The start of a new year is the perfect time to drop bad habits and focus on your health. The holidays are behind you, and you have the rest of the year to focus on discovering a healthy lifestyle. This is especially important for men, according to the Movember Foundation, as men are dying on average six years earlier than women from causes that may be mostly preventable. To help you or the man in your life find and maintain a healthy lifestyle, here are four health management tips.

1. Maintain a healthy weight. Maintaining a healthy weight through diet and exercise may benefit every part of your body. Increase your intake of fruits, vegetables, and lean meats, while limiting foods that are high in fat, sugar, and salt. In addition to eating a healthy diet, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least two and a half hours of moderate to intense exercise or physical activity every week.
2. Get more sleep. The benefits of good sleep cannot be overstated. Getting at least seven to eight hours of good-quality sleep each night may lower your stress and increase your energy levels. It may also be linked to long-term health benefits like a decreased risk of obesity, increased brain function, and decreased risk of heart disease and stroke.
3. Put down the cigarette. According to the American Lung Association, nearly 500,000 people die each year from tobacco use or exposure to second-hand smoke. The good news is that as soon as you quit, your body may start to reverse the damage caused by smoking. Increased lung function, decreased risk of heart attack, and decreased risk of stroke are merely a few of the health benefits that may come from quitting smoking.
4. Talk to your doctor. Check the tough-guy routine at the door to your doctor's office. It is important to be up front and honest with your doctor about your lifestyle, health history, and symptoms in order to receive effective treatment and assessment of health risks. Regular doctor visits are also important to receive preventative screenings for the most common diseases that may affect men, such as prostate cancer, colon cancer, and diabetes.