Healthy living doesn't have to be synonymous with sacrifice. By making a few minor adjustments, you can add more health boosting benefits to your life and still keep the fun. Live a healthier gay life with these top tips.
1. Get Checked
When was your last HIV test? How about
syphilis checks or
hepatitis vaccinations? Not knowing your HIV status only prolongs the inevitable. You also put yourself and others at risk. Make quarterly doctor appointments and
discuss your health concerns.
2. Join a Gym
Forget the obsession with a six-pack, improve your health (and
sexual stamina) by doing a 30-minute cardio workout a couple of times a week.
3. Curb Your Drinking
There's no need to start your own prohibition campaign, but
cosmos do equal calories and mixers can put on the weight. Replace regular cola mixers with diet or drink low calorie beers like Michelob Ultra or Amstel Light.
4. Keep the Kick, Lose the Fat
Try a sugar-free syrup in your latte or low-fat milk instead of heavy cream. Want a healthier alternative to coffee? Try an organic green tea. Some brands, like
Stash Darjeeling Organic Green Tea boast 100 antioxidant catechins and 22 milligrams (mg) of caffeine to keep you going.
5. Try a Little Yoga
Yoga is the latest craze and for good reason. Hot,
nude or beachside, Yoga awakes those muscles you didn't even know you had and improves flexibility and performance.
6. Drop the Drag
I'm not asking our sisters in lights to hang up their dresses. We need to put out the cigarettes!
Gays have a higher cancer risk than heterosexuals, so every puff could have life-changing consequences.
7. Practice Safer Sex
I'd love to say that safer sex was standard routine for most, but the rise in HIV rates (along with other STD's) proves otherwise. It's hard to resist the urge of
bareback sex in the heat of the moment. Make practicing safer sex easier by keeping
condoms on you and near your intimate environments. Make tangible commitments that you won't have unprotected sex.
