Proactive Healthcare for Men

When it comes to health, men face a steep uphill battle. On average, men’s life expectancy is four years less than women’s in Canada. Taking action early isn’t just about avoiding disease; it’s also about maintaining energy, strength, and quality of life as you age.

Arm yourself with this roadmap for proactive men’s healthcare, highlighting what to focus on from the teenage to the golden years—and learn how diet, exercise, lifestyle, and screenings may prevent problems before they start.

Men’s healthcare avoidance

A 2020 study conducted among 2,000 Canadian men found that masculine role norms and self-stigma play a factor in health behaviours.

“From a young age, many boys are taught—implicitly or explicitly—that strength means self-reliance, silence, and pushing through discomfort,” says Rory Gibbons, ND, who practises at Integrative Naturopathic Medical Centre in Fort Langley, BC. “Pain is minimized. Fatigue is normalized. Emotional distress is ignored or reframed as weakness. By the time men reach adulthood, this conditioning runs deep. Seeking help often feels like admitting failure rather than practising responsibility.”

This is a call to encourage boys and men to reframe how they think about asking for help and to consider a different approach to healthcare.

Proactive men’s healthcare

“Most men don’t avoid healthcare because they don’t care about their health,” Gibbons says, suggesting that the way healthcare is delivered and communicated often doesn’t engage men effectively.

“Men engage when healthcare is proactive rather than reactive, when visits focus on optimization, prevention, and performance—not just disease,” adds Gibbons. It’s vital that the care provided connects health to what men value: energy, focus, strength, resilience, leadership, and longevity.

Look for a practitioner who takes the time to understand your concerns, orders blood work from a preventative standpoint, answers questions clearly, and provides information and tools to work toward your health goals.

Teens and 20s: Establish the foundations for lifelong health [SUBHEAD]

“Sleep, nutrition, and movement patterns established here often persist for decades,” says Gibbons. “Learn basic health literacy: how food affects energy, why sleep matters, how to train properly, and how substances like alcohol impact recovery and mood.”

Heart health

A groundbreaking 2025 study suggested that unfavourable changes in cardiovascular health in young adulthood are associated with marked elevations in risk for later-life cardiovascular disease.

The study’s cardiovascular health criteria included four health behaviours: diet, physical activity, smoking, and sleep, alongside four biomarkers: body mass index, non-HDL cholesterol, blood glucose, and blood pressure.

In your teens and 20s, keep your heart healthy by laying a foundation—maintaining a regular sleep schedule, exercising consistently, managing stress, eating a healthy diet (such as the Mediterranean diet), fostering social connections, minimizing alcohol use, and quitting smoking.

Sleep

It might be tempting to stay out late and sleep the day away in early adulthood, but sleep debt and circadian rhythm misalignment impact the aging process and the development of age-related diseases.

A 2022 study conducted in men showed that sleep loss and lower sleep duration were associated with lower morning, afternoon, and 24-hour testosterone levels. Testosterone plays a vital role in men’s vascular function, mood, muscle strength, bone density, and sexual health.

Physical activity

Meta-analyses have demonstrated a dose-response relationship between physical activity and premature mortality and the prevention of several chronic medical conditions.

Physical activity may prevent and treat metabolic and cardiovascular diseases as well as obesity and may reduce mental health burden.

The current Canadian recommendation is to achieve 150 minutes of moderate- to vigorous- intensity aerobic exercise per week, in bouts of at least 10 minutes. Incorporate activities that strengthen muscles and bones (i.e., resistance training) at least two times per week.

Healthy diet

Unprocessed foods – Adopt a diet rich in foods that come from the earth, not from a factory. A 2025 study showed that men who ate ultra-processed foods gained more fat than those eating unprocessed meals, even with equal calories. Testosterone levels fell and cardiovascular markers were also affected.

Protein – Aim to get sufficient protein (such as chicken, turkey, and legumes) at every meal. In a 2020 study conducted in healthy young men, inadequate protein intake at breakfast was found to be a negative factor for muscle maintenance.

Diversity – Strive to eat a variety of plant and animal foods to promote dietary diversity. Dietary diversity ensures nutrient requirements are achieved and is associated with decreased risk of fracture in men later in life.

Social support

Friends and coworkers may play an important role in promoting positive health behaviours in men’s daily lives.

Positive peer influence has been shown to be significantly associated with men’s health behaviours, including health responsibility, nutrition, physical activity, interpersonal relationships, stress management, and spirituality.

30s and 40s: screening and check-ups

Men in this age range often feel too young for disease, but this is when lifestyle patterns solidify and risks for chronic conditions may silently creep in.

“Men in this stage should prioritize strength training to preserve muscle; manage stress proactively; and pay attention to metabolic markers like lipids, sugars, and blood pressure and hormones like testosterone,” says Gibbons. “This is often when subtle symptoms begin to appear—and when early intervention makes the biggest difference.”

The Mayo Clinic recommends that males at this stage have a full physical exam every three to five years.

Check-ups

• blood pressure annually
• lipid panel baseline in early 30s
• fasting glucose or glycated hemoglobin baseline at age 35
• skin check annually if high sun exposure or personal/family history of skin cancer
• body mass index
• waist circumference

Screenings

• mental health
• sexually transmitted infections, based on risk
• colorectal cancer via fecal immunochemical test and/or colonoscopy at age 45, or 10 years prior to an age at which an immediate relative was diagnosed with colorectal cancer

HPV-related cancers

Men can develop cancers of the anus, penis, mouth, and throat from the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is transmitted through sexual contact. Men who have sex with men and those who are immunocompromised (including those with HIV) have a higher risk of developing HPV-related cancer.

The HPV vaccine may prevent HPV-related cancers.

Colorectal cancer

Globally, the rates of early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC), which is diagnosed at an age younger than 50, are increasing at an alarming rate. Canadians born after 1980 are twice as likely to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer before age 50 than previous generations at the same age.

Men are more likely than women to be diagnosed through regular check-ups and to be asymptomatic at the time of diagnosis.

Evidence suggests obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, alcohol consumption, a Westernized diet, and high sugar intake are significant risk factors for EOCRC.

50s and beyond: maintaining vitality

“This is the preservation and optimization phase,” says Gibbons. “Muscle mass, bone density, cardiovascular health, and cognitive function become central priorities. The goal is not just longevity but independence, vitality, and quality of life.”

Sustaining muscle

“Muscle is not just about aesthetics—it’s a metabolic organ,” says Gibbons. “It improves glucose regulation, supports hormone balance, protects joints, and preserves independence with age.”
He recommends that men aim to strength train at least two to four times per week, adjusted for recovery.

A 2026 study found that resistance training helps older adults maintain muscle strength, which impacts their physical function and walking speed.

Cycling in older individuals has been shown to reverse the age-related loss of quadriceps muscle mass, along with benefitting the cardiovascular system.

Nutrition also plays a role in sustaining muscle, as a study of older adults showed that poor dietary diversity was associated with sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss).

Cardiovascular fitness

Incorporating both aerobic and resistance modalities has been shown to improve cardiometabolic health in middle-aged and older men.

“Cardiovascular fitness should include both steady-state movement and occasional higher-intensity efforts, tailored to the individual,” says Gibbons. “Walking, cycling, swimming, and interval work all play a role in heart health and mitochondrial function.”

Hormone balance

Age-related testosterone decline is an expected part of this phase of life, with repercussions to metabolism, cardiovascular health, mood, self-perception, and perceived quality of life.

“Hormone health improves when the basics are addressed—sleep, nutrition, training, stress management, and micronutrient status,” says Gibbons. “Lifestyle remains the foundation, but lab work can guide personalized treatment decisions.”

Men may choose to take testosterone replacement therapy at this stage, which may positively influence quality of life, exert favourable changes in body composition, and benefit cardiometabolic health in older men.

Testosterone replacement therapy is not suitable for everyone, particularly those with significant risk of cardiovascular disease and prostate cancer, so consult with your healthcare practitioner.

This article was originally published in the June 2026 issue of alive magazine.