Happy new year, everybody! It’s nice to be back. I hope you all are enjoying Christmastime (if you follow your old Christmas carols, you know there are twelve days of Christmas, so it’s still Christmas even if you have already scuffed your new kicks).

In past years, I’ve shared with you a focus word — a theme word that I hold as an intention for the new year. In 2016, for example, I had the word Desire. Last year, it was Breakthrough. This year the word that keeps coming back to me, in and out of prayer, is the word Restoration. Let me unpack what this word is saying to me and why it is my focus word for 2019.

Worldview

If you’ve been reading here awhile, you know I’m big on worldview — specifically a biblical worldview. You can read more about that here . But in the cheat code version, a world view addresses four main issues and questions. They are:

• Creation – Where did we come from?
• Fall — What is our fundamental problem?
• Redemption — What’s the cure for our problem?
• Restoration — In light of the cure, how should we live?

From the outset, the word restoration is powerful to me because if its broad scope and purposefulness in setting things right. I am concerned with personal restoration in some measurable ways, as well as with the abstract “out there”, as I hope to illustrate. Here are the areas I think of when I consider Restoration for 2019:

Health

This is primarily an intention for friends and family members who have been struggling with chronic conditions as well as the ravages of time. In 2019, I’d like to see them restored to health through better choices, doing what they can. And I pray God’s grace and healing for what they can’t do on their own.

Fitness

By now, it’s a cliche that everybody wants to get back in shape in the new year. I confess that last year, I let myself drift from maintenance mode to something below that. I feel it. i see it. I know what to do and I’m going to change it. One of my best Christmas gifts — in true “Advent Conspiracy” spirit — was several sessions with a personal trainer to kickstart my motivation. Just what I needed.

Career/Finances

Last year turned out well. In the arena of work and finances, I experienced something of the breakthrough I was hoping for. We were, at last, able to tackle some pesky debt. Restoration for me in this area will mean making better use of the money God entrusts to me, sticking to a workable budget, and seeing to some things that I should have taken care of a long time ago.

We all do the best we can with what we have, but eventually, the house has to be painted, the refrigerator or the water heater dies, you have to replace the garage door, or the car will need new tires. I’m thankful to be in a position where these events — when they come — won’t be a crisis.

Meanwhile, I’m thankful for the success I’ve enjoyed in my current role, and the contributions I’ve made to the company. At the same time I’m feeling restless in this new year. Restoration in this regard would mean a new challenge — an opportunity to make my mark and create value in a new space. It could be I’m projecting this onto my career from a different facet of my life, but I have learned not to ignore this when it comes.

Society/Politics

I have published several posts based on Roy H. Williams’ and Michael Drew’s book, Pendulum, and my reading of the news suggests the authors’ predictions are, unfortunately, true. Restoration in this sense will be to seek the welfare of the city and the area where I live.

I believe what Jesus said about our being salt and light in this world. If you’ve been reading these posts over the years, you’ll have noticed that I tend not to discuss partisan politics much (policy, yes). That’s intentional. I have very strong opinions, and I even like to argue, but I think the times are such that we need to emphasize what we hold in common, rather than picking at the scab of where we differ.

I want to see alienated friends and family members restored to each other, and I am going to continue to stay out of the social media mud. If we can avoid the kind of trouble keyboard warriors like to conjure up, good. If, on the other hand, things get as bad as the book predicts, I want to prepare myself and my household to come out on the other side intact and to be part of the — you guessed it — restoration.

Manners and morals

The famous British abolitionist William Wilberforce set about to end the cruel and immoral slave trade, but also to work for, as he put it, “the reformation of morals.” Restoration in our day will take the form of engaging in public questions with an eye toward solving problems. For my part, I intend to do this with the best thinking I can muster and in as kind a manner as I can. I intend never to be a doormat, but I don’t want to treat people of goodwill like one, either.

Those who want to pick a fight or wish us harm will be in our prayers. After that, we’ll deal appropriately.

Wanting to be part of the solution

When we look back at that worldview section, it’s hard to miss that God’s purpose in sending Jesus to be our redeemer was ultimately to restore and renew not just his favorites, but the entire cosmos. It is dented, dinged-up, and rusty, but God says He plans to renew it all. Trust me — you want to be part of it.

So like Wilberforce, let’s use the resources, the strengths, the gifts, and the contacts we have to make this battered world a much better place.

How will we know when we get there?

Quite simply, we won’t. But just because we can’t in our own strength construct a Heaven on earth that is not a reason we should not strive to make this earth as much like Heaven as it can possibly be. Think about what this would look like in terms of justice, education, opportunity, and economic and social mobility.

I assure you, I didn’t get hit in the head and become a Utopian Socialist. I am still a believer in capitalism as the greatest engine of prosperity for the greatest number of people — but we can do better. Part of this resides in the object of our service. If we love and serve God and love our neighbor — seeking the best for him — we aren’t going to pile up wealth so we can hoard it. Instead, we will seek to put it to work to accomplish the work of restoration. Where we have been successful, we will create opportunities for others to succeed. We will connect people with needs to the people who have the means to address those needs. And we will live in community as beggars who found bread and are busy telling other beggars where they can find it, too.

I look forward to what this year will bring — especially since I see the amount of work it will take.

So how about you? What is your word for 2019? What does it mean to you? (If you don’t have one yet, it’s not too late.)

So here we are with Thanksgiving about three weeks away, and Christmas about a month after that.  Whether you’re trying to make your sales quota, or trying to maintain your GPA, this point in the year seems to jam a stick in many men’s spokes.  Whatever the reason, the temptation appears this way: Why not just throw it in neutral and coast ’til the new year?

We’ve talked before about living a life of consequence so let me give you some grade A elephant chow — you cannot make your mark in life if you don’t finish strong.

Here’s my personal checklist to get and stay motivated:

Sleep — How many hours a night do I need, and how many am I getting?  It’s remarkable how much easier it is to stay motivated when you’re getting enough quality sleep.  This is one of those things where you must be present to win.  You can’t outsource it and you can’t be your best without it.  Without adequate rest, your judgment is impaired and your attention is spent trying to stay awake rather than on doing quality work.

Note that sleep researchers have determined that your brain needs that downtime to process all that great thinking you’ve been doing all day.  In a similar way, all the benefits of your exercise regimen accrue while you’re asleep. That’s right — you don’t build muscle in the gym, you build it while you’re asleep.

Depending on your age, you need between seven-and-a-half and nine hours of sleep per night for optimal health. (More than nine hours a night will shorten your life.  Seriously.)  Biologically, the sleep cycle is 90 minutes, so to be able to wake up when you mean to without feeling drugged, count back from your wake time in 90 minute blocks.  For example, since I want to get 7.5 hours of sleep and to wake up at 5:30 AM, I need to be asleep by 10:00 PM.

Naps are good — just keep them under 20 minutes.  Oh, and if you need more sleep than you’ve been getting, try turning in earlier.  Wayne Cordeiro calls that “sleeping in on the right side of the clock.”

Hydration — Am I drinking enough water?  I know coffee contains water, but your body and your brain need good old dihydrogen monoxide for you to feel like yourself.  You wouldn’t operate your car without oil in the crankcase would you?

Attitude — Am I able to see the tasks in front of me as important parts of the life and legacy I’m building?  Are they providing me with knowledge or experience I’ll be able to use later?  I have learned that I don’t always have the best vantage point to make that judgment while I’m in the middle of them.

Without a doubt there are assignments that do not seem to fit the context of your mission — and the younger you are, the less likely it is you can refuse them and live.  Strive to connect those mandatory tasks to your calling, wrap them up successfully and move on.

Anxiety —  Am I allowing fears to distract me?  When I am facing the likelihood of undesirable results or the fear of failure, I sometimes find it easier to procrastinate than to move forward.

This is the heart of it:  You and I must take authority over these fears and silence them.  Even if they seem to be the most real things in our lives, even if there is empirical evidence accompanied by 95% confidence interval statistics that predict that the thing you dread is coming true, you must run toward it to overcome it.  As Michael Hyatt says there is no failure — only learning.

Nutrition — Am I taking in enough of the right kind of foods?  You need protein and fats (yes!) to maintain muscle and brain health.  We’ll talk more about this later, but make sure you aren’t starving yourself and make sure you aren’t getting most of your calories from carbohydrates.

Exercise — Am I skipping my workouts?  Physical activity will increase your confidence, boost your mood, and bust your stress.  If you have access to a gym, make time for regular exercise.  If you don’t, do what I do — train at home.  If you outgrow a pull-up bar and a 55-lb. kettlebell, mister, I’d like to shake your hand.

Discipline — Am I considering how my actions or inaction will affect my family, my colleagues, my friends — the ones who depend on me?  Am I allocating my time,  attention, effort and money to get the outcomes I desire? I am a big believer in to-do lists as well as in Evernote for keeping track of the things I must get done.

Pro tip — For us men, testosterone is where a lot of our get up and go comes from.  Nearly everything on my checklist will affect your testosterone level for good or ill.  Look into it and stay motivated.

So how about you?  What’s weighing you down?  What are you doing to overcome it?  What did I miss on my checklist?  Add your comments below.

“What lifetime are you waiting for?” – Bill Hybels

I hope you had a great celebration on Christmas Day, and that you are still enjoying the joy of this season. Today, I want to encourage you to think about your plans for the new year. I have written before about setting SMART goals, and I won’t repeat myself here, but I want to urge you to think broadly with more of a systems approach to the life you want.

Map the systems of your life and optimize them for a more effective new year.

The plague of “If only” thinking

When I was a child, my parents sometimes gave me books as presents. One such gift was Dr. Seuss’ I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew (published over 50 years ago!). Although not as well-known as some of his other books, Solla Sollew made a great point — and thanks to Dr. Seuss and his gift for rhyme — I have remembered its message ever since.

The main character stubs his toe and encounters a series of other vexations and decides as a result to find a place without these frustrations. Just then, our hero meets a traveler who is on his way to Solla Sollew, “where they never have troubles — at least very few.” The story develops as the hero faces other challenges and reaches a surprising and hopeful conclusion.

If this year has been a bad year for you and your family, you might wish for a ticket to Solla Sollew, or at least to a better set of circumstances. I want to challenge you to resist the temptation to think this way. Perhaps you know people in the grip of “If only” thinking. You know: the single people who think if only they were married they’d be happy; the unhappily married ones who think if only they were married to someone else they be happy; the unemployed or underemployed who think if only they had a better job — any job — they’d be happy; or the childless couples who think if only they had a baby they’d be happy. And on and on.

For the record, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be married, with wanting children, with wanting a job, or with the desire for better circumstances. (Though if you’re married and it isn’t going well, I can’t advocate divorce. I do recommend working on it — prayerfully.) The problem with “If only” thinking is, you’re always putting your happiness off — and let’s define happiness as the peak of your effectiveness and fulfillment — into some hazy future. It might as well be never.

If you want to have a happier, more fulfilling new year — with more to show for it — I have a suggestion for you.

Systems thinking

In these and other circumstances, they key is to think less in terms of goals and more in terms of systems. Although this principle finds its most common use in problem solving in science and industry, you may also find it useful for increasing your effectiveness and for creating virtuous circles — chains of things that go right, which facilitate other things that go right — in your life.

So, what’s a system?

A system is a collection of parts that all work together for a specific purpose or set of purposes. These parts can consist of physical structures or entities, but also of the inputs and outputs of the system. It’s possible for a part to be shared by more than one system, but to belong to a system, a part must be integral — essential — to the functioning of the system. To illustrate this, think about the various systems of the human body. The circulatory system contains your heart, lungs, blood, veins and arteries, and its input is oxygen and carbon dioxide is its output. You can identify the parts and inputs/outputs of the skeletal, muscular, digestive, endocrine, nervous and reproductive systems, and you can see how they work together.

Now let’s apply this concept to the aspects of your life with an eye toward making next year better than this one. If you are seeking a better job, the parts might consist of your education, experience, attitude, talent, location, and your network. Your career system inputs would be time and effort, and your outputs would be your specific work product and the money you earn.

Putting it to work

Taking a systems approach to your career, you can begin to understand how to improve the overall efficiency of the system. We’re looking for the smallest tweaks that will deliver the greatest gains. So ask yourself what aspects of the system need tweaking? If you lack skills, how can you increase your competence? If your commute or your extracurricular activities leave you too tired to keep up the pace or maintain consistent quality of output, what changes can you make to enable you to increase your value? It could be a change to your diet to maximize energy, and/or it could be as simple as getting to bed earlier.

Your career is just one system. You can apply this to marriage and family, friendships, community activities, creative pursuits, and your health.

Eating my own cooking

For the new year, I am again replacing the creation of annual goals with an assessment of the various systems in my life. My hypothesis is that this approach will free me from the restrictions of numerical goals (What if I establish too easy of a goal and kill it by the end of February? What if I was too optimistic?) while allowing me to increase the return on investment in every aspect of my life.

It is still important to have measurements and timelines, and yet I believe the systems approach will enable me to keep a better watch on my progress. In the realm of fitness, this approach has made me stronger and more flexible than I thought I’d be at this age.

Give it a try and let’s see where we end up next December — not someday.

So how about you? What systems, inputs and outputs can you identify in your life? How do you intend to tweak them to increase your effectiveness in the coming year? Add your comments below.

P.S. I recognize that many famous people have passed away this year, and we are laboring under this idea that the calendar kills people. You see this with social media postings earnestly addressing 2016 as if it is a living thing. Nonsense! While I mourn the loss of several of my personal favorites this year, we all have to realize that death is part of the package in a fallen world. It’s a sad fact. But more important, each of us has only so many years to accomplish his life’s work. All the more reason, then, to get busy becoming the best possible version of yourself.

“I don’t care how old I live; I just want to be LIVING while I am living!” – Fitness pioneer Jack Lalanne

In previous posts, we’ve talked about the principles of fitness, the proper technique for pull-ups, and the correct macronutrients for getting strong and staying lean. Today, I’d like to tell you about some of the supplements I take. Before I do this, I want to offer the following disclaimer:

I am not a doctor, and I am not telling you what you should do — I’m only telling you what I am doing. You’re an adult so do your homework and check the facts with your own doctor. If you ignore this paragraph, you’ll want to read my upcoming post on wisdom. Still with me?

The only iron supplement a man needs.
(photo by Marcin Czaja – used with permission)

The rationale

We live in a broken world. Death, disease, and deterioration are, ultimately, unavoidable, but rather than giving in to fatalism, I have decided to do what I can with what I have to influence those aspects of my health that seem to respond to supplementation.

My criteria for adding something to my regimen are straightforward. I want to see well-documented, independent reports of the alleged benefits — not carefully masked advertisements from the ones who stand to profit from it. I will try the supplement for a month, and attempt to measure its effects. Better sleep, less joint stiffness, or improved endurance are the kinds of things I’m looking for. And I want to understand how the supplement might interact with other supplements.

The background

I have no chronic illnesses and no prescriptions, so I have less to be concerned about. Also, I do not smoke (anything) or drink alcohol. We can talk about that later, if you like.

The supplements

Acetyl L Carnitine and Alpha Lipoic Acid – Few things in life are as terrifying as dementia. In addition to exercise, I take a daily dose of this potent antioxidant combo to help preserve my brain. I do not get Limitless-like special effects, however.

Resveratrol – This extract of red wine grapes reportedly holds some promise for extending longevity. Since it is derived from food, I do not regard taking it as a risk if the science doesn’t hold up.

Glucosamine Sulfate – As my body ages, I have to be concerned about conserving joint cartilage. The most recent research I read showed that glucosamine alone outperformed the combination of glucosamine and chondroitin. I have taken his supplement faithfully and have remained active, so I’m sticking with it.

Saw Palmetto – I have read in more than one source that almost every man can experience enlargement of the prostate gland — it’s simply a matter of when. The research is less than overwhelming, but I began taking saw palmetto before my 40th birthday to help slow the process. So far so good.

Potassium gluconate – If you increase your protein intake, your body will eliminate the excess in your urine. This diuretic effect can take potassium with it. I take a potassium supplement to help replace what get flushed out. This helps me avoid muscle cramping and keeps me from feeling lethargic.

Probiotics – I am fascinated with what we are learning about the role our microbiomes play in ensuring good health. To keep my gut flora healthy, I have eliminated artificial sweeteners from my diet and I take a supplement every day. I also have added more fermented foods to my plate.

Vitamin D3 – My doctor recommended this one to me several years ago. Given how little time most of us get outdoors, and the more frequent use of sunblock when we do, we are inhibiting our bodies’ opportunity to synthesize vitamin D from sun exposure. I take 2,000 International Units per day, and I have noticed greater capacity for work and more rapid recovery, with less tendency to get sick. If you’d like to know more about this supplement, you can read how and why college and professional athletes are using vitamin D3 here. If people who make their living outside can be vitamin D deficient, you could be, too.

Selenium – I don’t take this in a pill form. I get selenium from Brazil nuts. Unless one has a medical diagnosis I am not in favor of testosterone supplements. I am in favor of increasing my body’s own production. Zinc and selenium — along with lifting — seem to work for me.

No silver bullets

No one supplement will guarantee health or longer life. I take a systems approach to my health, as I do with most things these days. I’m seeking small (in terms of cost and energy) changes that will have outsized benefits. This way, my health rests on multiple columns of activity, nutrition, hydration, rest, prayer, and supplementation. It’s going to be very difficult to knock all of those down at once. I’ll let you know how it goes when I’m 110 years old!

So how about you? What supplements have you found most helpful in your fitness regimen? Add your comments below.

“What lifetime are you waiting for?” – Bill Hybels

Christmas is soon approaching, and we will do some talking and thinking about it presently. Today, though, I want to encourage you to think about your plans for the new year. I have written before about setting SMART goals, and I won’t repeat myself here, but I want to urge you to think broadly with more of a systems approach to the life you want.

Map the systems of your life and optimize them for a more effective new year.

The plague of “If only” thinking

When I was a child, my parents sometimes gave me books as presents. One such gift was Dr. Seuss’ I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew (published 50 years ago!). Although not as well-known as some of his other books, Solla Sollew made a great point — and thanks to Dr. Seuss and his gift for rhyme — I have remembered its message ever since.

The main character stubs his toe and encounters a series of other vexations and decides as a result to find a place without these frustrations. Just then, our hero meets a traveler who is on his way to Solla Sollew, “where they never have troubles — at least very few.” The story develops as the hero faces other challenges and reaches a surprising and hopeful conclusion.

If 2015 has been a bad year for you or your family, you might wish for a ticket to Solla Sollew, or at least to a better set of circumstances. I want to challenge you to resist the temptation to think this way. Perhaps you know people in the grip of “If only” thinking. You know: the single people who think if only they were married they’d be happy; the unhappily married ones who think if only they were married to someone else they be happy; the unemployed or underemployed who think if only they had a better job — any job — they’d be happy; or the childless couples who think if only they had a baby they’d be happy. And on and on.

For the record, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be married, with wanting children, with wanting a job, or with the desire for better circumstances. (Though if you’re married and it isn’t going well, I can’t advocate divorce.) The problem with “If only” thinking is, you’re always putting your happiness — and let’s define happiness as the peak of your effectiveness and fulfillment — into some hazy future. It might as well be never.

If you want to have a happier, more fulfilling 2016 — with more to show for it — I have a suggestion for you.

Systems thinking

In these and other circumstances, they key is to think less in terms of goals and more in terms of systems. Although this principle finds its most common use in problem solving in science and industry, you may also find it useful for increasing your effectiveness and for creating virtuous circles — chains of things that go right, which facilitate other things that go right — in your life.

So, what’s a system?

A system is a collection of parts that all work together for a specific purpose or set of purposes. These parts can consist of physical structures or entities, but also of the inputs and outputs of the system. It’s possible for a part to be shared by more than one system, but to belong to a system, a part must be integral — essential — to the functioning of the system. To illustrate this, think about the various systems of the human body. The circulatory system contains your heart, lungs, blood, veins and arteries, and its input is oxygen and carbon dioxide is its output. You can identify the parts and inputs/outputs of the skeletal, digestive, endocrine, nervous and reproductive systems.

Now let’s apply this concept to the aspects of your life with an eye toward making next year better than this one. If you are seeking a better job, the parts might consist of your education, experience, attitude, talent, location, and your network. Your career system inputs would be time and effort, and your outputs would be your specific work product and the money you earn.

Putting it to work

Taking a systems approach to your career, you can begin to understand how to improve the overall efficiency of the system. So ask yourself what aspects of the system need tweaking? If you lack skills, how can you increase your competence? If your commute or your extracurricular activities leave you too tired to keep up the pace or maintain consistent quality of output, what changes can you make to enable you to increase your value? It could be a change to your diet to maximize energy, and/or it could be as simple as getting to bed earlier.

Your career is just one system. You can apply this to marriage and family, friendships, community activities, creative pursuits, and your health.

Eating my own cooking

For 2016, I am replacing the creation of annual goals with an assessment of the various systems in my life. My hypothesis is that this approach will free me from the restrictions of numerical goals (What if I establish too easy of a goal and kill it by the end of February? What if I was too optimistic?) while allowing me to increase the return on investment in every aspect of my life.

It is still important to have measurements and timelines, and yet I believe the systems approach will enable me to keep a better watch on my progress. In the realm of fitness, this approach has made me stronger and more flexible than I thought I’d be at this age.

Give it a try and let’s see where we end up next December — not someday.

So how about you? What systems, inputs and outputs can you identify in your life? How do you intend to tweak them to increase your effectiveness in 2016? Add your comments below.

“See my beard
ain’t it weird?
Don’t be skeered
It’s just a beard” – George Carlin

November is the month dedicated to men’s health issues, and let’s be real — men, we’ve got issues! Between prostate cancer, testicular cancer, emotional or psychological disorders, addiction, and poor fitness, it almost seems like we’re doomed. Notice I said “almost.” And “seems” — I also said it seems like we’re doomed.

A No-shave November success dreams of a cure.
photo by Jay Mantri

Well, life is fatal…

The last time I checked, the probability of death is 1, meaning that it is certain each of us will die. That doesn’t mean that life is meaningless. I argue just the opposite — each of us owes it to himself to make the most of his one-and-only life, no matter how long or short it may be.

Take care of yourself

We’ve talked about this before. It is not selfish to take care of your health. It is good stewardship to maintain your health so you can take care of the ones you love. This means, you are to, as Bob Buford puts it, “Build on the islands of health and strength.” You invest in health and strength in yourself, so you can invest your health and strength cultivating it in others.

In other posts, we’ve talked about the benefits of exercise, and about how to eat for optimal health. If I haven’t devoted an entire post to the importance of sleep, I should do that soon. In the meantime, please note that I said quality sleep is important.

Do I have to go to the doctor?

No, you get to go to the doctor. If your budget and insurance coverage allow for it, please allot time and dollars for an annual physical examination. We live in a remarkable age, when we have treatments and even cures for so many dread diseases — especially when your doctor can catch them early. A saying common among the old folks was, “A stitch in time saves nine.” Allow me to translate: addressing a problem early saves time and money — and where your health is concerned, it could save your life.

Those who do not remember the past…

In addition to developing a professional relationship with your doctor, take the time to learn your family’s medical history. Many risk factors for diseases are genetic. Knowing whether any of your relatives had cancer or heart disease can help you reduce your risk through lifestyle changes and more careful screening. This also applies to alcoholism, by the way.

Bonus fact: Infertility is hereditary. If your parents didn’t have kids, chances are you won’t either.

What’s with Movember and No-Shave November?

I’m so glad you read the question I planted! As I have been promoting both of these to my subscribers (and if you’re not one, you know you could become one for free), both Movember and No-Shave November are worldwide campaigns to raise awareness and funds for research into men’s health issues. If you want to participate, you grow a mustache (for Movember) or a full facial crop for No-Shave November and donate what you would otherwise spend on grooming products (razors, blades, shave cream, etc.) to the cause. By participating, you make a real virtue of something that happens naturally and you can actually save a life by NOT doing something.

How big a deal is this?

It’s a pretty big deal. Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers diagnosed in men — the second leading cause of cancer death in men (lung cancer is first) — with nearly a quarter million new cases every year and approximately 25,000 deaths. Prostate cancer is much more common after age 65, and the CDC estimates that every man has a 1 in 7 chance of being diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. Although most prostate cancers are slow-growing, the treatments can be debilitating. We need to continue research to improve detection and treatment options.

Testicular cancer affects younger men, with most cases occurring between the ages of 15 and 40. It is one of the most frightening cancers to contemplate, but it is actually one of the most easily treated and cured. Stage I diagnoses have a 99% survival rate. Your lifetime risk of getting testicular cancer is about 1 in 200. At the same time, it is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among men ages 15-to-35, so it pays to be vigilant.

As I mentioned above, early detection is the key. And one way you can help yourself is to learn how to perform a testicular self examination (TSE). You can (ahem) handle this in the shower once a month. It takes less than a minute.

Help a brother out

You mission, should you decide to accept it, is as follows:

• Sign up for No-shave November or Movember
• Grow a big ol’ beard or a stylin’ mustache (You may even decide to keep it year ’round.)
• Please donate — you can’t pay research scientists with awareness

So how about you? How are you going to get involved in improving men’s health — yours and others’? Add your comments below.