Goeiedag, enchantée and welcome to this week's episode of Eight 2 Four presents: All-NBA Team of the Week. In the Eastern Conference all four teams will be battling in a game 7 for the spots in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Nets and Sixers are the favourites because they play at home but these Playoffs have been so unpredictable so far, that I wouldn’t be surprised that neither of these teams will actually make it there. In the West the Clippers and the Suns are preparing themselves for their Western Conference Finals clash. It’s the 10th time the Suns made it to the Conference Finals, progressing twice. For the Clippers it is the first time in Franchise history they’ve made it to the Conference Finals. When looking at personal achievements, the only players on the Suns’ roster with any kind of significant Playoff experience are Chris Paul, of course, Jae Crowder and Torrey Craig. On the other side, the Clippers have Kawhi, who has won the NBA title twice in and Paul George, who has played in 2 Conference Finals in his career and they are surrounded by seasoned role players. This series could go either way but I am fairly confident that the Suns will be up 2-0 before the Clippers will show up to the party.
That’s all the basketball talk for this week. Today is June 20th, the last day of the International Men’s Health Week. One particular stat has come to my attention this week, and it hit me so hard that I decided to cancel our normal show and dedicate this show to Men’s Health. According to the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation only 30% of a man’s overall health is determined by his genetics. That means that you can control the other 70% of your health through your lifestyle. That is huge! So many of the health problems I see in the men around me are caused by a lack of exercise, terrible diet and overconsumption of alcohol and tobacco. These things are easily fixed by making small changes in your day-to-day life. Obviously, giving up addictions like smoking and drinking is easier said than done, but just slowing down and having less each day makes a massive difference. For example, dropping from 10 drinks per week to 5 drinks per week could half your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Making small changes like this in your lifestyle can be the difference between living the last 10 years of your life in poor health or enjoying your retirement the way you deserve.
During the day, I work in the construction industry in Australia, and the things I see on a daily basis are horrendous. Men are consuming junk food all day and washing it down with soft drinks while working in the hot sun and taking very regular cigarette-breaks. And when the body starts to struggle, it must be beer o’clock and these guys disappear into the pub, or worse, on their own into their man cave. It is heart-breaking to see grown men throw their lives away like this, not having the courage or strength to change it. And that brings me to another aspect of men’s health, something even more important than lifestyle, and that is men’s mental health. Besides heart failure and different cancers, suicide or self-harm is one of the main causes of death for men in Australia, for young men, under 50, it is the main cause of death. It is very stereotypical for men to power through “bad-head-days”, or drink their mental problems away. Men are scared of being seen as weak if they acknowledge that they are not ok, instead of being proud for taking that important step to reach out. It is hard, we don’t like to talk about our feelings. Personally, I would rather have a staring contest with my wall than a conversation with someone about my feelings. But, I am raising two young boys and the last thing I want for them is to grow up and feel as closed off as I do. So, I force myself to talk with them about my feelings. I show them it is ok to share your feelings with others and I see them share their feelings with their friends and teachers. The easiest way for men to open up, is to create a fun group mentality. Encourage men to join local sports clubs or book clubs or workshop clubs, any kind of club. Being part of a group will give men a sense of belonging and make it easier to open up to their friends. We need to celebrate men who are happy to take the lead in these settings to open up about their feelings and encourage others to do the same. The time has come to break the chain and raise our young men to be sensitive and aware of others around them. In addition to so-called manliness, not in place of. Because men that are in touch with their feelings are not fairies, in fact, they are the opposite. They are giants, carrying society and supporting everyone around them.
If you are still listening at this point, thank you. I really appreciate your support. If you take one thing away from this show, I hope it is this. Take the time over the next week to help a few guys around you open up about something that might be bothering them. Take them out for a coffee or a healthy feed and share something personal about you and encourage them to share something with you. Let’s all make this world a better place and take the “toxic” out of masculinity. Ballers out.
Comments