Workout Wednesday: Men, get fit and stay healthy!

Happy belated Father's Day to all of our fine and fabulous Philly dads. More than a Hallmark moment, Father's Day serves as the perfect opportunity to shower our dads with love, respect, and admiration.

It's also worth mentioning that June is National Men's Health Month, which means we also want to shine more light on the health and fitness of ALL men in our lives.

When it comes to American men's health, though, the dialogue seems to be slanted to one thing, and that's sex. If you leaf though most men's magazines or see the latest commercials targeting men, you would get the impression that most American men suffer from some type of sexual dysfunction.

Oddly, most men's magazines and commercials targeting men fail to point out that American men are living with more illness and dying younger than women. Yes, still today, men tend to die almost five years earlier than women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More alarmingly, according to the CDC, when it comes to race (we're definitely not post-racial), black men on average lose another five years of life expectancy.

So, the truth of the matter is American men are more likely to need heart medication or medicine to manage diabetes than Viagra. And they might not need the Viagra if they didn't need the heart and diabetes meds. Heart disease is still the No. 1 killer of American men, followed by cancer, respiratory conditions, accidents, and diabetes.

So fellas, if good health and longevity are your goals, don't put off until tomorrow what you should do today. Here are six essential tips to get you back into the driver's seat of your good health and fitness:

Single – Get Married!

Yeah, playing the field and staying a confirmed bachelor may seem appealing, but it's married men who live longer and have better overall health statistics. As crazy as it sounds, marriage tends to increase  men's longevity mainly because women tend to encourage healthier behaviors, cook healthier meals, and, yeah, nag you about going to the doctor.

Man, Get a Tune-up – Go to the Doctor!

Many men take better care of their cars than they do their health.  Just as you need a good mechanic for your car, you also need a good internal medicine doctor.  Be sure to ask for and get a physical exam, high blood pressure test, cholesterol blood test and urinalysis, EKG, rectal exam, PSA exam (prostate test), osteoporosis test, STD test, and testosterone screening.

Man Up and Be Proactive!

Why do men tend to be less healthy and die sooner? Could it be that men are generally not as proactive about their health, spend too much time in front of screens, rarely go for checkups, engage in dangerous, risky behaviors, forgo health insurance, and rarely take preventive health measures?   If this is you (or your man), it is time to turn that self-destructive  behavior around. There's no reason to die prematurely from heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, or other largely preventable diseases. Start by eating a healthy diet and exercising most days of the week.  Take charge of your behavior and you'll change both quality and quantity of life.

Dude, Guts Don't Lie

You know the old saying: garbage in, garbage out.  Well, it's true, and if you want to really see that six-pack, give up the pizza, hoagies, cheesesteaks, fries and other over-the-top Philly favorites for just one month. I promise, you'll be amazed.

Forget about Viagra

A healthy lifestyle, clean eating, daily exercise, decreasing your stress, getting rid of the beer gut, not smoking, and limiting or eliminating alcohol should pretty much free you from vascular problems like erectile dysfunction.

Good News for Men

All men 20 and older need to make good health a priority. Most of the major health risks men face can be prevented or treated if diagnosed early.  Are you dialing up the doctor's office right now?  Go ahead and just do it!