Shedding Light on Men's Health: Movember

Marked in Australia and worldwide for the past 13 years, ‘Movember’ as it’s now known, sees males growing mos for the month to raise awareness and funds for men’s health issues.

Through Movember awareness and education campaigns, many organisations encourage men to talk and act on the often ignored health issues that face them. At the top of the agenda are prostate cancers, testicular cancer, mental health issues and physical inactivity. At Wesley LifeShape Clinic, we want all males to live happier, healthier and longer lives. Early detection is the most important factor in treating big issues. It is important to know your family history of health issues and if something doesn’t feel right, to seek medical advice quickly.

In the spirit of Movember, let’s discuss some general steps that all men can do to better achieve a healthy lifestyle:

Know your numbers – Things like BMI, waist measures, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels are great indicators of various health risks. You can visit our website to check your BMI.

Know your family history – What health conditions are you prone to? Knowing this will increase your awareness of the condition and you can also start reducing the risk factors associated with it.

Exercise – It’s important to aim for at least 30 minutes /day or 150 minutes /week of moderate activity. This Movember, as well as growing mos, the annual men's health campaign is encouraging participants to make a conscious effort to exercise.

Eat a healthy diet - Consume plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables, wholegrains and lean protein such as meats, poultry, seafood, nuts and beans.

Stress – Long term stress can cause the onset of many healthy conditions such as cardiovascular disease. Find out what makes you feel good and plan to balance out the good times and the bad ones.

Take early action – Knowledge is power, prevention is everything and early detection is key.

Sleep well – Having adequate sleep will help regulate your appetite hormones and stress. Ensure you get enough sleep by going to bed on time and getting up at a similar time, whilst aiming for the recommended 7-8 hours sleep per night.

Don’t smoke – You’re 20 times more likely to get lung cancer if you smoke, compared to your nonsmoking counterparts. Go and see your GP to kick start the quitting process.

Moderate alcohol consumption - Alcohol can be consumed in moderation as part of a balanced diet. Aim to never drink more than two drinks at social occasions. Also aim for some alcohol free days every now and then.

This November, the team at Wesley LifeShape clinic are setting the challenge to all our male clients to grow a terrific moustache or Mo!

Here are the not so official rules of Movember for you:

1. Once registered at Movember.com each Mo Bro must begin the 1^st of Movember with a clean shaven face.

2. For the entire month of November each Mo Bro must grow and groom a moustache.

3. Don’t fake it- no beards, no goatees and no definitely no fake moustaches.

4. Use the power of the moustache to create conversations about men’s health and to raise funds for prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health.

5. Each mo bro must conduct himself like a true gentleman!

So to entice our Wesley LifeShape Clinic males to grow a mo, we are giving away an Eat Well, Live Well cookbook to the best mo of the month! Just let our friendly client services team know you are doing Movember and they will keep an eye on your progress. The winner will be decided at the end of the month!

Ladies, you can still make a contribution too! Encourage your father, partners, brothers and sons to grow a mo. There are plenty of other ways you can raise funds though if you can’t grow a mo; get creative and host an event, attend an already organised event or get out and MOVE!  Take the MOVE challenge and be physically active for 30 minutes per day for the month of November.

See more at https://au.movember.com/about/foundation