Health & Grooming: Look and Feel Your Best Without the Fluff

If you want to live long, it is important that you feel and look good while doing it. Most guys don't have a clue about the small habits that build a man

By Your Bro · Tue Feb 06 2018 · Self Improvement

You can tell a lot about a man's mental state by the state of his fingernails and the waistband of his jeans. If you want to live long, it's important that you feel and look good while doing it.

The trouble is, most guys don't have a damned clue about some of the little things you can (and should) do to look and feel your best. Manscaping, muscle-building, moustache-trimming, musk oil, and multivitamins are the pillars of a man who actually gives a damn. We live in a culture that tries to convince you that being a slob is a personality trait or that caring about your skin is somehow feminine. It’s nonsense. A man who refuses to maintain his body is like a car owner who never changes the oil but expects the engine to roar when he hits the highway.

The Biological Case for Muscle

Muscle-building is usually sold as a way to get attention at the beach. That is a fine side effect, but the real reason you lift is to avoid becoming a fragile old man who breaks a hip and dies of pneumonia. The Mayo Clinic notes that strength training can increase bone density and reduce the signs and symptoms of many chronic conditions. When you have more lean mass, your metabolism runs hotter. Your insulin sensitivity improves. Your testosterone stays at levels that allow you to actually enjoy your life.

I remember a guy I used to work with named Miller. He was 55 but looked 70. He lived on black coffee and cigarettes, thinking his "wiry" frame was a sign of being hard. One day he tried to help move a filing cabinet, threw his back out, and was never the same. He spent the rest of his career hobbling around like he was made of glass. Don't be Miller. You don't need to be a bodybuilder, but you need enough armor on your frame to survive a fall or a long day of labor. It’s a tragedy to see men becoming weaker than ever when the tools to prevent it are sitting right there in the gym.

Grooming and the Signal You Send

People judge books by their covers every single day. If you show up with a neckbeard and a shirt that smells like yesterday's mistakes, you are telling the world you have given up. Moustache-trimming and proper manscaping aren't just for dates; they are for your own discipline. When you take five minutes to clean up the edges of your facial hair, you are practicing attention to detail. That same attention to detail carries over into your work and your relationships.

Then there is the issue of scent. Musk oil and a decent cologne go a long way, provided you don't bathe in them. There is a science to why women find certain scents attractive, and I've dug into connecting scent and attraction previously. Essentially, your smell is a primal trigger. If you smell like a basement, you are treated like a basement dweller. If you smell clean and intentional, doors open slightly wider. It's a small edge, but in a competitive world, you take every edge you can get.

Skin Care and Multivitamins

Most guys think a bar of soap is a universal tool for hair, face, and feet. It isn't. Your face takes a beating from the sun, the wind, and the stress of your job. The American Academy of Dermatology suggests that men’s skin is thicker and oilier than women’s, yet we are less likely to protect it. Using a basic moisturizer with SPF is the difference between looking like a seasoned veteran at 40 and looking like a crumpled paper bag.

Inside the body, things are just as messy. Unless you are eating a perfect diet of organic greens and grass-fed liver, you likely have gaps. A high-quality multivitamin is cheap insurance. It won't turn you into a superhero, but it keeps the lights on when you're stressed. Research from the National Institutes of Health suggests that while supplements aren't a cure-all, they can help fill nutritional voids that lead to fatigue and brain fog. If you feel like garbage, you will act like garbage. You can’t become the leader you were created to be if you're too exhausted to keep your eyes open past 8:00 PM.

The Hangover Fix and Recovery

I've got some good tips to beat hangovers, too. The older you get, the more the bill for a night out comes due the next morning. The "hair of the dog" is a lie—it just delays the inevitable. The real secret is hydration and electrolytes before you hit the pillow. Drink a liter of water and take some magnesium. The headache is usually just your brain shrinking because it's dehydrated. Better yet, learn when to put the glass down. A man who can't control his intake usually can't control his output, either. Discipline applies to the bar just as much as it does to the squat rack.

Recovery isn't just about the booze. It’s about sleep. Sleep is when your body repairs the damage you did during the day. If you are getting five hours a night, you are operating at half-capacity. Your testosterone drops. Your cortisol spikes. You become irritable and prone to making bad decisions. Buy a blackout curtain and put your phone in another room. It’s not complicated; it’s just boring, which is why most guys won't do it.

The Dad Bod Delusion

We need to address the trend of celebrating the "dad bod." It's a cope. It is a way for men to feel okay about the fact that they've let themselves go. Having a kid doesn't mean you have to have a gut. In fact, having a kid means you need to be in better shape because you have someone who depends on you to stay alive. A child needs a father who can run, jump, and defend them, not a father who gets winded walking up the stairs. Don't believe the hype; it’s a slow death disguised as comfort. Stay sharp. Stay lean. Stay ready.

—Your Bro