Edited by Mikkel Hyldebrandt
Queerly Beloved, let’s be honest: most health advice falls into two exhausting camps. Either it’s all about getting shredded, or it’s wrapped in so much wellness jargon that you feel stressed before you even start. This guide is neither. Think of it as health that fits into your real life – the one with late nights, chosen family dinners, hookup culture, work stress, and a group chat that never sleeps.
No perfection. No punishment. Just small shifts that actually stick.
Romanticize Hydration (Without Becoming That Guy)
Yes, water matters—but not in a “carry a gallon jug everywhere” way. Hydration is less about discipline and more about convenience. Keep water where you already exist: next to your bed, in your bag, by your couch. If it’s within arm’s reach, you’ll drink it without thinking.
Pro tip: alternate drinks when you’re out. One cocktail, one water. Not to be virtuous—just to avoid the hangover spiral that ruins your next day. Hydration improves digestion, skin, energy, and even libido. Quietly powerful. Very gay of it.
Walk Like You’re Gossiping
You don’t need a gym membership to move your body. You need a destination and a little drama. Walking—especially when paired with a phone call, a podcast, or voice notes—is one of the most underrated health tools available.
Walk while catching up with a friend. Walk to clear your head after a bad date. Walk like you’re processing something. This kind of movement lowers stress hormones, improves circulation, and helps regulate mood. It also counts as cardio, even if you’re wearing cute shoes.
Eat Like You Love Yourself (But Not in a Restrictive Way)
Instead of “eating clean,” try eating intentionally. Add something good rather than taking something away. A vegetable with dinner. Protein at breakfast. A fiber-rich snack before you go out.
This isn’t about denying pleasure—it’s about supporting your body so it doesn’t crash later. Eating enough (and regularly) helps stabilize mood, energy, and cravings. Starving yourself all day so you can party at night is not a personality trait—it’s a recipe for feeling awful.
Sleep Is the Ultimate Glow-Up
Gay men are notoriously bad at sleep. Late nights, scrolling, hookups, overthinking. But sleep affects literally everything: anxiety levels, weight regulation, immune health, sex drive, and emotional resilience.
You don’t need an 8-step bedtime routine. Start with one rule: protect your sleep window. Go to bed around the same time most nights. Charge your phone away from your face. Treat sleep like self-respect, not a luxury you earn after productivity.
Nothing is hotter than a rested nervous system.
Check In With Your Body (Especially After Sex, Stress, or Drinking)
Health isn’t just what you do—it’s what you notice. Pay attention to how your body feels after nights out, stressful weeks, or emotional moments. Are you holding tension? Skipping meals? Reaching for substances to regulate feelings?
This isn’t about shame—it’s about awareness. That awareness leads to smarter choices: booking a STI screening, taking a rest day, choosing connection over chaos when you need it. Gay men are often taught to push through discomfort. Health improves when you listen instead.
The Real Secret
Good health isn’t built through extremes. It’s built through consistency, compassion, and small habits that don’t feel like punishment. Especially for gay men—who live at the intersection of visibility, pressure, pleasure, and resilience—health has to be flexible enough to fit real life.
Queerly Beloved, You don’t need to become a different person. You just need to take care of the one you already are—one glass of water, one walk, one decent night’s sleep at a time.