International Men’s Health Week promotes awareness of the importance of good health in men, boys and their families. It’s happening this week, June 12-18 2023, and this year’s theme is Healthy Habits – “focusing on encouraging men and boys to build healthy habits by identifying small changes they can make that benefit their health and wellbeing.”
There are a range of chronic and acute health conditions and symptoms that men experience differently to women, whether it be increased risk of a heart attack or diabetes, severe depression and anxiety, prostate and testicular cancer. Taking this into consideration, we know that men can bottle things up until there is a problem, particularly when it comes to their physical, emotional and mental health.
Only 1 in 5 men are both sufficiently active (aerobic training) and meeting the muscle strengthening guidelines. We all know that to be happy, healthy and have a good innings (live longer) exercise can play an important role for Australian men. Here is a great, varying range of health benefits for men who exercise:
» Weight loss
» Improved testosterone levels as you age
» Reduced risk of cancers such as colon or prostate cancer
» Decreased risk of diabetes
» Lower cholesterol
» Reduced depression and anxiety
» Lower risk of high blood pressure
» Healthier blood vessels
Exercise Physiologists (AEPs) are university qualified professionals equipped with the knowledge to design safe and effective exercise programs for people living with, or at risk of developing chronic health conditions; and even those who are looking to exercise after a long break.
Thorough evidence-based pre-screening and relevant fitness testing is conducted onsite at our state-of-the-art functional rehabilitation facility to gain an understanding of all the health conditions you are living with, how they impact your life and your current level of fitness. It may be recommended to start with supervised sessions at our facility under the experienced eye of our Accredited Exercise Physiologists, Nathan Walker or Scott Howard, or your program can be designed to be performed from home. We utilise a free exercise software program called Physitrack, which can be downloaded to your smart phone or tablet, which gives you the ability to message your therapist directly with feedback about your exercises.
If you want to exercise or know a male in your life who does but aren’t sure how to get started, please book an appointment with one of our AEP’s today. They can help show you how to exercise at a safe and appropriate intensity and start enjoying the physical, mental and emotional benefits.
Sources:
https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-data/health-conditions-disability-deaths/chronic-disease/overview
https://exerciseright.com.au/essa-ebooks/
https://www.internationalmensday.info/men_s_health_week_2023
