Men's Health Week 2019

Men's Health Week is held annually in the week leading up to Father's Day, and aims to raise awareness of men's health issues. It focusses on preventable health problems and encourages early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys.
In the UK, the theme of this year's Men's Health Week is 'Men's Health by Numbers'. The charity is sharing some key numbers that men need to be aware of to help them achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

• • 37 - a waist size of 37 inches or above puts men at increased of heart disease, diabetes and cancer
  • 150 - men should aim for 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week
  • 5 - men should aim to eat 5 portions of fruit and veg a day
  • 14 - maximum 14 units of alcohol a week
  • 10 - cigarette smokers die 10 years younger on average than non-smokers
  • 120/80 - normal blood pressure

• 75 - 75% of suicides (3 out of 4) are by men

We spoke to some of our male employees about how they look after their health.
Software Quality Engineer Umesh Parmar is passionate about looking after his body and his mind. He enjoys cycling - both road and high octane adrenaline push mountain biking; regularly covering distances of between 15 and 45 miles at a time. He also meditates each morning using Rudraksha mantra beads, and is a big advocate of eating the right foods to power the mind.

Student adviser Travis Webber is a keen gym goer; exercising up to 6 days a week. That's dedication!

Our eLearning Designer Christian Davies walks every morning before coming into the office, and every lunchtime too; clocking up thousands of steps on a daily basis. During weekends and holidays he indulges his passion for trains, travelling all over the country with his hobby. This photograph was taken at Crich Tramway Museum.

Mental health is important too

Health is too often thought of purely in physical terms. We can see from the upsetting and unbalanced suicide statistics that mental health is equally, if not more, important. That's why having a hobby, like Chris, or paying attention to your mind, like Umesh, are to be encouraged. Perhaps enrolling on a distance learning course and exercising the mind could be a step in improving health. Evidence shows that continuing to learn throughout life can improve and maintain our mental wellbeing. Learning can boost self-confidence and self-esteem, help build a sense of purpose, and help us connect with others (www.nhs.uk).
If you'd like to speak to us about our range of distance learning courses, please call our team of student advisers on 03300 563100 or get in touch via our website.
For more information on male health and Men's Health Week, check out the Man MOT brochure from the Men's Health Forum (below)
https://issuu.com/menshealthforum/docs/manmot_checks_challenges_issu_20pp