June is designated as Men’s Health Month and one area doctor wants men to know how to improve their health all year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 9,000 men in Iowa died from a form of cardiovascular disease, including stroke and heart disease, in 2019. While heart disease is one of many health issues men should look for, Washington County Hospital and Clinics Family Medicine Professional Dr. David Nacos believes young men can prevent future health issues by making small changes to their everyday routine, “Dedicate some time and quit putting yourself on the back burner. Making sure you can get 115 minutes of exercise in a week. It’s a small thing but we all still have troubles still doing that. Try and dedicate 20 or 30 minutes a day to going out and just taking some time for you. Even if it’s a brisk walk or going for a bike ride. If you can develop a habit or a hobby where that’s easy, if people like to play golf, well if you walk 18 holes of golf depending on how long your golf course is, you’re going to have somewhere between two and five miles of walking already in.”

Nacos also recommends men watch their cholesterol and blood pressure in their teen and early adult years, and get checked up in later years for diabetes, colon cancer, and heart disease. He says starting to make small changes can be difficult, but making those changes can prevent health issues and make you feel fulfilled in later years.