Healthy Men and Masculinity

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Since the month of November has been dubbed Movember to shed light on men's health, Evan took this opportunity to speak about men's health and what makes up a healthy man. This episode largely focuses on men's mental and emotional health, along with how to navigate what being a healthy man looks like for you.

In this episode, Evan shares his opinion on why men are struggling mentally and emotionally, as well as some lifestyle changes that can help break this cycle of poor mental and emotional health. As always, stay tuned to the end of the episode for a break down of the show and actionable steps that you can implement into your life to apply the knowledge contained in this episode.

Enjoy the holidays, be grateful, and as always do everything with good intentions and connect to your elements.

DISCLAIMER:

This podcast is for educational purposes only, it is not a substitute for professional care by a doctor or other qualified medical professional. Evan Roberts is not a medical professional and this podcast is provided on the understanding that it does not constitute medical or other professional advice or services. Statements and views expressed on this show are not medical advice, this podcast, including Evan Roberts and any guests on the show, disclaims responsibility for any possible adverse effects from the use of information contained in this episode. If you think you have a medical problem please consult a medical professional.

going on, everyone.

2

Welcome to the elemental Ivan podcast.

3

This is your host, Evan Roberts.

4

And on this show, I break down complex

health topics from a holistic perspective.

5

And y'all already know it is that time

of year when everyone's getting sick.

6

Because it's the holidays, the seasonal

change of temperature and, uh, being

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around more people, uh, probably lack

of sleep and increased alcohol intake

8

and, and probably poor food choices,

all kind of come together to make up,

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uh, this scenario for us in which, you

know, our immunities are just a lot

10

lower and it's much easier for us to

get sick, but nonetheless, there are

11

a few easy things that we can do to.

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Make sure that we're not

getting sick over the holidays.

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So very quickly, I just wanted to

explain a few of the things that

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I'm doing personally, to make sure

that I'm staying healthy during

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this specific time of the year.

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So first off, of course,

we're going to be out.

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Eating foods that were probably

not supposed to be eating.

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And that's totally fine, especially when

you're sharing good company with people.

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Uh, but just remember that in between

all of those meals is not an excuse

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to continue eating very poorly.

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Right.

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We want to make sure that we're still

eating very nutritious whole foods.

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Right.

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And making sure that we are

giving our bodies, the building

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blocks of a healthy immune system.

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So making sure we're having still

a good diet around all of these.

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What might be very delicious,

but not very nutritious meals.

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So make sure you're still eating

a lot of really good foods.

29

Prioritize that sleep.

30

You want to make sure that

you're getting good sleep.

31

I know with all these holiday parties

coming up, you're probably going

32

to have a few nights where you're

staying out later than you would

33

like to, but nonetheless, try to get

as much sleep as you possibly can.

34

That's going to do a ton of

wonders for your immune system.

35

Uh, and then also of course, we're

going to be drinking alcohol or many

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people will be drinking alcohol, which

just try to keep it moderate if you

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are going to be drinking and, um, make

sure that you're staying hydrated and

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trying to really, uh, detoxify the body

of the toxins, uh, as best you can,

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which personally a little spirulina or

chlorella or chlorophyll will do wonders.

40

Uh, in helping to detoxify the body.

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But those are some of the things

that you can really focus on.

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So of course, diet sleep, and then making

sure we're not drinking too much alcohol

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because it does help to destroy the gut.

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Uh, all the good gut bacteria in there.

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So we want to be very careful with that.

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Especially since over 70% of our

immune system is actually located.

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In our guts.

48

So it's very important for us

to prioritize the health of our

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whole GI tract and microbiome.

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There.

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Uh, but on top of all of those things,

I do have a few supplements that

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I'm personally taking right now.

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And they're very focused on immunity.

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So first and foremost is colostrum.

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It's one of the newest products that

I've started trying, which if you're

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unfamiliar with claustrum, it's literally

the very first milk that is produced

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from, I believe it's all mammals.

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So the colostrum that I take is from cows.

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It's a.

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Uh, bovine based, uh, Claustrum

so this is going to be.

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Basically within the first, I believe

it's 24 to like 48 or 72 hours.

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That very first milk that the mother

produces is going to have just all

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the building blocks of really building

your immune system and, you know,

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keeping, uh, literally a baby healthy.

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Right.

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Uh, so that is what the classroom

is going to be doing for you.

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And I actually started taking claustrum

for, uh, the benefits of the, not even

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the immune system, but rather just the

gut in general for better digestion, uh,

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which I did see some benefits there, but I

really noticed the benefits with immunity

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and that's actually the main reason I

am continuously taking, uh, it's the arm

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rhe colostrum, that's the brand arm rhe.

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And I just felt that they had the best

process for, um, You know, kind of

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processing the claustrum and putting

it into powdered form to really keep a

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lot of the beneficial components intact

and, uh, you know, alive and effective.

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So that's why I went with, uh, Arma

claustrum I'm sure there's some

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other claustrum brands out there

that might be good, but this was

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just a personal choice of mine.

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And I really am happy with the

outcomes because it's been.

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In my opinion, really

helping my immune system.

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So number one was the

claustrum number two.

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You definitely want to try to

find a really good probiotic.

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I personally am taking the

ritual symbiotic at the,

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uh, at this current moment.

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So that's a pre approa.

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And a post biotic all in one.

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Once again, your immune system

seven, over 70% of it is in your gut.

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So we want to make sure

we're taking care of that.

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And a probiotic is a really

good way of doing that.

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And on top of those two things,

I also have been doing a green

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juice, uh, most mornings, maybe

like three or four mornings a week.

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The green juice I do is from Organifi.

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I know there's a bunch of

green juices out there.

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Uh, ag.

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One is a very popular one.

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And, uh, personally I have tried it.

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I do like AIG.

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Uh, Organifi is just a

personal preference for me.

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But with the Organifi green juice, I

actually add a little bit of a powder

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blend from, I think it's Nate TIVA.

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is the brand.

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And literally it's camu, camu, Berry.

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And a Serola cherry and

there's something else.

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I can't remember the third item in there,

but common, common Berry is the highest.

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Uh, content of vitamin C in

any food that we know of.

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So it is loaded with vitamin C.

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So I'll throw a pretty hefty scoop of

that powder as well with the green juice.

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And personally, I kind of like the tart

flavor that it adds to the green juice.

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Um, To me, a lot of green juices are on

a little bit of the sweeter side, which

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I get, they want it to be, you know,

Appeal to the masses, but I like to cut

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it with a little bit of the tartness.

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So I'll throw that in there as well.

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And then last but not least, this is

the one thing I take all the time.

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Every single day and that's spirulina.

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So I kind of switched between

spirulina and chlorella.

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Um, just kinda depending on how I'm

feeling, but, uh, spirulina is the one

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that I've been taking here recently.

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And if you're unfamiliar with

spirulina, it is a micro algae.

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And if you want to hear more

about it, I have three episodes

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with Catherine Arnstein, she's

the founder of energy bits.

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It's my personal favorite brand

of spirulina and chlorella.

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Absolutely highest quality

I've personally found.

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And I'm not going to get like

super into it, but it has over

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40 plus vitamins and minerals.

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It's super good for your mitochondria.

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It helps detoxify, uh, your blood

from heavy metals and mycotoxins

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like, does so many things.

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You really get a huge ROI when it

comes to spirulina and chlorella.

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So those are the current supplements

that I'm taking at the moment.

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So that's, claustrum the green

juice with adding the native

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as little powder in there.

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Uh, the CIN biotic from ritual

and then last but not least

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the spirulina from energy bits.

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I do have some discount codes for

the products that I just mentioned.

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I'll have them in the show notes.

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If you want to try some of those out.

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Like claustrum, I do have a

10% discount code on that one.

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And then for Organifi and for energy

bits, I have a 20% discount code.

138

So go ahead and check those out.

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I mean, it is the time of year where

we're struggling with our immunity.

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So keeping it bolstered

is going to be key.

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So remember.

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All of these supplements are amazing.

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And yes, I do see a lot of benefit with

them, but it always starts with lifestyle.

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Right.

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So we got to make sure we're getting

good sleep, eating good food, staying

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hydrated, moving our body exercising.

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Right.

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That's absolutely key.

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I forgot to add that in there.

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Uh, but those are the things that

we really want to focus on first.

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And then the supplements are a

great way of really just making

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sure we're doing all that we can to

really bolster that immune system.

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So.

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Definitely take care of

yourselves out there.

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Enjoy your time with your families.

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Have a great time eat some

good food and just enjoy.

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Right.

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We've got to focus on that.

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Community.

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Community is so important, so special.

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It is one of the key factors in

longevity that we are coming to

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find is having a good community.

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So really take this time, be

grateful for the community that you

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do have and just enjoy the time.

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Now.

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Let's go ahead and jump in to

today's topic, which is all about.

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Movember.

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Right.

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So, uh, for November, one of the

focuses, I guess, is on men's

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health, which is really cool.

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I think that's awesome that, you

know, there's a time dedicated.

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I feel like there's a time or a day

or a month or something dedicated

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to pretty much everything nowadays.

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But, uh, nonetheless, I think

men's health is something that has.

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Really been kind of, uh, going, I

don't know, it's, it's been on a

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slippery slope, in my opinion, like it

just not getting, uh, maybe the right

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tools or being addressed properly.

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Uh, and you know, we see this in a

lot of the statistics we see that,

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you know, men are like four times more

likely to commit suicide than women.

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Uh, there was a study done, I believe

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know, here in the U S I believe

it's one in every three people.

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If I'm not mistaken, Claim to experience

loneliness on a regular basis, right?

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Like these are these really sad

statistics, but they're also,

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in my opinion, very solvable.

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Uh, there's a lot of

things we can do right now.

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And of course, we're not going to

a hundred percent eradicate like

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suicide and loneliness, of course not.

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But I do think there are some really

very simple tools that we can.

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Start using and, you know, lifestyle

changes that we can implement literally

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today, right after this episode.

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And can have a really profound

effect for not only the men in your

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lives, or if you are a man, but

also for just everyone in your life.

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Right?

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Like if you show up better,

everyone around you is just

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going to have a better time.

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They're probably going

to end up showing better.

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You know, it's like a ripple effect.

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It's going to really spread

out and help everyone.

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So I'm really excited to

talk on this topic today.

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And, uh, I think it's really important

for us to first look at why are we

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having these issues with men in society?

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Well, in my personal opinion, of course,

there's going to be a ton of factors and

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you know, it's not just black and white.

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But I think there are really two

things that play a huge role in why.

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We have, I guess what I would

call unhealthy men and the reason.

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In my opinion that we have unhealthy

men starts off with really not

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having a clearly defined, um, Idea

of what it means to be a healthy man.

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Of course, when you're growing up,

there's a lot of implied things that,

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uh, um, probably your, your dad or, uh,

adults, or even, you know, just peers

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would have naturally put upon you.

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Like.

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Oh, you know, boys, aren't

supposed to cry boys.

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Aren't supposed to show emotion.

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You're supposed to be a provider

and, you know, Put put all the

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weight on your shoulders and you

know, this, that, this, that right.

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Not to say that some of

those things aren't good.

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Right.

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But it's all in context, right?

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Like we have to.

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Find out what it is.

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That's truly healthy about

those, um, stereotypes, I guess.

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About, uh, men or masculinity and.

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I think it's really crazy that we

don't have, or maybe you did, maybe

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you did have some awesome parents

that, you know, really defined what a

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healthy man is supposed to be for you.

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And that's awesome.

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But I think.

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It really does depend

on each person, right?

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Like what makes you a healthy man?

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Right.

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Because that is going to be

different from person to person.

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It's not always going to

be the same answers, right?

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Like there's not just a complete set list

of what it means to be a healthy man.

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Of course, there's probably some.

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Basic things that most people would

agree on, but I think it's important

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for us to actually define for ourselves.

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What does it mean for

you to be a healthy man?

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Like what does the version of you

that is the absolute healthiest

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male version of yourself possible?

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Like what does that look like?

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What kind of traits does that person have?

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You know, how do they show up

and all of that kind of stuff.

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So, That's my personal opinion is first

off, we don't have it clearly defined.

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It's just kind of implied

throughout growing up about

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what it means to be a man.

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And I think with that ambiguity there.

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You know, it leaves a lot

of room for interpretation.

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And a lot of the times we never

actually sit down with that question

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in mind and actually figure it out.

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So I think it's very important

for us to really start there.

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And then the second thing is going to

be kind of a lack of resources or tools.

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I think, you know, there's.

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We know of a lot of tools and

resources out there, but it's not

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communicated well to the men out there.

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And, uh, you know, there's

also some resistance.

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I think there's kind of like, Preconceived

ideas about like, you know, if you, if

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you really do stick to the idea that,

you know, men are supposed to like, not

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show their emotions and this and that.

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Well, It's going to be hard to, for

example, like get them to go to a men's

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group or to open up or whatever it may be.

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But nonetheless, I think we really need

to do a better job on spreading the

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information of the tools that are out

there for men to, uh, primarily focus

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on their mental and emotional health.

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Right?

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Like.

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That's really kind of the main focus here.

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Uh, physical health is

important, but I think for.

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Men.

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One of the big issues we're we're

seeing here is specifically with

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mental and emotional health.

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So, those are kind of the two.

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Major things, in my opinion.

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That are leading to kind of, uh, you

know, these generations of unhealthy men.

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So how do we fix this?

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Well, very simple.

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Not really, uh, it does take some

work, but I do have some simple tools

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and ideas for you to think about.

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And, um, you know, some practices

that you can kind of start

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putting into your life right now.

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So let's go ahead and

start tackling those.

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So once again, first and

foremost, you needed to find what

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it means to be a healthy man.

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No, one's going to define it for you.

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So it's the same thing

with like boundaries.

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If you don't set boundaries for

yourself and respect your own

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boundaries, no one else is going to

respect those boundaries for you.

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So you need to.

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Define what it means to be a healthy man.

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Think of the best version of yourself

and what kind of traits does that

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person have and how do they show up?

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Every single day.

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Right?

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Like, if we just think of.

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An unhealthy man, like let's just take

the most stereotypical, like unhealthy

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man that you can possibly think of.

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You know, we have someone who is

maybe, um, you know, a drunk, like

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really gives into their vices, right?

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Like they drink or abuse other

substances, whatever it may be.

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Um, you know, they're not emotionally.

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Uh, controlled.

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They're very explosive and, uh,

likely physical and verbally

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and emotionally abusive.

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And, uh, you know, really, they don't

know how to process their emotions and.

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Really just kind of take

it out on everyone else.

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They just kind of feel like the

weight of the world is on their

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shoulders and you know, no one is

there to help them and you know,

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kind of that whole stereotype, right?

308

Like that to me is.

309

In my opinion, a very unhealthy man.

310

So, what would it look like to be.

311

The opposite of that, right.

312

A healthy man.

313

So just to give you a couple examples

of things that I believe are, you

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know, what would make me a healthy

manner and things that I strive to do.

315

And so the first one is

to respond and not react.

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That's a really huge one.

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Uh, I see a lot of people who.

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Especially with guys.

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Uh, you know, if you say something.

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Uh, especially guy to guy, if you say

something to them the wrong way, and

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it just really rubs them the wrong way.

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Well, who knows, you know, it could get

very verbal, it could get even physical.

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And, uh, I think a lot of that is

totally avoidable, you know, I think.

324

A lot of times people are just, uh, you

know, they, they, they don't take a moment

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to process what the person is saying.

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Uh, you know, they say.

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Between a stimulus and the

response there is this.

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Short amount of time,

but there is time, right?

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Like you could take time to think

about how you want to respond.

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You don't always just have to react off of

the first thought that comes to your head.

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Very likely that very first thought

that does pop in your head is

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not the best thought to act upon.

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Right.

334

If you just gave it a little bit

more time and sit with what this

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person is saying, maybe they.

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They said something to you.

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In the wrong way, but they

didn't mean it that way.

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You know, there's so many

different ways of looking at this.

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And so I think it's very important for

us to not just, you know, Jump to jump

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the gun and react on the very first

thought and emotion that pops into

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our head, but rather to sit with that

thought and to process it and choose

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our response and not just react, right?

343

Like having control.

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Like a healthy control of our emotions.

345

Right.

346

Um, making sure that we're

choosing how we respond.

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In my opinion, that's a

very healthy thing to do.

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Being able to choose how you

want to, uh, you know, respond

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to people is going to really help

on how you show up in the world.

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And.

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Uh, it, it's also going to help out

with a lot of relationships and,

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and a bunch of different things.

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So that's going to be the first one.

354

Is going to be choose how you

respond and not just react.

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Uh, the next thing is going to be

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someone who is emotionally aware, right?

357

So this is a huge topic and there's a

lot of different routes to go with this.

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But being emotionally aware

essentially means that you're aware

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of your own emotions, as well as

the emotions of people around you.

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So.

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How often do you really actually tap

in with yourself and see how you feel?

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Personally, um, it's something

I have to actively do.

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I have to remind myself about it

because I won't just normally do this.

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. So.

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You know, throughout the day you can be

going through a lot of hardship or just,

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you know, Unfavorable like circumstances

in life, whether it's like getting

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yelled at, by someone at work or, um,

you know, getting cut off in traffic

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and having some road rage, or maybe

it's an argument with your spouse or.

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Fill in the blank.

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There's a million different

things, whatever it may be.

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A lot of the times, This is

just what I see with guys.

372

And I see it with myself

and what kind of just like.

373

Put that stuff to the side,

almost like, okay, that happened.

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Well, you know, it'll,

it'll work itself out.

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Like I'll, I'll forget about it.

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Eventually.

377

I'm just going to continue on with my day.

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But a lot of the times that kind of still

is affecting our mood in the background.

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And then we start showing up as a

jerk to everybody else, even if it's

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just by, you know, kind of being short

with people or whatever it may be.

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It's these things that happen

throughout the day, they are

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still having an effect on us.

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And if you can't recognize the things

that are causing your mood, then you're

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going to continue to stay in that mood.

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Right?

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Like maybe those things will dissipate

over time, but it might take a really

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long time for you to get out of that

really crappy mood that you're in.

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So.

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It's very important for us to recognize

if we're going through something.

390

So if you're able to pretty much daily,

just do at least a quick check in with

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yourself and just see like, How are

you, how are you feeling emotionally?

392

Like literally tapping with that.

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And I know that's a weird thing for guys

to do sometimes to ask yourself, like,

394

How do I emotionally feel right now?

395

But.

396

Trust me, it is super beneficial to

just take a moment and see like, oh,

397

did that argument really affect me?

398

, is it still bothering me?

399

Do I still get super heated?

400

When I think about it?

401

And, uh, you know, that if it does,

if it still gets you really angry,

402

then it probably still has an

emotional, uh, attachment to you.

403

And so being able to, you know,

kind of think through it, maybe

404

even talk through it with someone

is going to be really beneficial.

405

Uh, not only for yourself,

but for everybody else.

406

Cause you're going to show up better.

407

And then the other part of

emotional awareness is also being

408

aware of everyone else's emotions.

409

Right?

410

So.

411

If you see someone that's

in a bad mood, right?

412

Like you can pick up on that.

413

And then understand that this

person is not in a good mood

414

and then you can choose how, you

know, you kind of respond to them.

415

You know how you interact with

them and you can avoid a lot of.

416

Confrontations and.

417

You know, just.

418

Bad conversations, essentially, if

you just take into consideration the

419

people's emotional states around you.

420

So being emotionally aware is another

really big thing that I like to focus on.

421

And I think it's super

important for us as men.

422

So, those are a couple things.

423

If you want, go ahead and

pull out a pen and paper.

424

If you're obviously not driving or doing

something that you need to be focused on.

425

Uh, then go ahead and write down

like three to five things of what

426

defines a healthy man for you.

427

Like what would be the best healthy.

428

Version of yourself as a man.

429

And then go ahead and

write those things down.

430

And, uh, you can feel free to

pause this episode to do that.

431

Uh, but then the next thing is going

to be, to find a men's group now.

432

I know there's a lot of you out there that

are probably like very resistant to this.

433

It wasn't something that

I naturally came to.

434

I actually had a really

good friend of mine.

435

Bring me to a men's room.

436

He was like, no, man, like

come to this, it's worth it.

437

And I'm so happy that he did,

uh, because I absolutely love the

438

men's groups that I've been to.

439

Um, Granted, they're not all going to be.

440

The best men's group for you specifically,

like you really do need to find a

441

group of men that you feel comfortable

with, that you really vibe with.

442

And that you're able to open up

with because that's where a lot

443

of the work is going to happen.

444

And a lot of the benefit

is going to come from so.

445

When you find a good men's group, uh,

personally, a couple of things to look

446

for would be once again, make sure you

feel comfortable with those guys, right.

447

Feel comfortable to share with them.

448

Uh, sometimes a smaller group is

better just cause it's a little

449

bit more intimate and personal.

450

Uh, but you know, that's going

to be the very first one.

451

And then number two, uh, I really

like how the men's group that I go to.

452

They really ask us to like, Take a

moment and reflect on the week and kind

453

of just think about like, has anything

really triggered you throughout the week?

454

Is there something that you're

really struggling with at ways

455

like super heavy on your heart?

456

And if so, Put a ranking

on it from a one to a five.

457

Like where are you sitting with that?

458

Are you.

459

You know, a one being very lighthearted.

460

Like there's not been a

lot of bad stuff this week.

461

So you feel great or are you at a five

where it's just like, it's the only

462

thing you're thinking about and it is.

463

Actually like.

464

Absolutely effecting how

you're showing up today.

465

So I really like that exercise

because it gives us a moment to

466

actually reflect on how we're feeling.

467

Things that we're going through,

which is super important.

468

And once again, like I said,

we don't often do this, right.

469

It's not a common thing for

us to just sit and think like,

470

Hm, how am I feeling today?

471

But it is super beneficial.

472

There's a.

473

Ton of benefit to be had in just

that simple practice itself is just

474

asking, like, how do you feel today?

475

Like, what is it that

you've been going through?

476

And by checking in with yourself,

you can get a better read on

477

how you're feeling and maybe how

you're showing up in the world.

478

Like maybe if you're being a jerk.

479

It might be because some other

things have been going on and it's

480

good for you to bring awareness

to them so you can work on them.

481

So finding a men's group

is super beneficial.

482

You'll find people who are going

through similar things that you are

483

going through, or maybe they've already

been through the things you're going

484

through and they can just provide

a ton of insight and wisdom on it.

485

Uh, you know, it's also really cool

because it's a time where it's literally

486

dedicated to you opening up and

tapping in with your emotions, which is

487

something we don't normally do as guys.

488

Usually we're like hanging out, having

a good time with each other, you know,

489

maybe, um, I don't know, you go and like

watch a sports game with each other or

490

just go kick it, whatever it may be.

491

But usually it's not so much dedicated

to you tapping into your feelings

492

and talking about something that's

like really been on your mind.

493

And if you have a friend that you're

able to do that with, that's amazing,

494

like that's, that's golden right there.

495

That's literally like

basically a men's group.

496

Uh, but nonetheless.

497

This men's group is a time for you

to give yourself permission to really

498

tap into that side of yourself.

499

It's what you're literally there for.

500

So it, uh, it kind of takes

that like stigma away.

501

Uh, you feel more comfortable in being

vulnerable and sharing with each other?

502

Uh, usually it's a very

confidential group, right?

503

Like you guys don't share

anything outside of that circle.

504

So it's just really great moment

for you to, um, to open up

505

and feel comfortable about it.

506

So.

507

First one is define what it

means to be a healthy man.

508

Number two, find a men's group.

509

I highly recommend it, or at

least just a good set of friends

510

that you can really open up to.

511

Uh, and then the third thing is going

to be to do hard things in life.

512

And I know that's like

not a fun thing, but.

513

You excuse me, you are going to come

across very difficult situations in life.

514

And, you know, once again, coming

to this, uh, respond, not react.

515

We want to do the hard things

in life so that everything

516

else will feel easier, right.

517

If you're able to go

through something difficult.

518

Then the rest of your day is going to be

a lot smoother and you're going to feel

519

a lot more controlled and calm in the way

you show up in literally your entire day.

520

So for example, if you wake up

early at five o'clock and go out

521

for a run and lift some weights, The

rest of your day is probably gonna

522

feel a lot easier because you did

something difficult that day, right?

523

Like early on in the morning.

524

And that's why I also love ice baths.

525

For that reason.

526

When you do an ice bath, there's

just nothing fun about that.

527

It's, you know, 38 37 degrees Fahrenheit.

528

I don't know what that is.

529

Maybe like one or two degrees Celsius.

530

So like very close to freezing.

531

I usually go in there for three minutes.

532

It's not fun.

533

There's nothing.

534

Really enjoyable about it

until you get out of the water.

535

Um, but when you do that, It

just sets your day off, right?

536

Like you did something.

537

Super difficult.

538

Uh, not a lot of people actually

are able to do that, or, well, you

539

know, they're not able to, will

their mind to do it essentially.

540

And so when you do that, like the rest

of your day just feels easy because you

541

did something so difficult early on.

542

And I think that's very important

for men because you're going to go

543

through difficult things in life.

544

And it's important for us to

remain calm under that pressure.

545

Right.

546

And to understand that, you know, there

are times when we might need to hold space

547

for other people's emotions and kind of

be the rock for other people right now.

548

We need to understand that there's a

shift between being the rock and then

549

being able to open up and to vent as well.

550

Right.

551

Uh, so finding that balance is very

important, but I find that doing hard

552

things like forcing ourselves to do

hard things like workout and, you

553

know, getting these ice baths and

just literally do difficult things

554

really helps us to show up better

because we're now, you know, we're,

555

we're used to going through and doing

something difficult and understanding

556

that it's always temporary, right.

557

There's always going to be a time

where things are going to get easier.

558

And then, you know, those are the

times where, um, You know that

559

like that could be the men's group.

560

Like you're going through something

hard, then you go to the men's group and

561

you're able to share and open up and, you

know, take a little bit of that load off.

562

Uh, which I think is so important

because there's a ton of guys who

563

don't know how to take the load off.

564

They know how to pack everything

on their shoulders and really just

565

put all the weight on themselves,

which is very admirable, right?

566

Like that's awesome that you want to

be that person for everyone around

567

you, but you have to understand that

you gotta take care of yourself too.

568

And that means you got to.

569

You know, be aware of the emotional,

uh, you know, the emotions that

570

you're going through and check

in with your mental state.

571

It's so, so important.

572

So, uh, once again,

We've got to cover that.

573

It's.

574

Define what it means to be a healthy man.

575

Find a men's group and do hard things.

576

And then last but not least, this is

the last one I want to leave you with.

577

And that is two.

578

Do some meditation.

579

And so I know there's a

lot of people who are.

580

Pretty resilient to meditation.

581

I totally get it.

582

It's not, you know, does that always

sound like the most fun thing to do?

583

But there is a ton of

benefit in meditation.

584

And one of the things that meditation

does is it allows you to tap in

585

with yourself once again, right.

586

When you sit down and just literally

you have zero distractions and

587

you're just sitting with yourself.

588

This is a moment in time in which a

lot of emotions might start arising.

589

And you know, it is a great chance

for us to start processing those

590

emotions and understand why it is we're

feeling the way that we're feeling.

591

Because it's very easy to stay

distracted throughout our days.

592

Even if we're going through some hard

stuff, we have social media, we have TV.

593

We have like.

594

Countless of different things.

595

That we can just occupy our

mind and attention with.

596

So when you take all of that away

and you close your eyes and you just

597

focus on your breath, That is a great

opportunity for us to start processing

598

a lot of those emotions and thoughts.

599

And honestly, for me, meditation has

been an absolute, absolute game changer.

600

It's one of my favorite things

to do in terms of mental health.

601

I always feel a million times

better after meditating.

602

And the best thing is you really, if

you want, you can meditate for as long

603

as you want, like by all means, but

10 to 15 minutes is adequate to just

604

at least happen with yourself and.

605

And kind of see how you're feeling.

606

So it doesn't take a lot of time.

607

It's free.

608

You literally need nothing.

609

Just sit down and close your eyes.

610

Maybe just find a quiet

space and you can meditate.

611

So.

612

It has been super beneficial

for me personally.

613

Uh, I stopped meditating for a while.

614

Uh, just kind of had gotten super busy,

so I didn't find time to meditate.

615

And then.

616

I went ahead and did a, uh, T sit

meditation and it was crazy, uh, was

617

processing a lot of stuff and it was

really wild to see, uh, what, you

618

know, a long period of time of not

tapping in with myself, looked like.

619

When I finally got quiet and just

was able to see how I was feeling

620

so highly, highly recommended.

621

If you're not a huge fan of

meditation, um, you don't even have

622

to think of it as a meditation.

623

You can literally just think of it as.

624

Quiet time for yourself.

625

Um, a moment of presence, right.

626

Where you're just sitting down and

becoming aware of the present moment.

627

Right.

628

So we're trying to not get super caught

up in our thoughts of the future or

629

of the past, but rather just really

focusing on the current moment.

630

Um, there's so many different kinds of

meditations out there, but literally the

631

easiest is sit down, close your eyes.

632

Taking some deep breaths and

literally just follow your breath,

633

pay attention to your breath.

634

If your mind starts wandering,

come back to your breath.

635

Just focus on the inhale through

the nose and the exhale, either

636

out through the nose or the mouth.

637

And just keep your awareness there.

638

So those are going to

be my tips for today.

639

Um, I hope they're beneficial.

640

There are more, but I think

these were some of the, uh, more.

641

Impactful ones I would say.

642

So once again, I just want to kind of

break down this episode and leave you

643

all with some actionable steps here.

644

So first off.

645

The reason, in my opinion, why we

have unhealthy men is because we don't

646

clearly define what a healthy man looks

like to ourselves, because for every

647

person it's going to be different.

648

And then number two, we either don't

know about the tools and resources or

649

we're hesitant to use them, whatever

it may be, uh, but not having these

650

tools and resources to properly.

651

Process our emotions and our thoughts

and, you know, really tapping with

652

ourselves are a major reason in

terms of why we have unhealthy men.

653

So the best ways to improve your

mental and emotional health, and

654

really just be the best version

of yourself possible as a man.

655

Is step one.

656

Define what it means to be

a healthy man for yourself.

657

And then we want to

hopefully find a men's group.

658

Um, you know, another way of putting

this is also just find community, right.

659

And, uh, specifically with other guys.

660

Uh, I find that.

661

It just tends to be.

662

A little bit of a, of an easier.

663

Uh, space for you when you have other

guys, uh, not to say there isn't benefit

664

obviously with, uh, men and women, uh,

speaking and, and having community.

665

Uh, but when it comes to processing

the emotions and all that, I

666

just really enjoy my men's group.

667

Um, but of course, if you know, you

have a community of men and women and

668

it totally works for you by all means,

of course, like whatever works for you.

669

Just find that community

it's super, super important.

670

Uh, for us to tap in and

check in with ourselves.

671

Number three.

672

I really believe it is important

for us to do hard things.

673

Life is going to be hard.

674

There's going to be times where

it is difficult and it's important

675

that we prepare ourselves

for those difficult times.

676

But also understand that those are

temporary and we need to also remember

677

that there's a time to be strong and

there's a time to open up and to, you

678

know, kind of, uh, let down those guards.

679

Right.

680

So that we're not always keeping

that bottled up and holding onto it.

681

And then the very last thing is

going to be, uh, to find a meditation

682

practice or at least a practice

of just tapping in with yourself.

683

Right.

684

Like checking in and seeing how you're

feeling, checking in with your emotions.

685

Like take a few moments,

just get quiet with yourself.

686

Close your eyes.

687

Really scan the body, see how you feel.

688

Uh, see if you have any emotions coming

up and, uh, That to me is literally one of

689

the most beneficial practices right there.

690

Uh, because it really reveals a

lot about ourselves to ourselves.

691

So.

692

Those are going to be the steps.

693

I really.

694

Really, really hope that you found

benefit in this episode today, because

695

this is a huge topic and a topic that

really deserves a lot of attention

696

and awareness so that we can really.

697

Uh, you know, solve this issue

and, and hopefully, uh, at least.

698

Not have these terrible

statistics to look at.

699

Right.

700

So that's the goal with this

episodes are always too.

701

Just provide you with information

that you can apply to your life today

702

and hopefully improve your health.

703

That is the goal with this whole series.

704

I just want to break down these

health topics in a way that you can

705

literally just take it, plug and

play, implemented it into your life.

706

And, uh, hopefully find

some benefit out of it.

707

So thank you all so much

for tuning in today.

708

I really, really appreciate it.

709

Love having you all here.

710

Uh, Listening to me, just rant on about

all of these different topics, but,

711

uh, I truly do find so much joy in it.

712

So thank you all for tuning in.

713

Uh, if you haven't already subscribed

to this podcast on whatever platform

714

you're on, please go ahead and do so.

715

That way you don't miss

any of the episodes.

716

Please also leave a rating and a review

on whatever platform you're using.

717

If you're on apple podcasts, then please

go ahead and leave a written review.

718

I love to read those and just see

what you guys are saying on there.

719

Uh, you can always reach out

to me on Instagram as well.

720

Uh, please feel free to share this

episode on Instagram and tag me in there.

721

Of course.

722

pLease go ahead and send this to

a family friend or loved one so we

723

can spread the message of this show

and also check out the YouTube page.

724

Uh, I do put up a lot of

the interviews on YouTube.

725

So you can go ahead and see the

video format of those episodes.

726

And I think that's going

to do it for today.

727

So, um, I think this is going to

come out before November is over.

728

So happy Movember.

729

Um, I hope you all are having some

beautiful holidays, stay healthy, keep

730

your immune systems, uh, bolstered and

doing well and, uh, just yeah, much

731

love and gratitude for all of you.

732

I hope you all have a

beautiful rest of your day.

733

Uh, see you next Wednesday.

734

Peace.