Written by Nick Young – Personal Trainer.
Since I became a personal trainer, lots of people have asked me why I chose to do so. As someone working in the IT industry what were my motivations towards personal training? Well, this week is men’s health week and the answer to this is about to become clear. The folks over at men’s health forum have come up with an interesting set of statistics about us blokes.
First, there’s the physical side of things to consider:
- 37 – a waist size of 37 inches or above puts you at increased of heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Learn more.
- 150 – men should aim for 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week. Learn more.
- 5 – we should aim to eat 5 portions of fruit and veg a day. Learn more.
- 14 – maximum 14 units of alcohol a week. Learn more.
- 10 – cigarette smokers die 10 years younger on average than non-smokers. Learn more.
- 120/80 – normal blood pressure. Learn more.
There are some other scary statistics in there too. One in five men will not reach retirement age. Two in five will not reach the age of 75. So the benefits of living a healthier lifestyle are obvious to see. The simple fact is that having a healthy and active retirement is too often dependent on the choices we make throughout our lives. Even so, it’s never too late to improve your health and fitness.
Simple and small changes can have a big impact on your life. For me, once I faced the realities of my own health and fitness situation, I found that the change wasn’t as scary as I had thought. My subsequent motivation to become a personal trainer was (and still is) to help others through that journey of improving their life chances the same way I have done so for my own.
There’s also the mental health aspects to consider, where 3 out of 4 suicides are by men.
- 75 – 75% of suicides (3 out of 4) are by men. Learn more.
Men are often programmed from an early age to not talk about we feel. We go through life with the expectation that we need to be “strong” and support our families. Ladies, you have a vital role to play here too. All too often men do not consider it “manly” to talk about their feelings. Please encourage the men in your lives to talk about their feelings, and ask them “How are you?” Make sure you talk to them about your own feelings as well.
As with physical fitness, it’s never too late to improve your mental wellbeing. If you are feeling down, or depressed or need help with dealing with issues such as stress, talk to someone about it. Exercise can also help with improving your mood and stress levels, and mindfulness, meditation and yoga can help with both your physical and mental wellbeing. These are all services we offer so if you’re ever in need of a helping hand, do reach out.
I’ll finish off by setting a challenge for all the men reading this, as well as the ladies in your lives. Look at the figures above and examine your lifestyle. If you’ve read this and would like to make changes – such as stopping smoking, losing weight, getting fitter, or even if you just want some advice on improving your diet but don’t know where to start, we can help you. Contact us for a consultation – we’ll discuss your goals and come up with a plan of action for you from our varied toolbox of mental and physical wellbeing services. And the best thing is if you subsequently use our services, the consultation will be free*
A final word, if you feel you are in crisis and need expert mental health advice, there are many organisations that you can talk to, such as The Samaritans, Rethink and Mind, with experts trained in such situations. They are there to help. My plea though is please don’t leave it until it becomes a crisis before dealing with your worries.
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