Written by Michael Vass

Recently I was speaking with a friend of mine, I’ll call him Bob. We were discussing my effort to regain the 6 pack abs I had back in my 20’s. Bob is a former military man, and used to also be in far better shape. Bob is now a pretty average 43 yr old, with a decent middle that is not uncommon for most men his age.

While discussing the gym I had chosen, the conversation hit upon my annual physical. Surprisingly Bob has not been to a doctor for a physical in over a decade. That’s 10 years without any check-up, simply because he doesn’t like doctors. While I agree with his dislike and distrust, I was surprised.

For the past decade Bob has paid into his health coverage plan. Let’s assume that the family plan costs $253 per month, which I have been told it costs some. That’s $3036 per year or $30,360 over the last decade. That’s no small amount of money. Even if it’s half the cost that’s still $15,180. And it’s being wasted.

For me it costs over $1200 for me to get a physical. That includes testing for diabetes, prostate cancer (essential for Black men over 35), HIV/AIDS (everyone should test for that – that isn’t married), and the regular battery of tests. It’s at least $80 just to wak into the door of my doctor. That’s life without medical coverage (I am self-employed). Bob pays a fraction of these costs per visit.

I know that many men are like Bob. We all hate doctors, and consider taking pills or medication a sign of weakness. I have no desire for it either. But if you don’t there are consequences.

I mentioned to Bob what happened to my best friends father. He was a Korean War vet, in great shape, no smoking or drinking, that died due to Prostate cancer. By the time he went in to check out the pain he was feeling, it was too late. He was diagnosed with late stage, terminal prostate cancer. He had waited for years before going to the doctor. Who knows how long he may have lived if he had a regular check up and caught this early. I do know that his grandson wanted him around longer than he was, as did my best friend.

Being fit and healthy does not mean we have to become vegetarians. We don’t have to give up every vice we have, nor ever pleasure. But it does mean moderation, and it means we have to be aware of where we are.

Doing the exercises and eating a good balanced diet (and cutting back on the cigarettes and beer if you are like me) is half the battle to becoming healthy and fit. Getting regular check-ups is the other part. You are probably paying for this anyway, so why waste the money you work so hard for. Get your money’s worth, see a doctor and get a check-up.

The life you improve will be your own. The lives you will affect are your wife, kids, children, grand-children and loved ones. I dare you to explain how that’s not worth taking a few minutes out of your year, on something you’ve already paid for.

I was just reading an article in Slate that essentially blames George Bush for the steroid era. I can blame George Bush for many things but blaming the steroid era on the President is going too far. Would I blame for Clinton for peep shows? Steroids are the culmination of a society that says bigger, stronger and faster is what we want and it’s what we received. We don’t watch Alex Rodriguez to see him bunt and I would never be too enthralled over watching a pitcher who specializes in the 70 mile an hour curveball. BOOOOOOOOORING.

Slate points out that Palmeiro, Canseco and Gonzalez were Texas Rangers during the Bush era who were named in the Mitchell Report. They also point out that Bush brought Canseco to Texas while he may have known that he was a steroid user. But one thing that Slate doesn’t point out is that Bush also let Palmeiro walk in 1993. In addition, Palmeiro and Gonzalez came up through the Texas Rangers farm system and were not recruited by Bush to Texas. So I say to Slate, good try!

Written by Michael Vass

There is nothing like getting older. There are as many benefits as there are challenges. And in this one instance I will be taking on a new endeavor, one that many of my friends have already started to do. I’m going to start working out again.

Yes, I am finally going to admit that I’m not 20 any more. I am older, my bones creak on occasion, and my endurance is not what it once was. Such is the fact of being 39+.

Now mind you, I’m in good health. According to my last physical exam my cholesterol count is virtually at the bottom of the scale, my heart rate and blood pressure are still in ideal ranges, and I do not suffer from any affliction. Considering that I smoke, work under a lot of stress, don’t eat vegetables, and have not worked out since I was 23, I’m pretty pleased actually.

But, as I mentioned I’m not exactly I peak condition. So I am going to try to change that. I have decided to include the blogosphere in my effort as well. Perhaps others will take inspiration from my efforts.

As you can see I have included a photo of myself sans shirt. Now I may not be a bodybuilder, but I think I look pretty decent for my age. But the goal is to get rid of the love handles that have slowly grown, and try to get a six pack set of abs. Even a 4 pack would be good.

To that end I have joined a gym, and plan to get there to work out at least once a week if not more. At the end of every month I will take another photo. You will be able to see my progress and can comment on it as you wish.

Now here are my goals.

• 1. Tone up
• 2. 6-pack abs
• 3. increase endurance
• 4. increase strength
• 5. lose the weight in the middle

Not a huge list, and probably not that hard. To give you a relative idea of where I am starting at, I’m 5’10” and according to the gym scale I weigh 169 pounds. That is the most I’ve weighed since I left the military.

Well, now you know. Let’s see what happens.

Written by Michael Vass

I have this one friend, who is married, and on occasion likes to mention that her husband is either

“acting like he’s got PMS”
or

“I swear he’s going thru male menopause.”

After hearing this for years, I finally decided to question why she says that. The answer was that it was true. That there was scientific fact proving it. That men have hormones to, and they get screwed up just like women do.

Well I just couldn’t leave that kind of statement alone. So I decided to check it out. And surprise, it’s true. It’s not just some complaint of wives and girlfriends. I had never heard of such a thing before, and I imagine I’m not the only 40 year old that can say that.

What are the causes and symptoms of irritable male syndrome or IMS? Testosterone is the key to it all. This hormone, like all hormones in they male body fluctuate on an hourly basis, and with decreases levels IMS can be a result. There may also be a correlation with being overweight in addition to decreases testosterone levels.

“IMS symptoms include: exhaustion, unexplained weight changes, frequent urination, gallbladder or gut problems, hypoglycemia, snoring, incontinence, an elevated PSA, high cholesterol, bone loss, hair loss (besides male pattern), impaired thyroid function, loss of muscle or stamina, skin problems, softer erections — and irritability.”

Obviously several of these symptoms are troubling, with the order of importance not necessarily following the order of the above quote. But is there anything that can be done to identify IMS or relieve it?

Small amounts of male progesterone cream on the face and hands each day, in addition to this a diet that’s 40% protein, 35% low glycemic carbs (think squash and green veggies instead of Twinkies), and 25% fat. Exercise is also essential. [As for the diet – ask women for help if you have no idea what glycemic carbs are, or how much fat is in anything. I did.]

Now on to male menopause.

Men do not go through a well-defined period referred to as menopause, rather they experience a decline in the production of the male hormone testosterone with aging, but this also occurs with some disease states such as diabetes. With this decline symptoms can include fatigue, weakness, depression, and sexual problems. Perhaps the most troubling fact is that male menopause can occur in men a young as 45 and dramatically higher instances occur in men over 70.

A treatment to combat male menopause is testosterone replacement therapy. Like any other hormonal replacement thereapy there are serious issues that should be considered. One of the biggerst concerns would be the effect on prostate cancer.

In either case it may be the attentiion that the women in a man’s life that might provide the first clue that something is changing. Much like my friends intuition I mentioned in the beginning, it could provide a reason to go to the doctor and get checked out.

While men may go to the doctor 27% less than women (which seems very generous to me), there are too many things that can be missed in that time. Remember to get check-ups regularly.

Written by Michael Vass

Women love a man with a good build. And men want to be loved by women. It’s not a surprise, it’s human nature. It’s the whole core of the birds and the bees.

To that end men have long gone to great ends to impress women in general, and even moreso for specific women. I have, as did my father, as I’m sure every man reading this has. It’s what we do.

Whether that means buying a trendy, red, sports car (or a big yellow Humveee depending on your tastes) or working out 4 times a week men across the world want to look attractive to women. For a growing number of men, this quest to be a mirror-image of Adonis has lead to acne, male breasts, and death.

I’m referring to steroids and its use among teenage boys and young men. Not that the side-effects are any better or less severe for older men. But a trend has been growing for some time and is starting to reach proportions of serious concern. Yet it doesn’t make sense why.

To be honest, I did not know much about steroids back in 1998. That’s when I got a client (I was a stockbroker at the time) who was taking steroids. I’ll call him B (for Buff).

B was taking steroids for about 6 months by the time he became my client, to my best knowledge. Due to the nature of his account I spoke with him several times a day. Because he was a local New Yorker I saw him about once a week to review. For the next 3 years I noticed the change in his behavior.

B was a young man, 26, successful and a bit stocky though he was about 5’6”-ish. Energetic all the time, he was very excitable. He could be heard yelling at me, both in joy of a good trade and anger at a bad one, through the phone. The thing was that the trading we were doing was not overly impressive. He was making money, but not so much as to be that excited.

As time passed these mood swings got worse, til one time B wanted to get into a fight with me because (at our weekly meeting to review the account) a bar tender gave him a lite beer instead of a regular one. When I tried to calm him down he nearly assaulted me. That’s when I found out about the steroids.

That’s how I learned a bit more about steroids than the common thought that it’s something baseball players and wrestlers use. Actually lots of regular people use it too. And they suffer for it along with all the people they know. It nearly cost B his marriage and the brokerage account I managed for him. But when he nearly assaulted his mother over spoiling coffee, that was his turning point.

But rage is not the full measure of this problem. Long-term abuse leads to far worse problems than a hair-trigger temper. There is the fact men can grow boobs, lose their balls and the ability to have children. They go bald, have heart attacks, get liver cancer, acne, and more. That does not even touch on the chance to get HIV or AIDS and/or delusions.

All by the age of 25 in some cases, sometimes even younger.

Honestly it isn’t even necessary. Any man can get bigger, looking like a small truck if they want. You just need to eat healthy and work out. That’s it. Real simple and no different than what men have done for centuries across the world.

But in a world where every guy is trying to outdo the movie stars and CGI effects (al la 300) natural improvement isn’t enough. Teens are apparently feeling peer pressure and taking the easy way out. It’s just stupid.

When I got back from Marine boot camp, I was diesel. No question on that. And there was no need for more. And I could have done it without joining the military (which was not the reason why I joined, just a pleasant bonus).

This is not just an American problem though.

“I started using them to build up my muscles and look better. In the group of lads I hang around with, the bigger you are the more respected you are and at my local gym everyone was doing it, no one ever told me about any side effects.”

That’s one young man from Britian. In Austrailia

“In a nine-month Customs operation between October 2006 and July 2007, Customs officers detected 1405 separate importations — a 50% jump in seizures at the Australian border.”

This is a growing issue, and its not getting the attention that it deserves. When Chris Benoit killed his family and himself in a steroid rage, there was huge coverage. Since that became old news, what have you heard? What have your kids heard? That Barry Bonds got into the history books because of steroids, Not exactly a reason not to take the drugs.

Suffice to say that this is something parents, friends, wives, girlfriends, and family need to pay attention to. We as men need to know that this is not a quick fix to attracting women. There is a cost for the added mass, and it’s not cheap.

Male fitness is more than a means to get bigger, it a way to live better. There is no shortcut to that. And it’s not too much to achieve with a good diet, exercise, and a clear mind. Think about it.