Fitness columnist Emmet Rushe explains why we should make sure the men in our lives are looking after their health.
This week is Men’s Health Week 2019.
It runs from the 10th to the 16th of June and it’s time to get men talking about their health!
If there is one thing you should know about men, it’s that we don’t like to talk about things, even when we should.
Men WILL NOT tell you when there is something wrong.
I’m not talking about buying the wrong type of cereal here, because we’d probably let you know all about that, I’m talking about health issues.
There is very little chance that your partner, father, son, a friend would let you know if they were worried about a health issue.
A study was done by Calm and the Huffington Post in 2016 and they found that only “50% of males who are feeling depressed will talk to somebody else about it.”
The first person they would be most likely to tell is their GP.
But even then, it may not be what you would expect.
Psychotherapist Damien Ridge, a professor of health studies at the University of Westminster, said he fears professionals were unable “to pick up or spot the coded ways that men talk about their distress”.
Which means that even if they spoke to a GP, it could be in that, play it down so we don’t seem weak, kind of a way men tend to say things.
What’s more worrying is that there is only an 18% chance that they would tell their partner.
Then we have the obesity rate in Ireland.
Right now, we are sitting at around 28% obesity among males in Ireland.
For those who are in the overweight category, this rises to 70% of males in Ireland.
Obesity in males in Ireland is set to rise to 38% by 2025.
While this is becoming the norm, it is putting a huge strain on the health of males in Ireland.
The list below is a combination of obesity-related diseases and ones that may be hereditary, but are worsened by being obese.
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- Some Cancers
- Gallbladder disease and gallstones
- Breathing problems, such as asthma and sleep apnea
- Osteoarthritis
After the age of 35 in men the following start to happen;
- Their metabolism will slow down.
- Their testosterone levels will drop
- They will lose muscle mass
- They will find it easier to gain weight
They may not notice this, but it is part of ageing and if you are already unhealthy and overweight, this will make this even worse.
On top of this, recent projections from the World Health Organisation suggested Ireland was on course to become the world’s most obese nation by 2030.
So, the likelihood of someone you know, your father, brother, partner or sons, ending up with one of the issues above is quite high and again, the likelihood of them telling you about it is low.
While the majority of marketing for weight loss and fitness tends to be aimed at women, men need to start taking notice and start becoming more active.
Things they need to be encouraged to do are;
- Start exercising.
- Lift weights
- Reduce alcohol consumption
- Increase protein and veg in your diet
- Do some cardio
- Drink more water
- Get more sleep.
- Get a yearly MOT
All these things will help them to maintain a healthy lifestyle well into middle age.
It may not be easy to get through to the men in your life.
At times it can be like talking to the wall, a very untalkative wall, but it is important to make sure they are looking after themselves, even if they don’t want to.
Their future health and wellness depend on it.
#leanin2019
If you need some help, The Rushe Fitness Summer Shape Up 2019 is now open for booking.
If you or the man in your life would like to start your health and fitness journey, we can help.
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We start on June 24th.
