Strength isn’t only about pushing through, providing for others, or handling everything on your own. It’s also about taking care of yourself.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about men’s health and the expectations that many men grow up with. Men are often taught to be strong, independent, hardworking, protective, and dependable. They’re expected to provide for their families, protect the people they love, and keep going even when life gets difficult.
There are a lot of admirable qualities in that. But I think sometimes men are so focused on taking care of everyone else that they forget to take care of themselves.
And men’s health really does deserve attention. In the United States, men have a life expectancy nearly five years shorter than women, and in 2024, the suicide rate for men was nearly four times the rate for women. These statistics don’t mean that men and women have it harder or easier than one another. They simply remind us that men’s health deserves to be part of the conversation.
There are also some very real physical risks that disproportionately affect men. Men make up the vast majority of people serving in the U.S. military. In 2024, about 82% of active-duty service members were men.
Men are also much more likely to work in some of the country’s most dangerous occupations. Construction, transportation, farming, fishing, forestry, installation and repair are just a few examples of industries where the physical risks can be significant. In 2024, there were 4,657 fatal occupational injuries among men compared with 413 among women.
Many men spend their lives doing physically demanding work, serving in the military, protecting others, or simply carrying a tremendous amount of responsibility. There’s something admirable about being willing to work hard and put yourself in difficult situations for the people you care about. But it also raises an important question: Who takes care of the person who is always taking care of everyone else?
For many men, being “tough” can sometimes mean pushing through pain, ignoring stress, working when they’re exhausted, or putting off going to the doctor. But there’s a difference between resilience and neglecting your health. Taking care of yourself isn’t a sign that you’re weak or that you’re putting your responsibilities aside. In fact, it’s one of the best ways to make sure you’re healthy enough to continue showing up for the people who depend on you.
This is one of the reasons I believe yoga can be so valuable for men.
Yoga isn’t just stretching. It builds strength, mobility, balance, flexibility, and body awareness. It can be a great complement to weightlifting, running, surfing, sports, or physically demanding work. For someone whose body is constantly being pushed, yoga can provide a different kind of movement and give the body an opportunity to recover.
But there’s another part of yoga that I think is just as important: learning to listen to your body.
Yoga gives you an opportunity to slow down and notice where you’re holding tension, how you’re breathing, and what your body actually needs. Sometimes you need to challenge yourself, and sometimes you need to back off and recover. Learning to recognize the difference is an important part of taking care of yourself.
And you don’t have to be flexible to do yoga. You don’t have to touch your toes, do a handstand, or know anything about yoga before you walk into a class. You simply have to be willing to show up and give yourself some time to move, breathe, and take care of your body.
I think we’re seeing a positive shift in the way men think about health. More men are recognizing that strength isn’t just about how much you can lift or how much you can endure. It’s also about being healthy enough to enjoy your life, be present with your family, and continue doing the things you love.
If you’ve spent years taking care of everyone else, maybe it’s time to take a little better care of yourself, too.
Taking care of yourself isn’t weakness. It’s strength.
