Today's fast-paced, high-stress lifestyle seems to demand that men be Supermen. A man must be strong physically during workouts and sports, supportive emotionally in relationships, balanced under stress, mentally creative and quick and sexually keen and virile. Diet and exercise are the main pillars supporting a man's health and energy. Both are woefully deficient in the modern American man's life. Poor farming methods and processed foods have made us one of earth's most nutritionally deficient nations. Our hectic yet sedentary lives don't seem to allow for exercise unless a very conscious effort is made. Regular exercise is a nutrient in itself for the male system. Men need exercise for weight control and general health to a greater degree than women.

Lack of exercise for a man is as great a health risk as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or even smoking. Hearth muscle and tone can be lost if weekly exercise is not included as a regular part of life. To maintain a healthy level of fitness, a man should exercise at least three times a week for 20 to 30 minutes each time. His chosen exercise should raise his heart rate at least 65 to 70 percent of its capacity to the point of breathlessness for 5 minutes. A fit, exercised body requires vigorous concentrations of metabolic precursors, such as vitamin, minerals and enzymes for strength and efficiency. Enhanced nutrition can improve strength, endurance and muscle tissue, and help to maintain low body fat.

An optimum diet for male metabolism requires adequate quantity of food, but not high fats. A man needs more fiber, protein and complex carbohydrates than a woman. His diet should include animal proteins in moderation, like occasional eggs, chicken, turkey, low-fat dairy products, and sea foods. A diet high in amino acid-rich foods provides easily convertible proteins. Zinc-rich foods encourage prostate and reproductive system health. Men also seem to thrive on more cooked than raw foods for the stability of denser, more solid nutrients. Those in whole grains, beans, rice and soy products offer prolonged endurance and increased sensitivity.

Herbs can be a valuable answer for men's chronic health problems, a kind of natural insurance policy for many male needs.

Herbs offer men a way to get back in control of their own health. Information about how to use herbs safely and effectively is health. Before the industrialized nations made such drastic changes in family structure and population concentrations, most families knew how to use herbs for health. And men were the more generally respected herbalists, with a long tradition of understanding the relationship between body, spirit and health.