Men sometimes joke that they take their cars in for service more often than they see their own physicians. A sobering fact? With more than three decades of seeing men patients in southern Indiana, I can tell you from experience that the cost of that joke can rise steeply after age 50.

In many instances, throughout their adult lives, men are often more reluctant to schedule an annual check-up. Plus, during their working years, it’s really easy to grab a juicy double cheeseburger and fries for lunch, washed down with a sugary beverage that can make your pancreas cringe. If one lights up for a quick smoke before going back to work, your whole body has to compensate–which all adds up over time.

When men hit their 50s, we start seeing both the accumulated toll of actions like the above, and also many natural and normal changes in men’s bodies and minds.

So, if you’re younger than 50, think about seeing your medical provider once a year just to kick the medical tires and make certain nothing’s percolating under the hood. Meanwhile, if you’re now past the 50 mark, here is what to expect-and actions to consider–decade by decade.

Your 50s: Build the Foundation

While there’s no reason why men can’t continue to live a full life when they hit 50, it is the time to take stock. Here’s a grim but real fact: heart disease remains the leading cause of death in American men, and the 50s are when risk becomes real.

What might you expect? Blood pressure creeps up, cholesterol may misbehave, and stubborn belly fat tends to settle in. Many men begin to notice diminished energy, slower recovery from exercise, and changes in libido. There are steps to take to manage these changes.

What to do at age 50+:

• Schedule annual blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar screenings.
• Begin colorectal cancer screening–typically a colonoscopy every 10 years starting at age 45.
• Have an honest, shared-decision conversation with your medical provider about a baseline PSA test to detect prostate cancer early.
• Get serious about punching in about 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity weekly, plus two sessions of resistance training to preserve muscle and bone density.

Your 60s: Sharpen the Focus

The 60s are when accumulated habits show their dividends–or their bills. Bone density declines, joints can stiffen, and roughly one in five men face clinically low testosterone, which can affect mood, memory, sleep, and abdominal fat. Cognitive processing speed—how you think–naturally slows. This is normal aging, not dementia.

Action steps for this decade:

• Continue PSA discussions with your provider through age 69.
• If you have ever smoked, ask about a one-time abdominal aortic aneurysm ultrasound between ages 65 and 75, and consider annual low-dose CT lung cancer screening.
• Protect your brain: prioritize sleep, treat hearing loss (a major modifiable dementia risk), stay socially engaged, and lean toward a Mediterranean-style diet (that’s an easy Google search for more info).
• An important point: resistance training twice weekly is no longer optional. It is a major preventative defense against falls, frailty, and metabolic decline.

Your 70s: Preserve Function

In the 70s, the goal shifts from optimization to preservation. The new metric is function — balance, strength, independence, and mental sharpness.

Action steps for this decade:

• Review every medication annually with your medical provider. Polypharmacy—defined as taking five or more drugs, represents a leading cause of falls and confusion.
• Add balance and flexibility work–tai chi, yoga, or simple single-leg stands–to your weekly routine.
• Stay socially and intellectually active. Seek out opportunities for getting together with people–loneliness carries a mortality risk comparable to smoking.
• Be informed and safe – talk with your provider about vaccinations for shingles, pneumonia, RSV, and influenza.

And here’s a critical consideration for everyone: smoking or using tobacco in any form is dangerous to your health at any age. Want to quit but need some help? Pick up our free “Quit Kit” at any of our clinic locations (see locations here: https://sichc.org/locations/).

The Common Thread

Across all three decades, the formula is unchanged: move daily, eat real food, sleep seven hours, manage stress, stay connected, and don’t skip the screenings. Aging is inevitable. The decision and outcome to age well is based on you.

A board-certified family physician, Dr. Curtis Thill has seen multiple generations of men over three decades of practice in southern Indiana.

The post Aging Well – A Decade-by-Decade Guide for Men in Their 50s, 60s, and 70s appeared first on Southern Indiana Community Health Care.

What’s one of the quickest ways to end a conversation with a man? Ask him when’s the last time he’s had a medical checkup.

Here’s an important fact: research shows that until they reach retirement age, men are far less likely than women to either see a physician or report symptoms to a healthcare provider. 

June is men’s health month, and the week leading up to Father’s Day is the official Men’s Health Week in many areas. Why is this important to consider? 

In our superhero Superman and Captain America world, there exists a cultural expectation that promotes unreasonable toughness, grit and strength. Within this general cultural framework, the only men who see primary care providers are possibly weak. 

A Cleveland Clinic survey found that some 40% of men will only seek medical services when they experience a serious health issue. Those responding in this category never seek or undergo a routine annual checkup.

The irony? This “superhuman” response often masks an underlying fear of what might come out of such a visit. In fact, some 21% of men admit that uncomfortable anxiety over a possible negative diagnosis blocks them from seeing a medical provider.  

When this type of avoidance behavior disguised as bravado shows up, men can embrace a state of denial. That state, as I can tell you from three decades of medical practice in southern Indiana, is not a good place to live.

The solution? It’s time to face facts, abandon any embarrassment, summon up some real courage, and use this month as encouragement to improve your health. Here are additional facts to think about for motivation.

Your heart

A sound and healthy heart promotes an active and productive life. The good news is that heart disease rates have been declining. The sobering news for men is that heart disease remains the leading cause of death. Men often develop heart disease some 10-15 years earlier than women. 

The genes you inherited often influence your risk of heart disease, but there are several things you can do to reduce your personal risk. These include maintaining a healthy weight, lower your fat intake, stop smoking (if you’re a smoker, which is more statistically likely if you’re male), and only drink alcohol in moderation.

That may not sound like fun if you’re a male, but here’s an important fact to consider: many heart attacks occur with no advance symptoms, and only about 50% of men survive sudden cardiac arrest. Screening tests can help prevent this.

Cancer risk

Nobody likes the “C” word. But seeing your primary care provider on a regular basis – and especially when you exhibit unusual symptoms – can dramatically promote prevention and the odds of a healthy life. 

The important fact? Men have a 1 in 2 chance of developing some form of cancer during their lives. If you were (or are) a smoker, those odds increase. Remember that prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men – it affects one in nine. Most prostate cancer grows slowly, so early detection represents a major plus.

Mental health

Men are notorious for not talking about feelings, as research again shows a bias of perceived weakness and vulnerability when they do. Men need to find someone they can talk to and be open. Struggling with painful depression and anxiety is not a requirement to be a man.

A parting thought: when they finally come in, many of my male patients are relieved to find that their symptoms weren’t what they feared. This month you can reduce risk by taking active responsibility for your health. Be a true superhero and go see your provider!

A board-certified family physician, Dr. Curtis Thill has been serving patients and families in the Crawford County Indiana region for more than three decades.

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