and to get the most out of life. For a personal prescription that meets your needs and to make sure your dosage is at therapeutic and safe levels, come into the store and speak to the helpful Naturopaths on staff. For more involved advice and diet assessment, personal appointments are also available in our Clinic.

Go Vita Health Foods is located at Shop 42, Lower Level, Phone 9449 8627.

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To look forward to good health and a longer life, men need to look more closely at health prevention and be more proactive in their daily life, and there is no better time than now to take control.

To start the ball rolling, it is a good idea to make an appointment to see the general practitioner to ascertain current medical status, and if some adjustment is necessary as demonstrated by medical tests, the practitioner may devise an action plan to correct any modifiable risk factors which are outside the normal guidelines.

From a health point of view, we are indeed lucky to live in this time in the world with so much health information at our fingertips, technological advancement for disease prevention and disease treatment. However, even with these advancements, some men will ignore certain modifiable risk factors, leading to severe health issues in later life, coupled with a restrictive lifestyle, chronic pain, disability, depression and loneliness, together with escalating medical costs.

Depression is a deep seated problem for a lot of men, which may be due to disintegrating relationships at home, excess stress at work, perceived failure to achieve certain life goals, and too often, those afflicted will go it alone without medical help, looking for comfort through drugs and alcohol.

Regular exercise is a great stress reliever, helping the participant to cope more ably with the stresses of everyday life, and may also be of benefit by regulating or lifting the mood. The good news is that by incorporating moderate exercise of just 30 minutes, three days a week, it is possible to reduce the most significant health risks and increase the chance of good health and longevity in later years.
Imagine the added benefit of 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day coupled with a Mediterranean diet of limited amounts of red meat, processed foods and diary, with plentiful amounts of fish, nuts, pasta, olives and olive oil and moderate alcohol intake (red wine).

McFaddens Pharmacy is located at Shop 43, Lower Level, Phone 9144 7011.

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We all spend many hours sitting at the computer, in the office and at home. Unfortunately, prolonged hours of immobility, coupled with incorrect desk set up can lead to a multitude of aches and pains. At St Ives Physiotherapy & Sports Therapy we assess and treat patients with ergonomic related conditions. This can be avoided if time is taken to correctly set up the computer station and a simple mobility routine is followed.

Long hours of sitting at your computer causes decreased blood flow to the muscles resulting in muscle stiffness. Pain and stiffness is compounded if your desk has not been correctly set up.
Here are some simple tips to keep in mind when setting up your work station:
Desk - Your computer screen must be positioned directly in front of you. The height should be adjusted so that the centre of the screen is approximately 20° below eye level. Recommended viewing distance is 450 mm – 500 mm. Make sure there are no reflections on the screen from light sources behind the desk as this may result in compensatory neck strain.
The keyboard and mouse must be as close to the edge of the desk as possible. Avoid working from documents flat on your desk. A document holder or folder placed at eye level as close to the screen as possible should be part of your set up.

Chair - There are many well designed ergonomic office chairs available. Take the time to try out different chairs until you find one that is comfortable for you. The height of the chair should be adjusted so that your elbows are bent at approximately 90°. Your knees, too, should be at 90° flexion. If your feet do not reach the ground, a footstool should be used.

Be kind to yourself - Take regular breaks when working at your computer. Every 30 – 40 minutes, stand up and stretch. Go for a short walk to the bathroom or even just around your desk. Shoulder shrugging exercises will help prevent the neck and shoulder muscles from stiffening up. Gentle active full range neck movements can help prevent headaches. Be aware of your body. Take note of early signs of ache or discomfort in your body, and consult your Physiotherapist for advice on how to prevent the condition progressing.

St Ives Physiotherapy & Sports Therapy is located in the Loft, St Ives Village, Phone 9449 4595.

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There is a common myth that putting off getting your hearing checked won’t affect your hearing quality in the long term. However, unfortunately it will.

Generally, once damage to the ear is done, it cannot be reversed. So if you already have some signs of noise-related hearing loss, you can prevent further damage and preserve the hearing that you still have.
On average from the time a person first believes they have a hearing loss it takes around seven years to finally purchase a hearing aid. Studies have shown that people who manage their hearing loss have half the number of visits to doctors and enjoy better social, emotional, and physical well being.

People experiencing untreated hearing loss can suffer the following symptoms: embarrassment, loss of confidence, irritability and anger, depression, feeling of being ignored, dependence on others, withdrawal, isolation and loneliness, exclusion from family and social activities.

The good news is a Connect Hearing professional can assess your hearing in a simple 30 minute hearing check up.
Making an appointment is easy, call 02 9394 8855 to speak to

Connect Hearing’s St Ives centre at St Ives Shopping Village. For more information or Centre locations go to www.connecthearing.com.au.

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Unfortunately, as yet no one has developed a magic pill that enables us to lose fat long-term. Therefore, we are left with the question - How should we go about it? Do we listen to the weight loss clinics like 'Weight Watchers' and 'Jenny Craig' with their catchy advertisements, do we follow the latest 'fad' diets like the 'Atkins' and 'Hollywood' diets or do we do it the right way by adopting the 'Vision' principles?

The Vision Eating Principles + Complimentary Personal Training = RESULTS
"I lost 10kg in 10 weeks". Does this sound familiar? Why don't 'Weight Watchers' and 'Jenny Craig' measure their results in fat mass and fat free mass like we do? Answer - because most of their weight loss usually comes from muscle (fat free mass). Remember that by losing muscle you actually slow the metabolism, causing you to actually get fatter long-term. "I lost 8 kg of muscle and 2 kg of fat in 10 weeks". Doesn't sound as catchy does it?

The 'Weight Watchers' points plan gives a numerical value for all foods and a daily allowance of points. "Don't give up the foods you love" is another of their quotes. Can you believe that by saying this they actually allow a client to eat McDonalds so long as they don't exceed their daily allowance of points. Do you think that this is (a) helping to lose fat, or (b) increasing your metabolism?

The latest 'fad' diets at the moment are the 'Atkins' diet and the 'Hollywood' diet. Both of these diets are based on little or no carbohydrate principles. Also, there is no emphasis placed on the amount and type of protein and fat consumed. As a result, saturated fat intake is usually high, which could possibly lead to insulin resistance and its associated problems, such as raised cholesterol and risk of heart disease. The diets are also low in fruit; vegetables and as a result lack in essential vitamins and minerals, such as fibre.

Ever wondered why there is no real exercise program attached to any of these diets? Weight training in particular helps to maintain and possibly build muscle tissue, which helps to raise your metabolism, burn more fat and increase tone. Clients have a greater chance of fat loss if their lean muscle mass is maintained or increased. Hence their body weight may not change much at all, even though they look and feel much better. Other benefits include better posture, bone density and strength. Do you think these diet companies are going to tell you that? No way - this will suggest that their plans do not work.

Here at 'Vision', we do it the right way. Our job as personal trainers is to help you lose fat in a healthy way that is easy to achieve and more importantly maintain. Our eating plans are based on your goals, your fat free mass, your activity level and your body type. We elevate your metabolism in a number of ways to ensure that your body works for you. Exercise - both resistance and cardiovascular training, play a significant role in our programs. We don't hide behind scales - we believe the only true way to measure results is by calculating fat mass and fat free mass. And just to be sure we assess this every nine weeks to ensure that you are achieving your goals.

Liane has been one of our long term clients and leads a busy life of work, travel and a few overseas trips throughout the year yet 2 years on she has maintained her fabulous body through nutrition and consistency of exercise. Her pictures are the proof that Vision is a lifestyle not a Fad!

Remember, everything comes at a price - commitment is the key ingredient!

If you would like to find out more about the Vision Eating principles we have a free Shopping Tours conducted on a monthly basis. Just register via our website:
http://www.visionpt.com.au/programs-and-services/shopping-tours/

The Offer
We would also love to see you in the studio so jump on the website and register via http://www.visionpt.com.au/programs-and-services/get-started/
Or Call Wendy on 0407 022 858 or 9440 3910. Just quote over the phone or in the comments section of the website – “PLEASE GIVE ME 2 WEEKS FREE TO KICK START”
*No obligation after the initial 2 weeks.

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