Movember is the month where moustaches do battle with prostate and testicular cancer and suicide. As one of the biggest men’s health movements in the UK, we’ve got a network of guys who are all part of Movember and who are doing their bit by growing their ‘tache.
Colin Rosam
I have always been active to a degree but until recently haven’t managed to pull together all elements needed for a proper, healthier life. Although I could cycle 30+ miles on bike and just about keep up on the weekly boot camp I weighed over 120kg and was very conscious about health implications of being overweight such as heart disease , diabetes etc. I think looking back I always knew what I needed to do, improve and make better diet decisions, but lacked the motivation to make it happen.
When my wife showed me email from our daughter’s school about MAN v FAT, I thought it worth a go and signed up. Since then, I have been more motivated to bring all the elements together including regular exercise, tracking what I eat and effective goal setting. I put down to support of our coach, Nathan, he is great with setting realistic expectations, getting us to trust the process and celebrating the small successes we achieve each week. Also being on the same journey as number of other lads really helps, we all are tackling the challenge in slightly different ways and often share little bits and pieces that we have find useful. Off the pitch we all supportive of each other and celebrate our success, we keep the competitiveness for the game!
In the last 10 months its all come together, I’ve lost 23kg, 20% of my body weight. In addition, my self confidence and mental health has also improved which at the time wasn’t a something I had thought much about. Which leads to Movember, around the world too many men are dying too young, from suicide and prostrate & testicular cancers. I was shocked to learn that 1 in 8 men in the UK will diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime and we lose a man globally to suicide each minute, every day. Movmeber look to invest in projects around the world that support suicide prevention and research into cancer treatments and support services that affect men every day.
When it was suggested by a workmate that we should get involved it seemed like the perfect fit for the journey I had started with MAN v FAT, both target men, physical and mental health. I’m in a good place that moment but I know there are man out there who right now may need a little help. Our team, Mos for our Mates, have started to work hard to raise some money for this worthwhile cause. We are growing some face furniture, running 60km in November for the 60 men we will lose to suicide each hour and as added incentive to get people to donate we doing the Sally Up, Sally down challenge if we hit out 50% target and a full on boot camp with will involving a squat, press up, burpee or crunch for every £10 we raise.
We know the money makes a big difference, but its also about awareness, letting others know about challenges men are facing, for men struggling that help is out there and hopefully encouraging others start their own journeys to improved physical and mental health.
Ian Black
It started a week or so before the Movember challenge started. I was in the the gym on the treadmill and I thought I’ve got no motivation to be here and I felt I was in a slump. I thought I need a challenge to get my head back into my exercise. I remembered I’d seen things on social media about fitness challenges every day for a month. I’d spoken to a friend earlier that day about Movember as he was growing his moustache. Then wondered if Movember had a fitness challenge.
When I got home, I looked on the website and found the Move for Movember 60km challenge. I thought this is for a good cause and it gives me a goal, so I signed up and committed to doing 100km in November. So, I set up the page and quickly I started getting sponsors. I mentioned it to my coach at MAN v FAT and he asked if I wanted to inform the group and again by the end of the evening several of the lads had sponsored me. It’s very challenging but it’s also really rewarding and it’s paying off on the scales as well.
