It’s OUR month fellas!
June is MEN’S HEALTH month! Once again, another year and another month to call ours. For far too long we have allowed ourselves to believe that our health was not important. As young boys, we grew up with a keen idea of what physical health was. We had a surface level understanding of what it looked like and likely aspired to what we knew.
Playing sports in our adolescence, we knew we had to stay active because NOBODY wanted to be the slowest person on the field of play. So we stuck to the fundamentals like running and jumping, which translated to pretty much every popular sport.
Personally, I admired the athletic abilities of Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith, I ripped out muscle mag pictures of IFBB professional bodybuilder Nasser El Sonbaty ( didn’t know any better) and hung them on my wall, and I was forever impacted by the blazing speed of Olympic Gold Medal sprinter Michael Johnson and his gold cleats.
As grown men, we now have a better understanding of what Men’s Health should look like, whether we apply it to ourselves or not. I think the great modern day Philosopher, Street Disciple, Marshawn Lynch made the most compelling and all-encompassing call to action, “Start taking care y’all mentals, y’all bodies, and y’all chicken.”.
I am in no way shape or form trying to make light of his words. He delivered his wisdom in his own unique way, not meant for the mass majority, but the points still come across. These words carry depth, and a tried and true practice that wise men have attempted to convey to the younger generation time and time again.
He basically showed us why PRIORITIZING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY is so important. Allow me to break it down!
Take care of Y’alls Mental
The mental health aspect does not receive the attention it definitively should demand. Instead it is stigmatized. Mental toughness is a focal point in athletes (especially the elite ones), but we often fail to emphasize its importance when it comes to marriage, fatherhood, child rearing, and work. We have a misguided understanding of what mental toughness is. It’s not grinning and bearing it, as it may have meant when you were playing high school ball. At least not 100% of the time, and that’s why we need to heed his advice.
This means knowing when it’s time for a break. You should be aware of when you are about to be overwhelmed by stress. By the time overwhelming stress is upon you, it’s too late. In an argument with your wife, you should know when you are about to say or do something you are going to regret.
Have a mouthy toddler who is learning how to be the ultimate manipulator or an infant who is teething and won’t leave you alone until he in inside your skin? You should know when to remove yourself from situations before those situations become unhealthy interactions.
Now muddle all those situations under one roof, at once, and add the stresses of work and having to do it from home…welcome to the 2nd Quarter of your life in 2020!
How do you cope dad? What’s your outlet? You take care of your mentals by PRIORITIZING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY! You’re the GO-TO player on this team dad! But it’s a team effort. You’re Michael and your wife is Scottie! So let her assist you, and you do the same for her. You need your time, for the sake of your mentals and so does she.
Take Care of Y’alls Bodies
Ok, so this probably needs the least bit of explaining. Rather than explaining what you already know, it would be more productive if you did some self-reflection and ask yourself, “Am I?”. I mean, REALLY? Are YOU taking care of your body? I don’t’ mean you need to be some health nut, subscribing to the Organic this, Non-GMO that, or the Gluten-Free (unless you have allergies/sensitivities) vegetarian, vegan, Pentecostal, Episcopalian, etc.
It’s simple, take care of your body and it will take care of you. But you knew that already. You’ve likely seen my words on the state of obesity in the United States with almost 40% of adult Americans overweight or obese. If you haven’t, check out World Obesity Day . On the other side of the spectrum is failing or refusing to listen to your body when it says slow down, or the Nasser El Sonbaty’s of the world that appear to be taking care of their body’s but in fact are doing more long-term damage. These people are in the minority, statistically speaking.
Take Care of Y’alls Chicken
Unlike Champion professional boxer Roy Jones, Jr., most men do not own chickens. At this point in time, I wish I was more self sufficient with my own food sources. Nothing like a pandemic to make you realize how dependent on others you are. But that’s not what we’re talking about here.
Back in the day, chickens were used to trade, as a form of currency. Chickens were valuable, especially to the poor man. Chickens provided eggs, meat and didn’t require as much feed as the large mammals. So taking care of your chickens meant taking care of your livelihood or your money.
Believe it or not, this brings it all together. When you can take care of your mind, and your body, you can better take care of your livelihood. To take it a bit further, if you have health, you’re more likely to live longer. The longer you live, the more time you have with your kids, and their kids. You’ll also increase your ability to earn more money in your lifetime. The more money you earn, save and invest, the bigger your legacy to pass on.
Tie It Together
We would like to think that things aren’t as interconnected as they are, but we’d be doing ourselves a disservice. Besides, you knew all this anyway. You’ve seen family members that didn’t take care of their mentals, bodies and/or chickens. They didn’t live past their early 60’s. They didn’t get to see their grandkids grow into adults. They also didn’t have much to pass on to their family.
Will that be you? Start by PRIORITZING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. It’s a simple yet important first step, but it always starts with a first step.
As dads, we desire to provide our kids resources and opportunities we didn’t have when we grew up. Not material possessions. Put simply, if you didn’t have healthy parents growing up, or parents that could play with you, go on a hike with you, is that not worth aspiring to provide your kids?
Leave your kids a legacy of health, by showing them what true Men’s Health should look like. Let June be the month you decide to Prioritize Physical Activity!