Welcome to Men's Health Week

It’s amazing how many successful entrepreneurs prioritize their health and wellness.  The same discipline required for you to get your workout in daily, is the same muscle that drives revenue generating actions.  Consistency.

TREVOR MALONEY

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Men's Health Week will be celebrated around the world June 12-18, ending on Father's Day.

It's an important opportunity to highlight the importance of men's health, and to promote and support the health and wellbeing of men in our families, communities, and organizations.  Men's Health Week focuses not just on physical health, but also men's mental health and emotional wellbeing.

Things to do:

• Wear Blue Day is the Friday before Father’s Day, but you can plan a Wear Blue day any day of the week or even the year.
• Get together with the men (and boys) in your network and do some favorite activities or games.
• Get moving.  Do some type of physical activity.
• Take your dad/brother/uncle/grandfather/significant other out for a healthy meal or cook one for them.
• Connect with someone in rich conversation. Studies show that having social connections with others can help ward against issues like anxiety and depression, as well as lead to higher self-esteem and empathy.
• Take your blood pressure.
• If you don't have a primary healthcare provider, get one.
• If you haven't seen a doctor in over a year, schedule a visit this week.
• If you're age 50 or older and have not been screened for colorectal or prostate cancer, this is the week to schedule that.
• Seek a mental healthcare provider for any signs of mental health issues.
• Set at least one meaningful SMART goal, especially around eating, drinking, exercise, sleep, and relaxing or mindfulness activities.
• Engage with a coach.

Whatever you choose to do, consider Trevor's words of wisdom in our opening quote: consistency.  Consistency matters.  It makes all the difference!

Things to stop saying about and to men and boys
In an effort to raise awareness about what sort of language can be adverse, here are several common phrases to avoid:

• "Be a man."
• "Be strong."
• "Man-up."
• "Suck it up."
• "Boys don't cry." or "Big boys don't cry."
• "Don't show your emotions."
• "Just keep it to yourself."
• "Crying means you're weak."
• "You're doing [fill in the blank] like a girl."
• "You can't be a [teacher, nurse, florist, etc.]."
• "Let the girls do that."—referring to some nurturing behavior, cooking, cleaning, etc.
• "Don't you want to grow up and be big and strong?"
• "That's for girls." or "That's not for boys."
• "You don't want people to think you're a girl, right?"
• "Boys will be boys."
• "That'll put hair on your chest."

These types of things we say to men and boys stigmatize them and are not in alignment with what we know about healthy human growth and development or wellbeing.  They are outdated and based on false assumptions.  And some of them are just plain toxic.

As quoted in an article on Fatherly.com, therapist Anahid Lisa Derbabian said, “Rigid beliefs about what a boy is can be very detrimental to a child, as boys come in all shapes and sizes and a wide range of personalities, preferences, and natural leanings .  When a very specific template is presented to a boy as to what a boy or a man should look like, sound like, act like, enjoy doing, etc., then naturally the boy may often unconsciously try to emulate that, thereby ignoring their own natural tendencies."

Let's add to our observance of Men's Health Week some healthier ways of celebrating the vast diversity of men and multi-variant ways of what it means to be a man.

Happy Men's Health Week!

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Have an amazing journey today!

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Alan Mikolaj is a coach and leadership development consultant with 15+ years of experience.  He is passionate about helping leaders transform their leadership, their teams, and their organizations.  Impactful, professional approach driven by a passion for meaning and purpose, a growth mindset, and a commitment to excellence and service in order to drive change and results.

Alan maintains the ethics and standards of behavior established by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), including the standards regarding confidentiality.  You can learn more about them on the ICF website.

Transformational change starts with a conversation!
Schedule your free, one-hour session by clicking here: Discovery Conversation with Alan
Or call or email me: Contact Page

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