Men - are you looking after your health yet?

We may look healthy on the outside, but make the most of free health checks, says ex Norwich City footballer Darren Eadie Picture Richard Kelly (Image: Archant)

BLOOD PRESSURE

One in four men in Norfolk don't know they've got high blood pressure - Darren explained in the first of his Menkind blogs back in September

"Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of early death in men. Yet there are lots of things we can do to help reduce our risk such as losing weight, giving up smoking or reducing cholesterol. Getting your blood pressure checked is the first step to avoiding something serious later in life. High blood pressure is treatable, but left undiagnosed can cause all sorts of nasties such as heart attack or stroke."

Menkind is the campaign from Norfolk County Council encouraging us to look after ourselves (Image: Archant)

www.norfolk.gov.uk/getchecked

www.smokefreenorfolk.nhs.uk

Darren Eadie has been talking candidly throughout the Menkind campaign about his own physical and mental health issues Picture Richard Kelly (Image: Archant)

One in eight men have experienced a common mental health problem in the last week

DARREN ON MENTAL HEALTH...

Norfolk County Council initiated the Menkind campaign (Image: Archant)

"If there's one thing I've learnt it's that things do improve. At the time you think there's no way out but give it time, things do change, you will get better. You learn over time with different help how to deal with different situations and you manage it.

You might be fooled in thinking my go to cure all is to keep active but actually for me it's all about connecting with those around me. It's crucial just to talk. Have that first conversation about how you're feeling, and you'll find it gets easier after that."

FIVE WAYS TO WELLBEINGConnect

Be active

Take notice

Keep learning

Give

www.wellbeingnands.co.uk/norfolk/self-help/five-ways-to-wellbeing

FITNESS AND DIET

150 minutes - the amount of moderate intensity exercise we should be doing each week

37" waist measurement - anything over that puts you at increased of heart disease, diabetes and cancer

"As a nation we're currently 20% less active than we were back in the 1960s and, in fact, physical inactivity is responsible for one in six deaths in the UK. Not only that but 74,000 males in Norfolk are obese, many of these being aged 55-64. With only one in four men getting their five a day it looks like as a nation we've got some changes to make.

Fitness isn't just about going out and running a marathon. If you want to do that then that's fantastic but it's about simply moving more, making small changes to get you on the road to being more active.

Adults should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity every week. Even a ten minute brisk walk can count towards that - just enough to raise your heart rate and get you breathing a little harder. That doesn't sound too hard really.

You just need to take that initial step in getting started, whether it's walking your dog at a faster pace or swapping the lift for the stairs."

USEFUL LINKS

www.activenorfolk.orgwww.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/couch-to-5k-week-by-week

TOP THREE PIECES OF ADVICE FROM DARREN EADIE- Don't put off going to your GP if you're worried about your health. Delaying now could make things much more difficult treat later on.

- Talking to friends and family about how you're feeling. It will really help your mental health

- Take up an NHS health check "MOT" when you're offered it. They're free after all!