June is Men's Health Month and the experts over at the non-profit Men's Health Network want you to get involved. You can do this by wearing blue to show your support for men's health issues (much as how women wear pink to raise breast cancer awareness), attend any one of the hundreds of free health screenings going on this month or simply by reading up on the issues that affect men.
Are you active in your workplace, regularly attend a religious service or participate in community events? You could be the perfect guy (or woman, for that matter) to organize a Wear BLUE Day. The Wear BLUE section of the Men's Health Network website has a handful of ideas and free resources to help you put one together. Many of those resources, like the Payroll Stuffer and the sample e-mail, include requests for a $5 donation, naturally, and the organization would, I'm sure, be more than happy to sell you posters, coffee mugs and educational pamplets to make your Wear BLUE day even more informative but I can think of a handful of things you can do that won't cost you a lot of money, won't pester your employees or co-workers for donations and which just might raise the morale of your group a bit. What about hosting a barbeque? Maybe a potluck dinner? Got a place in your neighborhood where your group could get together some a Sunday-afternoon fishing? How 'bout making it a father-and-son thing? Or, if it's appropriate for your group, just set aside a day or two this month as a wear-blue-to-work day.
National Men's Health Week was signed into law back in 1994 by then-President Bill Clinton. This year it runs from June 11th through the 17th and will be formally recognized by everyone from Congress to professional sports teams.
And now that we're finished with all the official press release stuff let's get right to the bottom line. You will, most likely, live 5 years fewer than the average woman your age. Do you really want to miss out on 5 years of your kids' and grandkids' lives? Look, I couldn't care less if you buy a coffee mug with a blue ribbon printed on it. What I do care about is you and encouraging you to be the healthiest man you can be. Please, take this opportunity to learn more about unique health challenges you face and get out in front of things like high blood pressure, prostate cancer and diabetes.
