After the prolonged fire season, Men's Health Week - 10 to 16 June - is a good time for the men in our ranks to refocus their attention on their health and wellbeing so they can be at their best for their families, their brigade and their communities.
Men's Health Week is held each year in June to raise awareness of preventable health issues among men and boys.
At CFA it is about supporting our men in improving their overall health, fitness and wellbeing, and there are a number of ways you can get health support:
- Regular health checks through the Healthy for Life, Health Watch and Health Ready programs. These health checks are a great opportunity to get individual health advice and lifestyle recommendations that will suit you as an individual.
- The Your Health portal on the intranet provides information and resources from trusted sources to help our people take steps towards proactively looking after your health.
CFA Health Services Advisor Hugh Degaris said men traditionally only go to their doctor when they have significant or obvious symptoms.
"Men's Health Week is a good time to change that. Regular heath checks are vital especially as we get older, but even younger men should be thinking about their health and be aware of any changes they may be experiencing that need further investigation," Hugh said.
"Lifestyle changes including proactive health management can ensure we experience good physical and mental health into our later life.
"Making changes to your lifestyle can be daunting as humans are creatures of habit. Focus should be on making small sustainable changes that suit you and can be built on over time."
Wellbeing Services Advisor Tim Rogers said Men's Health Week was also a good time for our men to focus on their mental wellbeing.
"It's not just your physical health that requires your attention to be able to achieve optimal performance - you also require good psychological health," Tim said.
"It is ok to be feeling affected by attending a potentially traumatic event but if that continues for more than a couple of weeks it is important to seek more professional support by way of your GP, psychologist, counsellor - or by accessing supports provided by CFA through the Wellbeing Support Line."
Here are our handy tips to help you improve your health, fitness and wellbeing:
- Eat a healthy, balanced diet
- Engage in regular exercise
- Drink alcohol responsibly
- Get adequate sleep and rest
- Spend time with your loved ones
- Do things you enjoy
- Maintain community involvement and relationships
- Make use of CFA's wellbeing and health services
