By JIM RIDLEY
Men’s Health Week, what’s it all about?
Well for some it might have given them the opportunity to take a look at themselves and decide to get out and do something about their health. Now that may have been anything from looking into getting into exercise or improving their nutrition to going out and doing something more social and enjoying some others company.
Too often when we hear the word health we automatically think of the physical, but realistically without a sound mind it would not matter how our bodies functioned. I hope that last week created a bit more awareness in the community that men do suffer all varieties of illness from the common cold through to the most serious of mental diseases and from time to time they do need help.
Now the biggest thing that I notice is that men are more reluctant to reach out than women are. I see it all the time in my work. It is amazing how the women in groups will continue to support each other and come up and ask for help time and time again. When the goings gets really tough these women rally around each other and help each other through.
As men we tend to want to go it alone.
We seem to think that if we ask for help we are showing some sort of weakness, when in reality we are just looking to find the answers to our problems. We really can’t be expected to have all of the answers to our own problems and yet we feel as though we have to have them or somehow we aren’t quite the man we should be.
One thing I have noticed is that men and women that exercise, do have better general wellbeing, don’t suffer as many ailments and have a much more positive and better outlook on life. To back this up there have been numerous studies to link exercise to less sick days at work and better mental health to name a couple.
Now it needn’t be that you go out and run a marathon. It could be something as simple as taking the dog for a walk with the kids, going down to the park with them after school or joining a social sporting comp. Anything that is active that you find enjoyable is far better than doing nothing at all.
Look I’m not trying to come down on us blokes and make it look like women have it all over us, I’m just trying to keep the awareness going right through the year. It is absolutely brilliant that we have a week dedicated to Men’s Health, but let’s keep that awareness going right up until Men’s Health Week next year.
What I am getting at is don’t let a minute go by where you could have done something.
If you bought a gym membership in the last six or 12 months and have never set foot back in the gym, go… do anything there. If your wife bought you some golf or tennis lessons for your birthday, use them… at the very least you will learn something you did not know before.
If you are unsure about diet or exercise call someone that knows, it may be that mate that is super fit and lives really well or it may be your PT (Personal Trainer), a bloke that works at the gym or a nutritionist. Whoever it is talk with them!
And if you have not been to your GP in quite a while, do go… get a check up. Think of it as a service just like you would service your car, after all what good is your car without you to drive it?
About the Author
Jim Ridley is the owner of Gym Ridz Personal Training Studio, Armidale’s only private training studio. Jim has successfully lost over 20 kilos in fat, kept it off and has become Armidale’s accomplished PT.
He is also an avid, if not tragic, St George Illawarra Dragons fan.
