Men urged to "Get up, get out,get going" as part of International Men's Health Week
As local men watch some of the fittest athletes on the planet compete in the World Cup, they are being challenged to take more exercise than merely reaching for the remote control.
Men throughout South Tipperary are being urged to “Get up, get out, get going” as part of International Men’s Health Week, which began on Monday.
The week is being marked with a range of activities that are being co-ordinated locally by the Men's Health Forum in Ireland (MHFI).
To help men get into shape, MHFI is challenging them to take part in an online training programme which will help them to get fit enough to run a 10km race in 12 weeks’ time.
Regular physical activity is key to a healthy lifestyle yet few local people engage in exercise, bringing major health consequences. It is predicted that by 2015 a third of men on the island of Ireland will be clinically obese, thereby increasing their risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in particular.
Physical activity can benefit every aspect of a person’s health. Regular exercise reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, stroke, cancer, osteoporosis and depression. It reduces stress, improves sleeping patterns, builds-up bone and muscle strength, helps to control weight and tones body shape. Physical activity is the ultimate natural treatment for many modern day illnesses and complaints.
International Men’s Health Week from June 14 to 20 is focusing on the theme of “Men and Physical Activity and a free online fitness training programme is available at www.mhfi.org. The programme will help participants slowly, easily and realistically build-up their level of fitness, over a 12-week period, to the point where they are capable of entering either a 10km or 5km run. MHFI is organising an event on Saturday, September 4 in the grounds of Ardgillen Castle near Skerries, Co. Dublin, and local men are invited to take part.
Noel Richardson, Chairperson of the Men’s Health Forum in Ireland said: “Men can begin to make a difference in easy ways and by setting themselves simple challenges such as cycling to work, using the stairs not the lift, walking to the shop rather than taking the car, organising a ‘kick-about’ at lunch time, going for a swim, washing the car by hand, taking the dog for a long walk, digging over the flower beds. You have to start somewhere and even doing a small amount of physical activity will greatly improve your health”.
Groups in South Tipperary are organising events to celebrate the week, with details posted on the Men’s Health Forum in Ireland website at: www.mhfi.org
International Men’s Health Week always begins on the Monday before Father's Day and ends on Father's Day itself. It is celebrated in most European countries, as well as in the USA, Australia and a number of other places worldwide
The Men's Health Forum in Ireland is a charity works on an all-Ireland basis to enhance the health of men and boys. It is a voluntary network of individuals and organisations, men and women, which seeks to identify the key concerns relating to male health and to increase understanding of these issues.
The Forum co-ordinates and promotes Men’s Health Week activity on the island of Ireland and co-operates with other Men's Health Fora across Europe to mark this week.
The overall aims of Men’s Health Week are to: heighten awareness of preventable health problems for males of all ages; support men and boys to engage in healthier lifestyle choices and activities; encourage the early detection and treatment of health difficulties in males.
Adults begin to experience health benefits when they do at least 150 minutes a week of moderate physical activity such as brisk walking. This requires an average of 30 minutes of activity five days a week. Children and young people need at least 60 minutes of moderate physical activity on each of these days. However, research shows that most adults and children in Ireland don’t reach this target. Furthermore, as people get older, they tend to engage in less physical activity.
The SLN (Survey of Lifestyles, Attitudes and Nutrition) findings in 2007 showed that only 41% of adults in Ireland took part in moderate or strenuous physical activity for at least 20 minutes three or more times a week. A 2006 survey on Health Behaviours in School Children also revealed that over half of primary school age children did not achieve the recommended level of physical activity. Indeed, by 15 years of age, almost seven out of ten boys don’t reach the recommended level.
Irish men experience a disproportionate burden of ill-health and die too young. Male life expectancy on the island is just 75.8 years. This is almost six years younger than that of females and, for certain groups of men, it is younger still. Men have higher death rates at all ages, and for all leading causes of death.
Further information can be obtained from www.mhfi.org or by contacting Finian Murray, Health Service Executive, at (087) 2038790 or email: finian.murray@hse.ie
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Wednesday 08 February 2012
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