Let’s face it. We men are likely to believe that our health is excellent or very good. Or when there is something wrong, men do not open up to their close one and instead conceal the pain or illness they might have which is the biggest problem. This can cause serious delays in diagnosis and treatment leading to more serious illness, diseases and a very short and painful life.

Here is a very short list of some of the more serious health issues concerning a man you currently face or will face in the future:

- Erectile dysfunction;
- Heart disease;
- Prostatitis;
- Diabetes;
- High Blood Pressure;
- Peyronies disease;
- Many sexual health problems;
- Nutritional deficiencies;
- Sleep disorders;
- Cholesterol problems;
- Depression Symptoms;
- Osteoporosis;
- Male urinary tract infections;
- Prostate cancer;
- Colon cancer;
- Lung cancer;
- Testicular cancer;
- Low testosterone symptoms.

Luckily, the U.S. government concluded that an estimated one half of all deaths in the US could be prevented through changes in personal health practices.

So, don’t forget to have some health checkup once in a while or at least once a year for younger adults. Be aware of the possible health issues and start living healthy and eating healthy to eliminate most of the risks.

So this month’s Cherng Mud is called ONGKOT KUANG PRAKAN (”KUANG” in Thai means “twirling”). This move is also known as the Twirled Fists. I’ll tell you a little bit what it is then how to perform this move step-by-step to make it easy to follow.

This move is particularly useful when the opponent fights and afterwards begins to escape or withdraw after executing a technique. As he starts to step back, the boxer should take advantage of this good opportunity to make a good attack with both left and right punches, aiming for the chop line.

To Attack: Use both your hands to guard against blows coming from both sides. Never relax your arms as blows to the jaw can be damaging. Keep your head down and continue to move back as you prepare for a counter-attack.

To Defense: Since, once you’re in this situation, there is a very slim chance for you To Defense act the blows being thrown by the attacker, given that both your arms are locked into a defensive position as the boxer throws left and right punches, your only resort would be to make use of your lower body. You can throw your right or left foot to strike the attacker’s midsection.

Many of Muay Thai fighters want to travel to Thailand to train Muay Thai and also spend a good vacation in Thailand. But choosing a gym is sometimes frustrated. Here are the things you might want to consider so you will have the best time in Thailand and also be happy with the Muay Thai training sessions.

1. Location: Study well where you want to go. Do you prefer the seas or mountains? Or perhaps you love big city that have malls, pubs and all the facility like in Bangkok. The most famous places that most foreigners spend their vacations in Thailand and have many choices of gyms are Phuket, Chiangmai and Bangkok. However, if you dig deeper about Thailand or you have some Thai friends living in other provinces, those provinces might interest you more like historical places etc, you might go for one other specific province that also have Muay Thai gyms though not several choices to choose.

2. Reputation and Popularity: Look well in boxing forums or websites about your choices of gyms. See the comments of the ones that have been to those places. Some gyms websites might provide good pictures but the training might not be good. So friends’ opinions will be useful.

3. Facility: It is also important that your choice of Thai boxing gyms should provide proper facility for you. Some gyms might be very old or use poor quality equipment.

4. Communication: believe it or not, many gyms in Thailand have someone who can speak your language. If you’re accustomed to your own language that is not English, you might want to look for a gym that has someone who can talk to you in your language, if lucky, you might find a personal trainer that can communicate with your directly.

5. Other things: you might prefer other services from the gym. For example, a place to stay, air port pick up, etc. Most big gyms also provide these services just like hotels.

For boxers like us, running is the best way to create stamina without any cost. However, running might also cause injuries and we all should be cautious and know how to prevent them.

First, have strong feet and stability ankle muscles. Doing these following exercises will provide you the strength to your feet and ankles and keep you moving for a good long run. These two exercises can stop the injuries before they start, says Michael Smith, a track coach at Kansas State University.

- Toe curls: Use your toes to pick up things like a golf ball or towel for 3 sets of 10 reps. You can do it in front of TV or your laptop.
- Alphabet balance: stand barefoot on one foot with the other foot poised 12 inches above the ground. With the raised foot, write the alphabet in large letters.

Walking breaks of about one to two minutes between each mile you run. This method can prevent muscle fatigue.

Running breaks down muscles, says William Kreamer, Ph.D., a professor of kinesiology at the University of Connecticut’s human-performance lab. “Weight lifting spurs muscle and tendon regrowth, giving you stronger joints and muscles.” So ,as little as 60 to 90 minutes of strength training each week, over two or three sessions, can prevent the destructiveness of running.

Gait analysis might be another good way to eliminate the hurts from your running. Find local university’s sports medicine department or go to motion-lab.com to find a lab near you.

LUANG DAN HERA is just like the PAJON CHANG SAN in our last month newsletter. If you can recall, PAJON CHANG SAN is done by throwing a punch and a kick at the same time. This one, LUANG DAN HERA is done by throwing a punch and the KNEE at the same time. Don’t get confused.

Like the PAJON CHANG SAN, this combination is used for attack, defense or escape. Used when there is a short distance between the two fighters, the boxer throws a right swing to the opponent’s left jaw and at the same time throws his left knee to hit his opponent’s right rib. The LUANG DAN HERA is best used when the opponent becomes careless, not bewares and lets his guard down.

To Attack: The opponent must shield himself from the boxer’s blows by sweeping the potential punch away with his left arm. He should also quickly sway towards the right while raising his elbow to protect the ribs.

To Defense: Twist a bit to the right, set your weight on your right leg, and use your left knee to strike the boxer’s right rib. This counter-attack is similar to the one used for PAJON CHANG SAN; only this time, the knee is used instead of the shin or the foot.